A walk in our favourite woods

[heleninwales]

We're still only getting one decent day per week and that was yesterday. I felt a bit tired and downhearted first thing, so instead of going to the forest as we'd planned the previous day, we drove to Penmaenpool, walked along the Mawddach Trail and then up into the woods. G's favourite tree (an oak he calls Tree) has buds but they're not yet opening. The moss is looking very green after all the rain and there were birds singing.

After leaving the walking and cycling trail you have to climb steeply. Some of the paths must have been created a long time ago, probably by whoever lived in Abergwynant Hall when The Picturesque became fashionable and anyone with an estate wanted some suitably romantic woods and crags.



Yet more steps...



This is a viewpoint with a picnic table. When it was created, it gave you a wonderful view down the estuary. But now in the summer you can't see anything because the trees have grown up. There's a bit of a view at this time of year, but soon it will vanish until next winter.




The route we took goes past this wooden bench which has a carved buzzard at one end and a little mouse at the other.



After following the narrow paths in the woods, we reached a broad track which took us back to the trail at Abergwynant and thence back to Penmaenpool. The trail was fairly busy with cyclists and walkers, some with dogs. One woman was jogging with her son riding a bike. They had a drone and were filming themselves. Perhaps they have a YouTube channel or a TikTok?

The sunny weather and exercise did make me feel better and I got useful things done in the afternoon.

Then today the weather reverted to be being awful with high winds and heavy rain. It did calm down after lunch, but too late to do anything outdoors.

Comments

[angelofthenorth]

Love the buzzard

[heleninwales]

There are a few wooden carvings around the woods, including a frog. It's always fun to find them.

[kaishin108]

What a lovely walk that looks and sounds like!

People do funny things for social media, hee hee.

[heleninwales]

It was nice to get out for a walk in sunshine. It always makes me feel better. I think the weather should improve for the rest of the week, at last!

[cmcmck]

That carving is rather splendid!

[heleninwales]

There are a few wooden carvings around the woods, including a frog. It's always fun to come across them.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Some of the paths must have been created a long time ago, probably by whoever lived in Abergwynant Hall when The Picturesque became fashionable and anyone with an estate wanted some suitably romantic woods and crags.<<

*laugh* You know, that's when some of the rewilding, aging, and old-growth techniques date back to? Estate owners wanted something that looked like a grand old forest, minus some of the peskier parts, but they didn't always have older trees to start with. So gardeners came up with ways to make trees look bigger or older, stones and paths look aged, etc. It's not all about garden follies. It's also about planting trees that age fast, such as willows; exposing tree roots to create a stepped path that looks ancient; mixing moss and yogurt to encourage growth on newly planted stones, and so on.

>>The route we took goes past this wooden bench which has a carved buzzard at one end and a little mouse at the other.<<

I love that sculpture.

Here in central Illinois, it has been chilly and damp with howling wind. :/

Re: Thoughts

[heleninwales]

Some parts of these woods are the remnants of ancient oak forests. There was ship building on the estuary centuries ago and many trees were cut down for timber, but once that stopped the oaks have grown up again. But there are also some non-native trees that must have been planted by the landowner. Not here, but down on the main drive, there's an avenue of redwoods.

Re the statues, there are a few wooden carvings around the woods, including a frog. It's always fun to come across them.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Some parts of these woods are the remnants of ancient oak forests.<<

That is awesome.

>>Not here, but down on the main drive, there's an avenue of redwoods.<<

Fascinating!

>>Re the statues, there are a few wooden carvings around the woods, including a frog. It's always fun to come across them.<<

They sound adorable.

[annofowlshire]

Looks like a lovely walk! I hope you're getting more sun or at least dryness this week!