Monarch's Way

Having managed to track down his Imperial Majesty at Havant Thicket I decided to see if I could find HIM in a wood over the road called The Holt.

Unfortunately the wood is private but fortuitously a public footpath runs right through the centre and looked good on google earth.

The first section is across a farmers field but on entering the wood the path followed a wide way leave bordered by mature beech and oak with only a few sallows but they all looked of excellent quality.

It was around midday, so I took time to stop at each of the sallows to look for females and on my third stop a beautiful large female just appeared from behind and settled just inside the bush. 

Is it just me or does Herself sometimes just seem to arrive 'silently'  without warning?

I watched as she appeared to lay two eggs and then disappeared over the top of the bush out of sight. Unfortunately I was unable to examine the leaves in detail to see if eggs had been laid as I had no binoculars and was in work attire and the bush was in head high bracken!

And the footpath - why of course it is the The Monarch's Way the 615-mile footpath that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester.

How appropriate.

Yet another area becomes purple for me in this fantastic season.

Mark.