Longbeech Campsite, Fritham, New Forest (Day 2)

As Angela drifted off to sleep last night she could hear animals outside the van. Unlike last weekend she didn't have a meltdown, it was just the ponies nibbling at the short dry yellowing grass.

This was more her type of wild camping. After the exertions of last weekend we took a relatively flat walk out to the Royal Oak pub at Fritham, stopped for coffee.

We then walked to Eyeworth Pond with its pretty waterlilies, followed by a stroll through the fallen trees stopping to look at a variety of fungi and the old black post box erected in 1820 by the Shultze Gunpowder Factory which was sited in the area, before a gentle amble back to Margery, stopping by the donkeys, where one young one took to John, following him across the road. Sorry only room for two in Margery.

Our time here in the forest is just what we need, a bit of a rest before our lives become manic next week when it will be full on redecorating and tidying one of our rental houses. So tomorrow we will once again 'kick back'. Angela has planned a suprise trip to somewhere nearby as part of John's birthday celebrations. He'll be seventy, Angela is sixty five, and as we both agreed this afternoon, age is no a barrier to 'going for it' in life. We think we proved that on the South West Coast Path.

A bonus was the many fungi we found growing in the woods, especially the Tiered Tooth Fungus, a very rare find.