A Woodland Walk

My Sunday afternoon was spent walking in the woods, breathing in the fresh, if a little dank, country air, trekking through very wet and muddy orchards over carpets of rotting Annie Elizabeth and Bramley apples, vibrant, shiny rosehips brightening the hedgerows and the distant smell of bonfires offering comfort in the damp air.

During this time of year, one of my favourite places to walk is The Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve in Alfrick, Worcestershire. The surrounding countryside is stunning and a delight for walkers and nature lovers alike.

I have been coming here for many years, it is a welcome retreat. A place of peace, of beauty and of nature.

Leigh Brook meanders through the Reserve and is home to kingfishers, dragonflies, otters and much more. I have seen none,  but I still sit and study the water, for seemingly hours, hoping for a movement, a dash of colour, a glimpse.

Papermill cottage, long disused, sits happily in the meadow, always a welcome sight, now housing bats, birds and bees. Derelict but still serving this important purpose. It has always conjured up Hansen and Gretel like stories alluding to characters who may have lived here over the years.

The woods are a magical place, full of imagined fairies and elves and a kind of Nordic charm. Transporting me swiftly back to childhood memories and the nostalgia of my Norweigan adventure. The scenery indeed is almost Scandanavian in places, imitating fjord like backdrops, standing dream like against the dramatic clouded skyline basking in its autumn glory.

 

 

When my children were younger, they loved to play in the brook during hot summer days, resembling the freckled, sandy haired boys of Enid Blyton novels, creating their own adventures, waving their empty fishing nets (they could never keep them still for long enough to catch anything) and launching sticks off the small bridge to watch them appear on the other side. A lovely image which stays with me whenever I visit. They still love it here but now are more apt to imitate characters created by Tolkein, hobbits hiding in the woods and charging around with make believe weapons and battle cries, destroying the peace somewhat.

The purpose of todays visit was not only to walk off the culinary delights of the previous evening but also to photograph the changing landscape. The last time I was here was in early Spring when the bluebells filled the meadow, but autumn is my favourite and so I am not much company today, instead disappearing to take endless images of trees.

A flock of very friendly sheep followed us through the meadow, particularly interested in their visitors and posing for the odd photograph, much to my pleasure.

And so, I eventually dragged myself away. The walk had earned us a hearty roast upon our return to the warmth of the kitchen and purring log burner and to dream of my next visit, when the frost is hard on the ground, hedges full of icy cobwebs and the first flurries of snow in the air.


The Knapp and Papermill Reserve are cared for by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk