by There are two seasons when I especially love being among the trees. The first is at the height of spring, when new leaves and forest plants are at their most intensely green. The second point is the point in autumn when the summer colors change overnight and the forest takes on a completely new look. In Japanese there is a wonderful term for both: mikkaminumanosakurameaning a moment of sudden, dramatic change. As we move deeper into fall, one of these moments approaches, and I’ll be out in the woods trying to capture it.
I’ve spent much of the last two years traveling around the UK and Ireland, researching our relationship with trees and forests for a new book. I walked through stunning beech forests in Oxford, pine forests in the Highlands, ancient oaks in Wicklow and Atlantic rainforests in County Clare.
The journey began among the trees my father planted eleven years ago on his smallholding near Oswestry, on the border of England and Wales. As I listened to him talk to my son about the trees he knows so well, I realized how little I really understand them. I could only name a handful of tree species by their leaves – and significantly fewer in winter. This insight led me to examine why forests hold such an attraction for us, what they do for our health and well-being, and what our relationship to precious fragments of ancient forests looks like today.
One of the first forests I visited is also one of the most studied in the world. Wytham Woods in Oxford is owned and managed by the University of Oxford. Here, hikers are as likely to encounter research teams as they are to spot deer in the undergrowth or birds in the canopy. Trees on the 405-acre site are decorated with all sorts of devices that are wonders in themselves – signs of the populations of scientists studying bats, birds and beetles, or the spread of diseases like ash dieback.
A walk in Wytham (entrance is free, but requires a permit) means walking through not just one woodland, but many, from medieval coppices and magnificent beech groves planted to best frame views of a country house, to to trees around which troops trained in the trenches during the First World War, which shine with bluebells in spring.
On Wenlock Edge, I walked beneath towering ash trees as soft autumn sunlight filtered through the leaves
At Wenlock Edge in Shropshire, I walked beneath towering ash trees as soft autumn sunlight filtered through the leaves onto the limestone escarpment, catching sweeping views across the county from between the trunks. Hiking in Wenlock is a peaceful affair: trails follow the line of the Edge, an 18-mile-long limestone ridge, making it hard to get lost. However, to get a different perspective, I spent a night here, in what is said to be the most haunted forest area in the country, trying to scare myself with ghost stories, which I succeeded in doing. Among the many stories is that of the robber knight Ippikin, whose ghost is said to roam the edge at night and push unwary hikers off the embankment. As darkness fell and I walked deep in a forest that had seemed familiar and friendly in daylight, I experienced something of what author Sara Maitland calls “forest fear” and retreated to my RV.
While I was out and about I kept coming across ‘Stay Out’ signs, so it was uplifting to take part in an organized incursion into a private forest on Dartmoor with writer and land access campaigner Guy Shrubsole and the South Devon Right to Roam group to participate. This transgressive walk ended amongst the ancient oaks and beeches of lush – and entirely legally accessible – Dendles Wood. This is a wonderful example of a temperate rainforest home to rare beetles. Mosses and lichens hang from the branches, creating a kind of green veil that inspires a muted awe. I marveled at the depth of the colors and the complexity of the lichens, which seemed like whole worlds unto themselves.
The western fringes of Britain often contain small, hidden and threatened areas of temperate rainforest, from the ancient oaks at Coed Crafnant in Gwynedd to the stunning hazelnuts at Ballachuan on the Isle of Seil south of Oban. Walking here reminds you of the natural wonders that these islands offer and I urge you not to be interested in them after visiting one of these islands. As I wander through such ancient groves, I imagine the time when forests like these covered much of our islands. I hope we find a way to make more land available for these valuable habitats.
As I wander through such ancient groves, I imagine the time when forests like these covered much of our islands
In Scotland, where access rights mean access to almost all land and inland water, my walk took me from the towering conifers and rushing streams of Reelig Glen, through farmland and private woodland, to one of Scotland’s first community forests, Abriachan Forest trust. It covers 163 hectares, so you can easily find your own piece of wilderness, and it’s worth a visit for the diversity of forest birds alone.
Set in a hanging valley a stone’s throw from Loch Ness, Abriachan offers miles of cycle paths and trails, community events and a forest school of pine martens. Nearby, Lodges on Loch Ness offers forest accommodation close to the trees (from £280 per night for an eight-berth lodge).
Across the Irish Sea, I slowed my pace with forest bathing guide Cat de Wit in one of the few remaining ancient oak forests on Ireland’s east coast, at Tomnafinnoge, Wicklow. Paying close attention to the textures, smells and sounds of the wood under Cat’s guidance turned a forest walk into a meditative experience where I began to notice layers of detail, from tiny mushrooms in the leaf litter to deer following us between the trees observed.
I moved through the old forests at a crawl and not with quick steps as usual, listening carefully to the forest and hugging one or two giant trunks. I discovered a whole new appreciation for the forest and came out refreshed. This wasn’t entirely unexpected, as the proven benefits of forest bathing include stress reduction, lowering blood pressure, and improved sleep and mood. (A two-hour forest bathing walk in Wicklow costs €35 per person.)
From Wicklow I drove west to County Clare to take part in a community tree planting day at the Ennistymon headquarters of the charity Hometree, which works to protect and expand the few remaining fragments of Atlantic rainforest in one of Europe’s least forested countries . Just over 11% of Ireland is forested, compared to an average of 35% in the rest of Europe.
As we planted willows, crabapples, field maples, and alders, I listened to people talk about the need to feel like we are doing something positive in the face of climate change, rather than being overwhelmed by environmental fears. Tree planting at Hometree takes place every first and third Saturday of the month. Similar events take place across the UK and Ireland. Charity Plant One, for example, is hosting a Celtic Rainforest Restoration Day in Cabilla, Cornwall, on November 30, while the nonprofit Forest Without Frontiers is also planting trees in Sussex. Further offerings can be found at the Woodland Trust, the Tree Council and the National Forest.
Towards the end of my trip, I returned to the trees my father planted to see and experience them with new eyes and new appreciation mikkaminumanosakurathe moment of change when they transition from summer splendor to their more austere winter selves. As autumn approaches, now is the time to go into the forest, breathe in the rich scents of the fallen leaves and reconnect with our magnificent forests, get to know the trees around us better and in this way perhaps learn to protect them also better.
• The Heart of the Woods by Wyl Menmuir is published by Aurum Press, £16.99. To support the Guardian and Observer, order a copy from Guardianbookshop.com. Shipping costs may apply
