What on EARTH is that giant mushroom?????????
The fact is, nobody seems to know.
Hmmmmm. It is probably safe to say that it is a vent to some sort of underground facility. Given that it is slap bang in the middle of a military training area, it is probably not safe to speculate any further for fear of besuited men in sunglasses pulling up outside your house in dark sedans.
Known as the “Browndown Mushroom”, it is a well-known local landmark. Everyone knows where it is; it’s just that nobody knows exactly what it is!
One section of non-military society has at least found a use for it: it marks the western boundary of a nudist beach, or, to be politically correct, an “Optional Clothing Beach”.
Nudism has become politically correct! I love it!
Points on this part of the walk (copy and paste the co-ordinates into Google Earth):
- The Browndown Mushroom: N 50° 47.212 W 001° 10.566
Walk #66 Statistics (of which this post forms the seventh part):
- Date of Walk: 19 February 2014
- Walk #66 total distance covered: 15.29 miles
- Coast of Britain Walk Total Distance Covered: 554.05 miles
- CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO INTERACTIVE MAP!!!
The Coastal Path 
Was provoked into an internet search. No clear explanation. Must be a ventilation shaft… military… nautically-based… something to do with Captain Pugwash? RH
Aliens.
Mushroom-loving aliens…..you could be right. So long as its the edible kind they love and not the apocalyptic kind…
I think there is a movie in there somewhere Lol!
Well I went by there today and we chucked some rocks into the vents. They fell a short distance and landed with a plop in what sounded like a very viscous liquid. After a few minutes the nesting pigeons left and a strong smell of raw sewage started coming from the mushroom.
I’m pretty sure it is a vent for a large sewage settling tank once used by the adjacent browndown camp. Pretty disgusting and unglamourous compared to some speculations.
The shingle around it is regularly cleared too.
Yuk!!! Thanks for the investigative report, Freddie! It is a brave man who chucks rocks down vents on military land – you were lucky not to have military police swarm out and chase after you, though from what you say I imagine they were all on a toilet break! Nic