The Boys

 

Change is afoot in the forest. No matter how stuffed our weather is the wheel still turns, and as we fast approach rutting season the deer are on the move, the stags are getting frisky and you're beginning to hear their barking echoing through the stands. This morning as we followed Fletchers Water near Queen Bower (site of a Medieval hunting lodge) we crossed a group of seven or so youngish looking stags engaged in boisterous activity; who disappeared off single file across Fletchers Green when they realised they were being watched, periodically pausing to look back and ensure we weren't following.

Highland Water

 

Highland Water, a dream in green at Queen Bower.

Inundation

The forest's lower lying stands and open heath are inundated at the moment, the ground is sodden, saturated, every hollow, depression and channel is water filled, in fact there are areas of standing water throughout.  And as for the leafy woodland floor, well, that can not be trusted to have any substance. It took less than 10 minutes walking for my boots to become thoroughly waterlogged, after which point I found myself strangely liberated, being able to wander about this wet wonderland without a care, at one point, I even ended up thigh deep (shorts rolled up) navigating a submerged area of woodland. When the forest environment's like this it makes for interesting walking, and you'd be a fool not to take full advantage.

Changes

A few years back they remodelled a stretch of Highland water from Camel Green to Queen Bower, the main stream now flows some way from it's former course, which is now mainly filled all but a little brooklet. You'd never imagine this small shallow slow flowing  brook was formally a 3 metre wide near straight deep drain. As I've mentioned before, when they undertake these 'restoration' exercises the immediate impression is one of destruction and disorder, though only a handful of years the casual walker, not familiar with the area, wouldn't know it had ever been different. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not going soft on conservation, conservation's bollocks, but reinstating streams to their less formal more natural pre Victorian courses that's more re-wilding, that's cool.