Recently we found ourselves at Martin Down, a national nature reserve on the Hampshire/Dorset border, as the Eldest was doing a hike for her Duke of Edinburgh’s award. It was a beautiful clear day, but bitterly cold. So while the Eldest took part in the day’s hike we enjoyed a rather shorter walk.
It is one of the largest areas of chalk grassland in the UK. Farmers from the Neolithic age onwards cleared woodland and cultivated the area; common grazing rights have been in place here since medieval times. It is another stunning area of Hampshire that has been, until now, undiscovered by us.
There are miles of good footpaths and an easy circular walk. An ancient earthwork, Bokerley Dyke – a broad bank and ditch, runs for 6km and is believed to date back to the Bronze Age. Today it forms part of the Hampshire/Dorset boundary.
The top of the earthworks give awesome views, particularly on the clear, cold day that we visit. The area was also used as a rifle range during WWII.
It was a delight to find and given the fact that it is renowned as a place for wild flowers, 
butterflies, bees and birds, it will be a place we will return to in the Spring.
www.naturalengland.org.uk
