Since the beginning of lock down I’ve been feeling more grateful than ever to be living in the beautiful Forest of Dean. I have done a lot of walking, and taken the opportunity of having more time to explore a route which I’ve wanted to get to know for a while, the route from the top of Cinderford down to Soudley Ponds.
Leaving Cinderford I walk through fields of horses, to the East I look across to the Cotswolds and to the West I can see the Brecon Beacons, Wales. It always makes me happy to see horses living together.
Leaving the fields I walk on an old cobbled path. I imagine it was a route from Littledean, and Soudley too maybe, to Cinderford.
As I enter the woods I feel as if the trees are welcoming me. Their branches bend and meet each other.
As I walk into the woods on the route to Soudley, I come into a beautiful beech grove. I so love the beech tree. The light coming through their shining green leaves is a wonder of the woods. So many beech trees in this grove, of so many ages and sizes. I find myself walking more slowly as I walk through beech groves, often spontaneously closing my eyes and breathing more deeply.
I have been excited and intrigued to come across several structures in the wood, built using old branches. Since coming across them I’ve asked around and a friend said she thought they’d been put up by local Scouts, before the beginning of lock down. Most of them have stayed up well to weather. It does make me happy, to imagine a group of young people being creative out here in the woods.
They have also laid stones and fallen twigs and branches along the edges of the footpaths.
Here one of the footpaths leads down to some fallen, large beech trees. The roots of beech are shallow, and apparently they fall easily when there are strong winds. I imagine these trees fell recently, the leaves are very green and fresh, still alive on the fallen trees.
Since coming across this place in the woods, I have started to visit it regularly, so loving being with the beech, being in the green, quiet space, enjoying the evidence of the creativity of some young people.
I have decided I’d like to add to the space. I have taken some leaves from the fallen trees, which I am drying before I soak them in vegetable glycerine, an old technique of preserving leaves. I hope to do some work using them, and bring them back to this special place in the woods.
I have chosen a dead tree that I’d like to embellish. I have taken some plant dyed thread along and wrapped it round some of the ivy growing up the dead tree.
I added a few French knots to the dead tree.
I have more ideas of how I’d like to add to this special place. I would be happy if passers by came across what I was doing, and chose to add to it. I’d also be happy if my work went unnoticed!
I’m interested to see what will happen with time, how much the space will change with the weather, the passing of the seasons.
Since coming here In have learnt that the woods are known as Sneyd Wood. I am lucky to have been awarded a bursary by Canopy Creative Network. I hope to add to this project over the next few months.
Thank you for reading! Wishing you well in this very uncertain time.
