Hale Purlieu is one of the five northern Commons within the New Forest perambulation owned by the National Trust. It is an area of heath and valley bog, both of which are undergoing restoration. Some of the flora now being discovered are quite rare. Please post photos of your “finds”, but obviously, don’t pick them!
For centuries, the Purlieu was outside of the New Forest - the word "purlieu" means an area which has been "disafforested" and is not subject to Forest Law. It was brought within the boundary and the Verderers’ jurisdiction under the New Forest Act of 1964.
The return half of the walk is mainly on Crown Estates land administered by the Forestry Commission. Their mandate has changed over the years, and the land usage has swung wildly during the last 100. We will try to pick up some of the traces of that history, and hope you will enjoy discovering something unexpected.
During the bird nesting season, you will see signs asking you to keep your dogs under control. Probably should apply that to children too!
Stage 1 Car Park - Start
There are three concrete plaques just outside the northern edge of the car park. Read the black numbers for “Main” and “Feet” as “AB” “C”, “AB” “DE”, and “F” “F”.
By substitution, calculate the coordinates for Stage 2.
Stage 2 Pylon
N50 57.(D+E)(C-D)A
W001 4F.ED(A+B)
Follow the path north up the valley, dropping down to cross the stream, before climbing the slope to the pylon. You can also drop straight down into the valley, but please follow one of the minor paths, and take care as this will take you through an area with some rare flora. Do not just follow your GPS arrow.
These pylons were given a new lease of life with a thickly applied coat of paint in 2011, and further maintenance was done in October 2012. The engineers also gave it a new Identity Plate, “4YB x1”. Let “G” equal the next to last digit. If you can’t see this number, look up and phone the National Grid.
Stage 3 NT Board
N50 57.(D+G)G(G-A)
W001 4A.EGG
You will find a National Trust Plaque with a separate notice below. On the front side of that notice (not the plaque above), how many times does “the” appear? Make the answer the value of “H” .
From here, you can follow the track down the slope , and on to the Forestry Commission part of this walk. An alternative route is to follow the fence to the north east corner of Hale Purlieu. This is a quiet area where the chances of spotting deer are quite high, but not guaranteed! At the end of the fence, there is a muddy gateway to traverse. Stay with the track which will take you to a gateway through on to the Forestry Commission part of the walk, close to another pylon. From here, the route is fairly obvious.
Stage 4 FC Board
N50 57.H(E+H)B
W001 4D.(F+G)HD
The Information Post with the Forestry Commission Byelaws on its side provides the clues to the location of the final stages of the walk. Find the appropriate paragraph numbers to be the values of “I”, “J”, “K”, “L”, and “M”.
Entering mines = I
Lighting fires = J
Removing slag = K
Obstructing gates = L
Using metal detectors = M
During World War II, this area was known as ARD Millersford and many of the burial mounds or tumulii on the OS map are probably the bulldozed remains of the bomb-proof laboratories in which explosives research was carried out. The presence of bricks indicates a fairly modern "tumulus"! In the 1950s the area was deep-ploughed and planted with a selection of conifers.
Now the area is being encouraged to revert to open heath land, being an increasingly rare European habitat the New Forest National Park Authority wish to enlarge. However, a few remaining bluebells that struggle on show that much of this area, particularly the hollows, was ancient woodland.
More knowledgeable background information can be found in Anthony Pasmore’s excellent New Forest Notes for July 2005:- (visit link)
Heading off from here, take the direct route rather than follow the track. Stage 5 is optional; you can go direct to Stage 6 for the next clue. Either way, this part of walk gives you marvellous views to the west in to Cranborne Chase, and to the south-west, the spine of the Isle of Purbeck is visible.
Stage 5 Alien Spacecraft Landing Pad
N50 57.LMD
W001 4I.KDL
Well I didn’t know what it was! Two reasons to detour though. First, to suffer the discomfort of crossing deep-ploughed heathland, and therefore understand why Anthony Pasmore was so ecstatic about the restoration programme. Second, to come up with your own unlikely theory on the purpose of this 12m concrete disc. It looks like another WW2 bombing practise target, but I now understand this concrete base would have had a metal frame on it that held the explosive being tested above the ground. All the observation buildings (now buried) were arranged to have a view of the explosion and this would have been recorded on film. The fact that the explosion was in the air explains why there is little damage to the concrete.
This feature, and the next, are both being investigated by volunteers exploring and documenting the history of the New Forest during World War 2. We thank them for explaining this "feature", and when they have answers to the next one, we will update this narrative. If you can contribute to this project, please help:- (visit link)
Stage 6 WW2 Staddle Stones
N50 57.IGJ
W001 4I.MMI
During WW2 did they make staddle stones out of concrete? (Staddle Stones were mushroom-shaped stones used as the base for a grain store to keep the rats out (visit link)). Once again, the purpose of this structure has been mislaid, but we hope someone can remember. When the land was deep-ploughed to plant the conifers in the 1950’s, they appear to have just ploughed straight through them!
Please count the concrete lumps in the row nearest and parallel to the track, including the one that has headed west by about 20m. Make “N” the number of lumps.
Stage 7 Gate Post
N50 57.DKK
W001 4L.NLI
The gate and fence have gone, but a gate post remains. It is peppered with old rusty staples - the big U-shaped agricultural type used to fix those barbed wire fences that are so hazardous to cachers. Count the staples on the north-east side (facing the inclosure) It is also the same as the sum of the staples on the other two sides with staples. Make this the value of “P” .
You now have all the values to determine the location of the cache. However, it will be easier to reach if you head for the Stage 8 Gateway first. This will take you back into the National Trust part of the New Forest when you cross the stream.
Stage 8 Gateway
N50 57.JIK
W001 4L.EEK
Here, you emerge from the copse, and have a good view across the lower part of the Purlieu. The cache is now near by.
Stage 9 The Cache
N50 57.LGK
W001 NL.GP(C-P)
Please replace the cache as found. Rejoin the path down to the stream, and then find your own route back to the start point. You will be crossing an area rich with wild orchids to spot when in bloom. There are also many clumps of sundew in the damp areas, and other rare flora.
This cache has been made possible by the kind permission and participation of the National Trust administrator for the New Forest Northern Commons. We have a temporary licence for this cache, and hope by dint of your logs to prove Geocaching is complementary to the National Trust’s objectives regarding Visitor Experience. We trust that if this cache is successful, the National Trust will sanction other caches to be established in this sector of the New Forest National Park.
As this walk also crosses land administered by the Forestry Commission, we ask that geocachers respect the conditions applied to Geocaching on their land, as well as those of the National Trust. Mainly apply Common Sense, and including:-
~ Ensure both National Trust and Forestry Commision byelaws are understood and adhered to at all times.
~ GAGB Geocachers Code of Conduct and Guidelines should also be adhered to at all times.
~ No night-time caching.
~ No lighters, matches, flammable objects, items of food or liquids to be placed in the cache.
~ The cache must remain in the location where placed, above ground, with no sign of disturbance and must in no way risk damage to livestock or any SSI, SAM or SAC.
~ You may may only cover the cache with fallen dead folliage.
~ The National Trust reserves the right to remove and archive the cache at any time.
Congratulations to SeekingSalters for FTF, and congratulations to TeamFizz for first to complete all nine stages of this multi-cache.