I’ve passed these woods on a number of occasions. In this area there are quite a few small clumps of woods which are quite inaccessible. Usually they are scattered in the middle of cultivated fields and farmland with no reasonable path or track leading to them. This one is different as it sits right by the roadside and additionally has a small lay-by right by its edge.

Armed with the shoulder bag, containing camera, binos, water and nothing else (don’t want to frighten any natives by carrying axes and other sharp tools) I set off to explore these woods.

15 minutes later, I had entered the woods on the North West edge between the woods and a field. There were no fences surrounding the wood, which makes access very easy. The first thing I do in new woods is to sit, listen and look. You can tell a lot by just feeling the ambience of the wood. All was quiet. I walked slowly (nearly in tracking mode) along the NW edge, coming across a small brackish pond. No chance of drinking water here. It looked as if the water drained straight off from the field. Old fence posts and an old wooden gate long devoid of fencing told me that perhaps this used to be more restricted woodland possibly used for small forestry work. I was pleased to note that the woodland was not as closed in as the other woods I frequent. The tree spacing was good and there wasn’t a lot of undergrowth. It appeared it had been managed at some stage, but probably not for 5 – 10 years. There was a good variety of broad-leaved trees and I spotted some conifers to the South West. 500 meters later, and I had reached the bottom of the wood and bumped into a field of yellow rape.

Traversing South East I suddenly came across a familiar structure. Up until now there had been no sign of recent human activity. No human tracks and no dogs, therefore it was a bit of a surprise to see the Y-shelter in amongst the trees. Not a bad job either (says he the expert!) Obviously, another enthusiast had taken advantage of the scattering of dead wood. It didn’t look as though it had actually been used as there was no bedding or sleeping structure inside. There was no sign of fire and no sign of any debris used to cover the structure. I suspect that a serious Bushcrafter would have dismantled the structure after use as well. The branches had not been cut with a saw or blade either. I concluded that someone had had a go and left it at that. I was now keen to see if I came across anything else of a Bushcraft nature.

Eventually I’d completely circumnavigated the woods. The south east side was taken up solely by a conifer plantation (nice hammock areas) and at the top north east side I came across a disused pheasant farm. I guessed that this had not been used for a couple of years, maybe more. The fencing had deteriorated and a couple of trees had fallen onto it. So far this was the best looking area. The sparse tree canopy provided sporadic outbursts of bluebells and short grass.

The north east edge running parallel with the road brought me back into more closed woodland where I met with the straight track marked on the map. This ran directly through the centre of the wood in a NE to SW direction. This looked as though it had been recently and regularly used by a tractor and led from the road to the fields on the South West side. 100m along the track was a well positioned metal ladder and platform. Again, this appeared not to have been used for a while although the ropes holding the platform to the tree were sound.

It was from here I watched a grey squirrel apparently eating some stonework! At first I thought it was just licking the bricks to extract the minerals, but looking at the photos later, I discovered that the bricks (probably laid down to assist the tractor along the muddy track) looked as though they had been nibbled. Teeth sharpening? Not sure.

I finished my recce by following another faint path crossing at right angles to the main path, which followed a natural gap where the broadleaf part of the woodland finished and the conifers started.

Apart from the odd pigeon, a Greater spotted woodpecker, a substantial amount of (Roe?) deer droppings and a faint badger print I didn’t see any other wildlife. Nevertheless this is a great wood for Bushcraft. There are plenty of open areas, the wood is large to explore, there’s a substantial amount of fallen branches (long and straight for shelter building), and plenty of different trees but unfortunately (again) no drinkable water source. All I have to do now is find out who the landowner is and ask permission to frequent the woods on a regular basis.

Cheers for now, Pablo.