Yesterday afternoon, I had an errand to run a half hour drive out of town. Looking at the map, I realised that I could leave early and catch sunset in the New Forest.
I parked in Frogham and walked out along Hampton Ridge to the trig point, where I watched the sun set over Blissford, Chilly Hill, Long Bottom and Burnt Balls.
Don’t you just love Forest names?
I was only there for about an hour, but this most micro of microadventures gave me an idea for wintering.
There are forty-seven trig points in the New Forest National Park, twenty-two of which are beautifully photogenic pillars.
My idea is simple: watch twenty-two sunsets in the Forest this winter, one from each of its pillars.
My winters are usually spent sheltering from the darkness, bathed in electric light. By celebrating sundown, I hope to keep up a strong connection to the outdoors, discover beautiful new places — and maybe even sleep better.
As I mentioned last week, I suspect I might be one of the ten percent of people who especially benefit from spending more time outdoors at dusk.
I’m generally an early-to-bed-early-to-rise kinda person, and I know it’s only a single data point, but after my hour in the Forest at sunset yesterday I slept until 8.30am. I awoke astonished, but rested. Hallelujah to more of that feeling, please.
Winter 2023-24 Forest Sunsets
🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕
| Trigpoint Name | Height (m) | Grid Ref | Visited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bramshaw | 125.1 | SU2445115123 | 22/12/23 |
| Pound Bottom | 124.5 | SU2193017289 | |
| Bratley Plain | 104.8 | SU2183508895 | 24/12/23 |
| Hart Hill | 104.4 | SU2612910247 | 21/12/23 |
| Blissford | 100.1 | SU1850713555 | 14/12/23 |
| Strides Row | 80.7 | SU2464322716 | |
| Ibsley Common | 76.3 | SU1717709875 | |
| Dur Hill Down | 75.9 | SU1936901053 | 22/01/24 |
| Markway Hill | 63.8 | SU2434502570 | |
| Stagbury Hill | 60.5 | SU2862416043 | |
| Sway | 58.9 | SZ2793799817 | |
| Lyndhurst | 49.4 | SU3089607979 | |
| West Wellow | 45.2 | SU2846518836 | |
| Yards Hill | 41.6 | SU3696509693 | |
| Hill Top | 40.4 | SU4039404594 | |
| Netley Marsh | 39.9 | SU3265512831 | |
| Hatchet Moor | 39.7 | SZ3550699914 | |
| Dibden | 31.1 | SU3965508632 | |
| Yew Tree Heath | 29.6 | SU3628106388 | |
| Nea Croft | 27.5 | SZ1915596936 | |
| Burton Common | 24.2 | SZ1919795373 | |
| Thorns | 15.6 | SZ3889797680 |