Hounslow Heath walk

I recall someone doing this recently, but danged if I can remember who!

Does anyone know the condition of this trail? Is it fit for a young walker (Age 4- but big for age and "into" walking)?

The kid in question can easily do Dove Lake circuit and the Crater Lake circuits.

[walkinTas]

I was last up there June '07. Johnw mentioned it in this post. As John said, the start (at Walheim) is very hard going for a short while. It is muddy and lots and lots of roots, then a bit of a zig-zag up the hill to the heath. Perhaps the better walk would be to start at Ronney Crk on the Maryland track and take the track up through the fagus to the western end of the Hounslow heath. If you find the climb up through the fagus to much for your kid, then you have the choice of taking the boardwalk up to Crater falls instead - which is a nice kid friendly walk.

The track along the health is just a wide pad. There is the odd mud hole. It is probably not the friendliest kid walk around, but the view from the heath is worth the effort.

Crater Lake from Hounslow Heath

[tas-man]

I recall someone doing this recently, but danged if I can remember who!
Does anyone know the condition of this trail? Is it fit for a young walker (Age 4- but big for age and "into" walking)?
The kid in question can easily do Dove Lake circuit and the Crater Lake circuits.

I last did the Hounslow Heath circuit with the Launceston Walking Club in April '08 to check out the turn of the Fagus. There are some of my photos taken on that walk in this thread, but they don't give much idea of the track. http://bushwalkaustralia.com/forum/view ... lit=+fagus

The track conditions for children will vary greatly according to the weather and recent rainfall. I have done the uphill track from Waldheim walking in a torrent of cascading water as one extreme, to bone dry, dusty conditions as the other, and they are experiences that are worlds apart! So being aware of the track conditions and weather forecast would be the critical issue when taking youngsters with you, as for any of the similar walks in the Cradle Valley. Here are a few photos of the track itself, going up in the forest from Waldheim, then along the Hounslow Heath plateau, and then back along the Maryland Track in the Cradle Valley.

The track up hill through Weindorfer's Forest.

The track along Hounslow Heath.

Along the Maryland Track in the Cradle Valley.

Thanks guys- the photos are useful too! I think I'll leave it for Lura to be a bit older.

Cheers

[Chris]

Reviving a very old thread. I'm thinking of going up Hounslow Heath on Wednesday, probably with with one fairly inexperienced walker. Has anyone been up there recently? I know the track is not being maintained, and Parks make no mention of it on their site. Hope it might be OK for a rece in summer, ready for a return at fagus time if possible this year. My only other HH walk was probably more than 30 years ago

[stepbystep]

Reviving a very old thread. I'm thinking of going up Hounslow Heath on Wednesday, probably with with one fairly inexperienced walker. Has anyone been up there recently? I know the track is not being maintained, and Parks make no mention of it on their site. Hope it might be OK for a rece in summer, ready for a return at fagus time if possible this year. My only other HH walk was probably more than 30 years ago

Hi Chris, I was up there fairly recently. Lots of slippery roots, a bit of mud, rough surface through the forest. It's easily followed but pretty 'agricultural' especially if wet. Best Fagus in Cradle imho

[Chris]

Thanks SBS that's sounding manageable if we don't rush it.

[Chris]

Finally got there yesterday, only a year after first planning to go.
Lots of water, low cloud, rather chilly southerly on top, plenty of mud going down Maryland Track, and a thoroughly enjoyable walk

P4160306 HHforBWA.jpg (251.38 KiB) Viewed 33359 times

[Chris]

Has anyone been up there recently? Any change in the state of the track?
I know it's too much to hope that any track work has been done, but would be good to know of significant deterioration.

[weetbix456]

I found the top bit in a bit of bad shape - the sort I would feel bad taking a significant sized group through. It has been quite dry since though. I think I was there in November.

[shellyc05]

Hi all, has anyone done this track this year 2021? I was hoping to explore this in December and was wondering what condition others have found the track in this year?