ASHLEY WALK ,to the northeast of Fordingbridge ,was the site of a bombing range during World War 2.The range came into use early in the war ,and was used until about 1946.For communication and liason purposes ,two grass runways were laid out just to the west of the boundary fence.This airstrip,never formally allotted a name,was used by light aircraft such as Auster AOP and Piper L-4 Grasshoppers.Some time after 1946,the land was cleared of any unexploded bombs,the various targets were removed and the area returned more or less to its natural state.However many signs of the range remain.Visit the this website website for pictures of the range as it is now.

A video on Youtube shows a number of Highball test drops in 1943 at Ashley Walk.