Spuds went off to a meeting the other day. It was in preparation for some adventure that I'm not sure I want to be a part of. Spuds says that Salisbury Plain is a secret and mysterious place; deep forgotten countryside echoing with the reverberations of man's earliest efforts at civilisation. I happen to know that it remains secret, mysterious and forgotten mainly because it has been largely closed to the public for the best part of this century; it is a military training ground. The only reverberations these days are those made by the explosions of giant howitzer shells as they pound their targets to smithereens.

In the interests of tradition, conservation, and by no means least the Royal Artillery Hunt, the Army are pleased to allow certain willing members of the general public into this ordnance officer's paradise, subject to various conditions:

1. You have a valid and approved reason for being there, such as fox-hunting. You will not be permitted to enter in order to protest against hunting.

2. You have signed and had witnessed an indemnity which effectively takes away all of your other rights in exchange for the right to be there.
3. You have attended a briefing session run by the Range Safety Officer.
4. You are carrying an official pass with your photograph attached. This may be useful in assisting with the identification of your remains.

Congratulations. You are now free to enter certain restricted areas of the ranges not normally open to the public, subject of course to live firing not taking place at the time. To ensure that you do not enter when firing is taking place, you should always go in via one of the manned vedette posts, and inform the guard that you are there. This restriction does not apply to the fox, of course. He is free to come and go as he wishes, at his own risk, and he requires no official pass. Once you are in there, you need to be aware that live firing can be started at any time; you need to keep a lookout for the range wardens and for red flags hoisted at the vedettes (yes, that one over there beyond the crest of the hill). Depending on the area and the activity, the military carries out either a cursory or extremely diligent search for stray members of the public before firing commences.

Some areas are safer than others. The fringes are generally safe, but as you work into the interior it becomes progressively more dangerous. The Western third is mainly small arms and light artillery. The Eastern third is more artillery and anti-tank missiles. The centre part is pounded regularly by heavy artillery and anything that the RAF care to drop. The peripheral areas are regularly cleared of explosive debris, but in the centre there is just so much that they don't bother. Only recently 3 1000-pound bombs were unearthed and disposed of. One other area in the South that was thought to be reasonably safe has turned out to be a Word War 1 firing ground.

Once you are in there, the countryside stretches for mile after undulating mile in all directions. There isn't much cover, so once a fox has been found the pace can be very fast with long points made. There are a few hazards, however, but for once the jumping of walls and hedges is not one of them. Tank tracks cut straight and deep across the terrain; you've seen what tractors and 4WD vehicles can do to an innocent bit of countryside; now imagine a convoy of 50-ton tanks and the trail they leave behind.

What cover there is should be avoided. Any building or apparently abandoned car may have been used for target practice; it should therefore be considered as a magnet for ordnance, and given a wide berth.

All of this artillery thrown up in the air has to come down somewhere, and when it does (and fails to explode) it leaves a nice round hole in the ground. A hole just perfectly sized for a horse's leg.... And if it does explode, then it leaves an even larger hole.

There are of course unexploded items of ordnance lying about; if you see something round and metallic then steer well clear of it. And if the shell does explode correctly then there is the debris; jagged pieces of shrapnel as big and as thick as your hand.

The anti-tank missiles present another interesting problem. These things are wire-guided. They shoot them, and a length of very fine wire trails all the way behind from the operator to the unfortunate target. The Army usually try to clear this up at the end of the day, but if it gets dark, or their mothers call them home for tea, then it can be left for a few days. This wire is not particularly strong or lethal, but if you get entangled in it and try to snap it with your hands, you will end up with severe lacerations. Also, it is so light that it can drape across a valley from crest to crest, virtually invisible until you ride into it. Oh yes, it's also a hazard to low-flying fighter aircraft. And talking of aircraft, make sure that you don't go into the dropping zone, where they practise throwing heavy objects out of transport aircraft.

On the bright side, they haven't lost anyone yet. Lost horses are another matter though. Larkhill is a military camp and point-to-point course right in the centre of the Plain. One valuable 2-year old racehorse in training disappeared for 5 days despite extensive searches. It eventually wandered into a farm of its own accord. When you compete in the point-to-point you are expected to come along with an efficient team of horse-catchers, and you will be questioned as to their competence. So if you become dismounted and fail to keep a hold on your four-legged friend, you could be in for big trouble and a long walk home.

Enjoy your day out on Salisbury Plain.