Bog Blog!

Warning to Minstead Parents!

This blog post contains scenes of a muddy nature. There may be very dirty clothes in the washing bag on Friday!!

The bog is a very beautiful and protected area of the New Forest...

Here's what is looks like from up on the heathland...



Here's what is looks like from the air...



And here's what it looks like close up!



The surface of the bog is like the skin of very thick custard. A small insect could walk across the bowl of custard without breaking the skin and falling in, and we can do the same on the bog.... if we are very careful!

A plant called sphagnum moss grows on the bog and it can hold twenty times its own mass of water, which makes the bog like a giant sponge which is springy to walk on. It's a very strange feeling even in wellies, but even stranger if you decide to to go barefoot, like lots of children did!



We nearly had to leave Mrs Vaudin behind because she got stuck in the mud on her birthday! (Those aren't her legs in the photo, by the way!)

And from the bog, we had the most beautiful view of golden reds and browns which make up the autumn colours of the forest...



And all only 15 minutes drive from Oakwood!