The Wyre Forest
Recently, we had the pleasure of spending a week based in the beautiful Shropshire countryside. It’s an area that we have travelled through many times, but we’d never had the opportunity to explore and so we were really pleased to rent a cottage within walking distance of the beautiful town of Ludlow.
On the first night, as we sat around the table discussing possible activities nearby and places to visit, an option that everyone seemed keen on was the ‘Treetop Challenge’ at Go Ape … everyone apart from me. As much as I love being outside and in nature, I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground! Fortunately, it is based in the centre of the beautiful Wyre Forest and, in between watching the swings, ladders and zip wires, I also had the opportunity to follow one of its many trails. As I progressed further into the forest, hearing nothing but the sounds of nature, I began to breathe deeper and my mind cleared.
It really was the most beautiful and relaxing place to spend an afternoon - at one point a deer even ran across the path in front of me. It amazed me how the fun and excitement of the treetop activities could co-exist so harmoniously with the peace and quiet of nature. After my walk, I had a little more time before my family were due back from their shenanigans, so I grabbed a coffee and settled myself down on a bench with my sketchbook, creating some loose, quick sketches to help me remember the feeling of being there.
Quick non-representational sketches, capturing the feeling of being in the forest.
At the end of the day, I felt so refreshed and inspired that I was keen to find out more about the work of Forestry England and the way in which it works hand in hand with other organisations (see below).
Visual notes from my research.
I think my favourite term from the research that I’ve done, is the importance of ‘re-wiggling’ the rivers… it makes me smile every time I think of it! From the little that I’ve read so far about the work of Forestry England, one of the aspects that fascinates me the most is the range of species that are being reintroduced into UK forests. Perhaps this will be the inspiration for my next blog post!
For now though, I’m back at home rested and full of ideas and inspiration 🌿.
