By Katie Isham.
It’s that foolish time of year again. The recent mild weather tricked us into thinking spring has sprung, but alas, the cold is persisting. It might be sunny, but we are in the grip of Fool’s Spring!
Yet, there are signs of the promise of things to come if you pay attention. Look up or look down and you will see buds and tiny shoots of growth everywhere.
A wander around Bassett Wood Greenway is the perfect place for such detective work. The greenway is a stretch of ancient woodland hidden in the suburbs of Bassett Green (you can see where they got the name from). Start from around the Glen Eyre halls of residence. The students here have so many trees around, it must be like living at Center Parcs.
As Glen Eyre Road meets Violet Road, the snaking Copperfield Road leads down towards the greenway. Take the sloping path and wind your way past the guardian trees of the halls. Take the next left onto the aptly named road of The Parkway. The suburbs here are as leafy as they come, but at this time of year, it’s the blossoms that rule the branches. Look up and enjoy the canopies of white, pink and red petals filling our world with colour.
Get the legs moving as the road leads you down, around and up: an asphalt rollercoaster. Hold on tight as the alpine chalets rise on the left. These houses are some of the most interesting in Southampton and many of the gardens are budding with buds, daffs and even lingering snowdrops.
As the road bends to the left, a cutway beckons from between the bushes and the fences to the right. Slip between the fabric of the suburbs and into a hidden green highway. The initial slope is steep but that adds to the excitement. Watch your footing as the mild adventure gathers speed. The path soon splits: to the right heads toward Daisy Dip; straight on leads up to Bassett Green Village; take the route to the left to meander through the woodland.
Trees are the name of the game here. There’s a bountiful selection of all types: some in their fir coats; some still in winter wear of very little; many budding in their nether regions. Look up and spot the lime green sparkles of what is yet to come. But there are also reminders what has come to pass; the fungi representation here is to be applauded.
There are also more characters to spot at floor level. Many mossy coverings, ribbons of ivy and even a few splashes of flowering colour. Follow the forest floor path along the valley, crossing bridges and sneaking a peak at the back gardens and shadows of civilisation peeking through the branches.
The course is eventually curtailed and adventurers are unceremoniously ejected onto the paved path of Bassett Green Drive. Take a left here and head uphill to rejoin the suburbs. Once you can go no further, turn left again along Glenwood Avenue. The hillside gardens here are once again full of seasonal daffs and beautiful blossoms.
A right turn leads into Glen Eyre Drive, presenting an uphill climb towards the halls of residence. Many of the neighbouring residential residences boast versions of possibly the best spring bloom: the magnolia. Whilst they are not quite out yet, their buds are loosening their resolve. Don’t wait too long to visit.
On the other side of the road leading back round to the start of the route, the university buildings are guarded by lines of pavement trees. These eager bloomers are also in the first throes of spring ceremony. Careful not to walk into other pedestrians as attention is drawn to the branches full of buds reaching towards heaven. Anticipation, as they say, is the greater part of pleasure.
It may still be Fool’s Spring, but it’s terribly exciting to revel in the expectation. Bassett Wood Greenway is a hidden walkway that is pure suburban safari. Walk the pavements and paths around this ancient woodland and enjoy these moments we are gifted. It’ll soon be spring and the promising buds will disappear again until next year. Savour them in their beauty before they bloom.
Cost: Free walking and free (limited) parking in surrounding roads.
Accessibility: Nestled in the heart of Bassett Green in the northern reaches of the city. It’s located between the lines of The Avenue and Bassett Green Road. It runs behind the mighty Glen Eyre Halls of Southampton University. Also, near the Unlink bus routes of U2 and U8. The paths include pavements, woodland paths and a few boggy, narrow areas that may need bypassing.
Facilities: Facilities are very sparse on the ground here on the actual route, but there are a few shops, takeaways and playparks nearby. Toilets are particularly rare though.
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