Brinken Wood

 

When you're moving through the stands of Brinken Wood you can feel that you're in old wood, ancient wood in fact, meaning this land has been continuously wooded since at least 1600. There are trees in this wood that remember the Tudors.

Burley Old clearing

Last month I posted about an enclosed cleared area I'd come across in Burley Old Enclosure, and I'd speculated as to its purpose.  One proposition I put forward was it might have been ritual and in some way associated with other man made (or enhanced) features that felt congruous to each other. I visit the clearing today, and what I discovered certainly lends some credence to that hypothesis. There's a fallen tree that truncates part of the cleared area, on it had been placed a natural wooden plate, on which were the remains of an offering of seeds. Quite significant, as a couple of weeks ago it was Imbolc marking the beginning of Spring, seeds are often used in Imbolc rituals or as seasonal offerings. It's certainly a great woodland setting for a ritual. I wonder if there'll be any activity at the equinox? We'll see.

Vinney Ridge arched oak

Vinney Ridge is one of those pockets of ancient unenclosed, mainly deciduous, open woodland, all old pollarded beech and gnarly oaks with an under-story of scattered holly and birch. The trees here are weathered and worn, bearing the scars of time and countless duels with the elements. Many have succumbed, though more endure, and amongst their number some remarkable trees who although slighted in battle remain defiant, even if distorted. Take this noble arched ancient oak, you can see in its bowed and twisted form the consequences of damage done decades ago, it takes many many years for a trunk of that girth to turn up towards the sun. A natural woodland sculpture and climbing frame, with a walk through arch, it really is a wonder. Respect to this elder of the woodland massiv.

Clearing in the woods

I just love stuff like this. Someone, or more likely a group of folk have created a varying height stockade from branches and woodland detritus around an area they've then cleared of leaves and needles. I say a group of people as it's quite an extensive area and would have involved a lot of time and effort. The enclosed area has defined entrances, there are a couple of trees within the area including a mighty Douglas Fir, the ground's been meticulously cleared and the leaf litter piled against the wooden stockade. The site's quite well camouflaged, and easily overlooked if not paying attention, later in the year when the bracken grows up, you'd never see it. It's a really well executed affair.  As I said, I love stuff like this, it really grabs my imagination. What's it all about? Who? Why? It's a lot of work if it's without purpose. Of course, it could be a piece of art, and there's purpose fulfilled. Although I don't know. I feel there's more to it than that, it feels like it has a purpose beyond just being. The pagan in me says 'ritual' or some such, predictably, the prehistorian in me agrees (archaeology joke, there). There are no signs of a fire or anything like that, no signs of occupation, and no sign of any offerings. It could be that the purpose of the site has yet to be fulfilled, and what I'm seeing is a site prepared. Of course, if there were ritual involved, it could be that it may not be pagan at all, over recent years I've seen increasing evidence of marriage proposals out in the woods, from carved proposals to far more elaborate set ups.  I discovered the site towards the end of our walk, and I was on the clock, so only really gave a cursory investigation, and I may well have missed things. Interesting woodland feature though, I'll certainly keep my eye on it.

The hollow one

Dotted throughout the forest, nature, forestry and human agency have conspired to create numerous woodland sculptures. Burley Old has many of these 'sculptures'. Take this hollow stump which has lain here for years, way over 20 years, I can't even remember it not being here. It was once a mighty tree, I'd say it must have fallen many many years ago, as the bulk of the trunk was removed, and they haven't removed any fallen wood from Burley Old in an age now. Although long slighted, truncated and completely hollow, this huge stump feels solid, and it maintains it's structural integrity. Over the years I'd noticed the remains of the roots slowly disappearing, now they've all but gone. I only ever remember it being hollow and assume it must have been so whilst still standing, it's big enough to get into, you'd probably be able to sleep in it. Now there's an idea.

Solstice walk

From the depth of Winters cold embrace.
Between the horns of the moon we glimpse an infants face.
Tis the birth of the new Sun.
Giving us hope of a Summer to come.

Out in the forest for a Solstice walk, it had to be somewhere that really channels the forest's spirit, for me there are several places in the forest which do that, though none more so than Bratley Wood. Bratley Wood is surely one of the forest most beautiful woods, ancient and open it has vistas that steal your breath away and touch your spirit. So beautiful, man. Majestic wooden behemoths hold the land and reach for the sky, amongst the stands today deer and pony graze, whilst an inordinate number of tiny birds moved erratically through the maze of fallen trunk and bough. You see, the open aspect of the woodland which makes it so endearing, also, sadly, makes the woodland vulnerable to the elements, elements which in recent years have wrought destruction. It started in '87 when the Great Storm knocked chunks out of the stands, the holes left in the canopy allowed for more destruction, and so on, and so on. This has certainly accelerated over recent years, as the winds have increased in severity and frequency. Very sad, man, the mass of fallen trees, smashed and scattered, gives the woodland a melancholic edge.  Though it's beauty still endures and shines through. Anyways.

Solstice blessings y'all beautiful people. We hope the birth of the new sun brings in abundance flags, flax, fodder, frigg and all else you need and desire for the coming cycle, and may this cycle be more radiant than the last.

Mark Ash winter sun

The low winter sun burst through the ancient stands of Mark Ash this morning, flooding the woodland in a wonderful light. Lovely. The woodland's quiet, though you'd be mistaken to think there's nothing going on, look and you see ponies grazing, frenetic squirrels, small birds flitting about drooped bracken, large birs looking on from high perches, a cautiously deer drinks from a water born rivulet, aware that the open forest left it exposed, it disappears quickly as we approach. There's plenty going on it the winter forest, it's just happening, for the most part, in understated ways.

Naked

Held firm now in winters embrace, with the fall near complete, our forest stands in naked glory, the ancient leviathans of Mark Ash's, Barrow Moor, once again stand in magnificent isolation, in suspension, enjoying their rest and waiting for a new cycle to begin. The forest feels open and exposed now.

Woodland elders

Forest Elders.

Stumped

Many of the hulks of old forest trees take on haunting forms all twisted and hollow, some look like they're melting into the ground where for so many years they stood. It's easy to imagine how the forest would appear to be filled with  eerie forms and weird beasts to folk in past times.

Old Oaky

Dotted through the stands of maturing Oaks and Beech are the isolated remnants of a more ancient forest. In the woodland adjoining Warwickslade is one such tree, a gnarled old Oak, battered by time and the elements it rests in the shade of its younger companions. These isolated individuals predate the enclosures and admiralty plantations, and speak of a far older more open landscape, though still a landscape which was not as natural as you might imagine; no, that landscape was long gone even in the middle ages. Rather what you'd have seen even in the Medieval period, when these older trees were but saplings, was already the consequence of thousands of years of human intervention and destruction begun by in the slash and burn land clearances of our Neolithic ancestors. Still it's nice to see these older trees, unbridled by the conformity required for timber production, growing to what ever form pleases them. But oh to see the wild wood when stretched from shore to shore, what a sight it must have been.