Whether it's a crisp walk through a frosty woodland or sitting, coffee in hand, and watching the birds going about their day, the woods have long been my favourite place to escape the hustle and bustle of the world. And forestry is changing too, as we understand more about how connecting to nature is critical for our mental wellbeing, more and more woodlands are being designed or adapted to encourage people to get out and explore the woods, so grab your boots and get out there!
Go for a walk (or even a run if you're feeling energetic)
If you've not got a lot of time but need a minute of peace and you time, a quick trip to the nearest woodland is often the easiest way to get in touch with nature. Woodlands are mostly protected from felling and removal so all towns and cities will have some woodland remnants that you can explore and enjoy, even on your lunch break at work.
Most woodlands will have some form of public or permissive footpath running through them but a lot of publically funded, new or managed woodlands are creating accessible trails so more people can enjoy the experience of being in the trees. To find your nearest woodland and the accessibility you can have a look at some of conservation landowners' websites including The Woodland Trust, The National Trust, Forestry England or The Wildlife Trust.
If you have a bit more time, however, my favourite woodlands to take a trip to and spend a day out in are:
Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
Kielder Forest, Northumberland
Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire
2. Try speeding down some trails on a mountain bike
Mountain biking is by far the most exciting way to enjoy the forest, there's no greater sense of satisfaction and pure joy than zipping down the trails, navigating twists and turns and overcoming tree roots and small rocks, and best of all, apart from equipment hire, it's usually free! If you've never been before, you don't know what you're missing, and it's really straightforward to learn the basics if you can already ride a bike.
You can hire a bike and protective gear from most destinations as well as a trail map and routes are ranked Green, Blue, Red and Black from easy to hard. Trust me, it's well worth spending an overcast saturday trying out this new hobby if you have a free day!
You can try it out most Forestry England Forests, but I've tried and tested the routes at:
Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire
Gisburn Forest, Lancashire
Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
Kielder Forest, Northumberland
3. Camping among the trees
So this one is a bit cheeky because I've yet to visit a campsite actually within a woodland... but if you have a spare weekend, there are plenty of campsites in a clearing surrounded by woodlands! And these really are special places to bed down for the night, where you can sit near the capfire watching bats flying over you before snuggling up in a sleeping bag and hearing owls hooting on the nearby trees.
This picture is taken at the rewilding site, Knepp, in Sussex, and as you can see, the campsite is surrounded by woodland and scrub. Keep your eyes peeled for a follow up blog posts detailing my trip, but if you can, you really should visit.
My top campsites to visit for good woodland walks include:
Knepp wildands campsite, West Sussex - on the slightly expensive side but has glamping and camping options and good amenities.
Whitemead forest park, Gloucestershire - has all the amenities whilst nestled in the midle of the Forest of Dean, options for camping and glamping.
Blossom Plantation Pods, Northumberland - an adults only glamping retreat. Expensive, but worth it!
Primrose Park, Lancashire - a back to basics campsite just a stones throw from Gisburn Forest.
4. Forage for a snack
Another option that can be adapted from a quick foray to the forest or take a bagful of tubs and bags and make a day of it.
Depending on the time of year, this could be tricky, but when the season is right, there is nothing more rewarding to me than finding and picking your own food. My favourite is picking my own blackberries and apples in late summer and then making a delicious crumble - perfect for a Sunday Lunch with family or leave it in the fridge as a great weeknight treat.
And blackberries are the easiest thing to forage for because they grow in even the most urban of sites if given the chance. But it doesn't have to stop there, other things you can root out include cherries, wild garlic, elderflowers and sloes - Another blog post to keep an eye out for (including recipes), but in the meantime, check out what you can forage and when here.
And whilst scrumping for apples arguably makes them taste even better, one of the great things I've noticed around more and more towns is community orchards, so after finding your local one, you can pick apples, plums and pears to your hearts content without the risk of being caught! To find your nearest one you can have a look here.
5. Embrace mindfulness
Mindfulness is almost essential in the fast paced world we all find ourselves in nowadays and mindfulness in the woods is just about as good as it gets, for me at least. When I'm feeling particularly unmotivated or a bit listless and uninspired I drag myself into my walking boots and out the door and magically, by the end of a good stomp around the small woodland and park in my town, I feel a little bit more on track than I did before, and the next day I do it again and the next day I do it again and pretty soon I'm back. It's actually where I got the inspiration to try out starting this blog.
And the best thing is, it's the easiest thing to so. Just find your nearest wild space (it doesn't even have to be a woodland!) and just be there, take a book or find a bench and watch the world go by.
Whatever you choose, I hope you're feeling a little bit inspired to step outside into nature and find some way to connect with it! And let me know you're favourite ways to enjoy the woods, I'm always open to trying new things x
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