Devil's Punch Bowl

I had a real urge to visit the Devil's Punch Bowl today, so was disappointed to see that the A31 Hogs Back, which I would have to traverse, was closed for roadworks, meaning horrendous traffic queues in the surrounding area.  However, by lunchtime it was open again and the queues according to Google Maps had subsided ... so off I headed.

BIG mistake!

I finally reached my destination, taking twice as long as it should have, to find the car park full...

A two hour parking spot on the nearby road seemed to be the best compromise ... at least I'd be able to get an ice cream from the cafe, and a short walk...

The cafe closed (earlier than advertised!) as I reached it :-(

Still, it was not all bad. I had a wonderfully calming walk along the route of the old A3 trunk road (which was diverted into a tunnel ove 7 years ago), marvelling how the area had truly returned to nature.  The views today seemed particularly special.   I took a different route home, with no traffic, to bring what started out to be a frustrating trip to a relaxing close.