Author Topic: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010  (Read 5673 times)

Bill T

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TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
« on: 21:15:04, 19/04/10 »
  • Imber Range Path 17 April 2010







    I have done a trip report on this one before, but I didn’ttake a camera, and both times I have done this walk previously (one only acouple of weeks ago) the weather was atrocious. Saturday however was completely different, wall to wall sunshine and nota cloud in the sky, so much so that yesterday being similar we didn’t need theBBQ as my sunburn is quite capable of cooking anything.
     
    For those unfamiliar the Path follows the perimeter ofSalisbury Plain Training Area West and covers a mere 30 miles.  It is called the “Imber” range path because inthe centre of this training area is the long abandoned village if Imber.  The residents were evicted in 1943 to allowmilitary training for D Day, and this cleared such a large continuous area,surprise surprise, with D Day done and dusted someone overlooked letting anyoneback.  In the 1960’s the public pathswere closed just in case anyone got run over by a Chieftain Tank.  Once or twice a year, the one time publicroads, are re-opened and services held in St Giles Church in the Village.  The path varies from military tracks, minorpublic roads, grassy footpaths and a one point a huge concrete road of nearmotorway proportions.
     
    I set off at 0725 from the car park at the Westbury WhiteHorse.  The weather was glorious.  The sky a continuous blue that seemed to havean unusual quality to it


     

    Then it dawned on me... no vapour trails.  All across the West Country in the earlymorning the flights from the USA are making their way to Heathrow and Gatwick.  This morning, courtesy of a Volcano inIceland, there wasn’t an aircraft in the sky and for the first time I can everremember the sky was truly blue and cloudless, without the scars of vapourtrails.
    As I left the car I noticed some frost on the ground, I waswearing a T shirt, my fleece put away in the bag.  So I was a little chilly but soon walked pastthat.
     


     
    Very early on I met some Calves, this was to set a bit of atheme for the day
     

     The warmth quickly gathered and the miles slipped by.  Suddenly ahead of me was something I couldn’tquite fathom, as it got closer I whipped out the camera, the head on photo wastoo blurred to use but the second shot pretty much explains it all.
     
     Huskies pulling a cart.
     
    This is one of the five or six trig points on route

    the slightly skewed angle emphasizing its redundancy.
     
    The military presence is never far away.  This is “New Zealand Farm Camp” 
     

    I can remember back in the early seventies being on paradeas a very new Air Cadet and the Warrant Officer asking who wanted to go to NewZealand, now this was impressive, half the lads put their hands up immediately,and the Warrant Officer said they could all go. A couple of years later I found myself here for the first time.  It was great, even if the travelling wasn’t quiteon the scale I had momentarily imagined earlier.  Its claim to fame is that it played the POWcamp in Michael Palin and Terry Jones, “Ripping Yarns”.
     
    Whoever did the replacement windows on this is off my listof potential contractors.
     

     
     
    Shortly after NZ I passed this barn, it’s always intriguedme, any explanation gladly received.
    I dropped into Tilshead, and then set off towardsChitterne.  On route you pass the “GermanVillage”, dubbed Tilsheim, it was built to represent a German Village for ColdWar training.  At about the time it wascompleted Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR and shortly afterwardsthe idea of a war on German soil was a bit remote, to say the least.

    However it’s still used and boasts sewer systems and,apparently, a BP garage.
     
     
    I found this little chap curled up ignoring mums bellows,she was on the other side of a single strand electric fence. 
     

    My presence disturbed him and he hauled himself andstaggered off to mum.  He was obviouslyjust a few hours old.

     On the pathway into Chitterne there is this pile of Chalkspoil,




     It’s six feet high,it makes you wonder just how big the local badgers are, because it’s all theirwork.
     

     
    Chitterne is pretty in the sunshine, like most places it’spretty bleak in the rain, which is all I had seen prior to today.




     
    I left Chitterne behind, which for me is just over half wayand headed back up onto Salisbury Plain. All the villages are in valley’s, presumably to fend off theweather.  I have been high up on thePlain at night and the car thermometer has told me -6, by the time I got homeit was only -1, just 5 miles further on.
     
    The climb out is a bit laborious, but I was soon on the highground heading towards Heytesbury and Warminster.   Soon you come across one of the enormousmilitary roads that are found here and there on the military ranges.
     

     

     

     

     
    From Heytesbury to Warminster you need to keep an eye on themap,you climb over or around four hills before descending into the WarminsterGarrison.  Along the way there is an ironage hill fort and some very enjoyable views, there are some very good examplesof strip lynchets, and some well shot up tanks.   It was during this leg that I noticed the sunburn.








    On the way out of the Garrison this occurred:




     






     


     He’s obviously been raised on a bottle.  After that cute little interlude I made myway up the penultimate hill and past the Golf Course.  By now it’s all getting a bit tough with justfour miles to go.
     
    Badgers?

     
     
    Then up the steepest hill of the day, past the quarry andback to the car
     
     
    30 miles and about 2500’ Walking time was 8 ¾ hours.

    A really nice walk, but quite a long walk and not one Iwould recommend in the rain.
  • Dirger

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    alewife

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #1 on: 21:22:10, 19/04/10 »
    Well done on that Bill, sorry I whimped out - looks like you did it in a good time, even with taking pics. I would definitely have slowed you down. Weather was ace at the weekend - we walked up near Stonehenge on Sunday and it really was pretty hot.
     
    I will do the Imber sometime, perhaps in the summer if its not raining every day.
    Alewife


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    sunnydale

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #2 on: 07:13:45, 20/04/10 »
    Nice photos Bill.  That little lamb is well cute! O0
     
    Tracey :)
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    PistonPete

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #3 on: 16:24:53, 20/04/10 »
    Nice one Bill, you walk far to fast though  ;)
    Walk

    angry climber

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #4 on: 09:51:45, 21/04/10 »
    Nice pics mate -
     
    The east German town has a BP filling station and like all BP garages when they change there signage over to a new style they also do that one. You can see the opening to the garage and a fourcourt sign in the middle of your picture. 
    Never judge someone by the opinion of others find out for yourself.

    White Horse Walker

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #5 on: 17:48:18, 23/04/10 »
    I had a wee in that open barn you mentioned. A handy shelter for ladies.  O0

    Many of those pics are very familiar but I've only done the WHT bit of the Range, not the southern section. Nice report, you certainly made very good time.
    ~
    Sue

    Bill T

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #6 on: 20:16:46, 23/04/10 »
    I had a wee in that open barn you mentioned. A handy shelter for ladies.  O0


    Not exactly... discreet  :-\    ;D
    Dirger

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    Highfieldbri

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #7 on: 21:03:15, 23/04/10 »
    Some nice photos there Bill.  O0 You gonna be the LWW photographer? I broke my camera a couple of weeks ago, have to wait a month or so before I can get a new one.  :-\

    White Horse Walker

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    Re: TR Imber Range Path 17/4/2010
    « Reply #8 on: 13:31:13, 24/04/10 »
    Not exactly... discreet  :-\    ;D

    Not many discreet places to wee on the Imber Range - at least, not the bit I've walked.
    ~
    Sue

     

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