A43 Wood - Boughton Estate

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Don't forget to listen to my podcast that I recorded whilst walking through this wood:

Now Available On iTunes!

As part of the VisitWoods project being led by the Woodland Trust I have been recording my visits to the woods in Northamptonshire on to the iTunes website in the form of a podcast.

I've been using an App on my iPhone that uploads the recordings I make to the AudioBoo website which then in turn automatically links up to the iTunes website.

If you want to subscribe to my PodCasts then please click on the iTunes link at the top of this blog entry. If you do not have or use iTunes then please click on the AudioBoo link below and you'll find all my recordings there too.

Burcote Wood

 

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Don't forget to listen to my podcast that I recorded whilst walking through this wood:

Plumpton Wood

 

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Don't forget to listen to the podcast that I recorded whilst I walked around this wood:

Seawell Wood

 

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 Don't forget to listen to my podcast that I recorded whilst walking around this wood:

Irchester Country Park

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Don't forget to listen to my podcast that I recorded whilst walking through this wood:

Top Ardles Wood

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Don't forget to listen to my podcast that I recorded whilst walking through this wood:

Brampton Ash

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Don't forget to listen to my podcast that I recorded whilst walking through this wood:

Wothorpe Groves

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Don't forget to listen to my podcast that I recorded whilst walking through this wood

Pitsford Resevoir, an Anglian Water Wood

 

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Martin Moore Community Wood

 

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Pitsford Quarry Community Woodland

 

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Sywell Country Park

 

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Lings Wood - Local Nature Reserve

 

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Tim Vine - Pen Behind The Ear Video

Former world record holder Tim Vine perfumes his encore of 'Pen Behind The Ear' - enjoy:

What Is A Tithe?

A tithe is an old English term that originates from the word teogothian, meaning 'tenth'.

A system where people would (for want of a better word) donate one tenth of their income to a religious organisation - sometimes this would be a monetary value or for the less affluent they could pay in kind by giving part of their crop or even livestock.

Tithes were used by the Church to support the clergy and help the poor. As the Christian Church spread around Europe, so did the Tithes and it soon turned in to an early form of taxation as in most places it became law.

In England Tithes evolved in to rent charges which were still collected until around 1936 when the Tithes and Rents were abolished and were replaced with newer methods of taxation.

Barns were erected throughout the country to collect and store the Tithes and Rents and many are still standing today. Some are in a ruinous state, but others like the one in Wellingborough are pretty much in their original condition and are still be used today, but not for collecting Tithes or Rent!

Collyweston and Easton Hornstocks

 

Whilst walking around this ancient woodland it was like no one else had been there for hundreds of years as it was so peaceful and tranquil. The footpaths are ever so slightly overgrown as dog walking is not allowed here so not many people use it on a regular basis which helps add to its mystique.

A permit is required if you want to visit this National Nature Reserve (NNR) and you can obtain one by contacting Natural England.

There was a little bit of litter dotted around the place, but oddly enough this kind of added to the history of the place as it wasn't modern litter, but glass bottles from the 80's and not the plastic ones that are commonplace these days.

Parking is quite difficult, but there are some lay-bys on the nearby roads that you can park up in whilst visiting this ancient woods.

Definitely worth a visit - just don't forget your permit!

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Dryland Memorial and Horse Troughs

Found near the Library in Kettering:

Sir Alfred East Memorial

Located at the Alfred East Art Gallery next to the Library in Kettering:

Wellingborough Tithe Barn

Wellingborough Sculptures

Found hidden away next to the middle of Wellingborough Town centre in the Croyland Gardens:

Wellingborough Tomb

Found in the Croyland Gardens:

Southwick Wood

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Glapthorn Cow Pastures

I woke up this morning and took a look at the weather and it wasn't raining so I decided to take a look on the www.visitwoods.org.uk website to see what woods I have yet to visit so headed off towards Glapthorn Cow Pastures.

Situated approximately half-way between Glapthorn and Lower Benefield this Wildlife Trusts wood is a nice place for a walk. Although I didn't see any picnic benches you could always take a picnic blanket and enjoy your lunch here.

