JETAA South Chapter: Enjoying Autumn Leaves in the New Forest

On 8th November, JETAA South held its first autumn leaf viewing walk from Ashurst New Forest train station to The New Forest Inn in Lyndhurst.
JETAA South Vice Chair Holly reflects on the lovely day out, enjoying the seasonal colours and getting to know their small but growing community.

Timing is crucial when planning a seasonal event. This year, the leaves turned earlier than the previous year, and I was concerned that the trees might be bare by the time we made it out to the New Forest, as the trees in my local neighbourhood were all but finished. To my delight, we had timed it perfectly. The forest was filled with a beautiful ombre of orange, that glowed like embers in the winter sun. Less dramatic than the vibrant Japanese red acers and bright yellow ginkgo, but no less appealing. The birch trees were a particular favourite. The spindly white trunks and puffs of orange leaves reminded me a lot of the whimsical truffula trees of Dr. Seuss.

After hikes in Japan, I often stopped in a local noodle restaurant to rest. The kind of place that has old photos, trophies, signatures from celebrity visitors, and collector’s items from whatever anime the restaurant owner is interested in. In this way, I find a parallel between enjoying a steaming bowl of noodles in Japan, and curling up by the fire in a cozy British pub.

We sat in the snug of the New Forest Inn. The walls were adorned with old photos, paintings and memorabilia that told the story of the inn and the New Forest surrounding it. The food was a good mix of modern classics like nachos and burgers, as well as British comfort foods like pie and ox cheek. I had a very flavourful venison shepherd’s pie that warmed me right up.

The best part was undoubtedly the company. We were a small group, but what we lacked in size we made up for in interesting conversation and observation. Our Chair Ella found lots of beautiful mushrooms all along our walk. It was also wonderful getting to know about everyone’s experiences in Japan, and how JET influenced their lives going forward, especially as someone who has returned from Japan recently. 

I hope that this is just the start of a long-standing tradition of autumn leaf viewing walks for JETAA South, and that each time we will be able to meet more lovely members of our chapter and hear more of their amazing stories.