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Short Wood

After going for a walk around Glapthorn Cow Pastures I nipped up the road to Short Wood which is approximately half-way between Glapthorn and Southwick.

There is a lay-by on the side of the road which has room for half a dozen or so cars.  You have to walk alongside a farmers field to get to the entrance of this wood and there is a signpost next to the lay-by to point you in the right direction!

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Bracher's Wood (Near Rothwell)

It's been a couple of months since my last visit to Bracher's Wood where the Winter weather had revealed a discracefull secret where rubbish had been dumped over the fences that back directly on to this wood and I found everything from a kettle to a set of plastic garden chairs!

After I made contact with the Woodland Trust who are the landowners of this small wood, I recieved a reply saying they would be looking in to the issue and would get some contractors in to clear away the rubbish and get this wood back to it's former glory.

I'm pleased to say that the bulk of the rubbish has now been removed and replaced with not only some grass seed but quite a few saplings as well!

It's not perfect as I did still find some kitchen tiles and even a vaccuum cleaner in the undergroth and I thnk what remains of the childrens tent I found the last time I visited is still there so there is still some work to be done but it is so much better than it was and it looking a lot healthier than it did previously!

:)

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New Covert Wood

The weather has been great the last few days so now it's the weekend it's time to get out and VisitWoods!

I had a quick look at my To-Do list and the New Covert wood right on the Brampton Valley Way caught my eye so after a quick look on Google Maps I headed off to find somewhere park up and go for a walk!

There is a small free car park at Kelmarsh Station on the Brampton Valley Way disused train line which is now a fantastic walk so this is where I parked my car.

I spotted on the map that the New Covert wood is right next to one of the disused tunnels that you can walk/cycle through so I made sure that I took my torch with me so I can take a quick wander through that after my walk around the woods.

The New Covert wood is a privately owned wood that is open to the public and if you're going for a walk or cycle then it's a perfect place to stop for a picnic as when you enter the wood you are straight away greeted with a picnic table!

It's a fairly small wood but there's plenty of room to go off exploring through the trees.  This time of year you'll see lots of Bluebells in this wood so it's well worth a visit.


For more information (including more photos) then please visit the VisitWoods website by clicking on the link below:

Fineshade Woods

This has got to be the most inclusive woods I have ever been to (and I've been to quite a few recently)!  There's plenty to do for everyone at this wood, you can go for a walk, jog, run, cycle, horse ride and even mountain-biking through the specially created 'Skills Loop' sections of this site!

There's a small play park and cafe here at the Top Lodge so there's an incentive for everyone to complete a walk around this fantastic place.  As with lots of other woods at the moment, there are some bluebells around this wood so make sure you take your camera with you to spot them!

Whilst on my walk, along with lots of bluebells I spotted a lot of giant fungi growing on some of the trees that were in log piles around the place - this is a working wood after all so please obey any signs that tell you work is going on and don't be tempted to climb on any of the wood piles as they can be dangerous!

As it's such a large wood there is a map available for you to take around with you.  It took me 15 minutes of wandering around the Top Lodge before I finally saw a small notice on a door saying maps are available from the RSPB shop where they have been hidden by a grumpy, rude old man in a plastic container underneath the counter where the staff enjoy a chat rather than greeting or helping customers so I don't think they really want anyone to buy one - I can only assume they train search and rescue teams here and are hoping people get lost...

All-in-all this is a fantastic wood with plenty to do and loads of places to explore and is well worth a day out here.


To see more details and plenty more photos of this fantastic wood then please visit the VisitWoods website by clicking on the link below:

Fineshades Wood - Top Lodge

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Badby Wood - Gatehouse

Whilst on a walk through Badby Woods I came across this fantastic example of a GateHouse:

Save England's Ancient Forests

The Forestry Commission are getting ready to sell of 18% of Englands forests which I think is an absolute discrace.  Instead of selling them, they should be buying more helping us stay green as trees do a lot for reducing our carbon emissions.

What you have to remember is a lot of the Forests/Woods are there to make money by selling timber etc. so we certainly shouldn't be selling the commercial ones as they bring in money!

The Woodland Trust have started a campaign and you can sign their petition by clicking on the link below:

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/protect