My home is surrounded by much woodland to the north, east and west. To the south we have the expanse of Hadleigh and Benfleet downs with Hadleigh marsh (arable and grazing) below. Within the woodland are numerous patches of the old bluebell. The woods are largely owned and maintained by the Essex Wildlife Trust and rotational coppicing is practised.
I went for an early morning stroll, with the mate of course, earlier this week around Pound Wood in Daws Heath because the early morning light catches one good bluebell patch nicely. The EWLT has an open day in these woods and you can see the details here: http://www.essexwt.org.uk/news/2014/04/15/bluebells
Bluebells in Pound Wood, Daws Heath…
While in the wood munching a croissant and sipping hot coffee I mused at the mate on the shapes of some of the trees around ‘our’ bench. The thoughts were awoken while passing some fallen trees from the October 1987 storm. There is an area that was left to sort itself out. Some of the trees which were flattened still had roots in the ground … they must have been small then, but now they’re quite a bulk with branches rising at right-angles to the ‘main’ trunk. Perfect for knees or a breast hook…
Anyway, in the main the woodland is maintained for firewood, charcoal and fencing. It was never really an oak wood, but there are a number of good sized trees which often stand alone lording it over the rough stuff below. These will be useful one day…
Reminder & Thistle operated by Top Sail Charters of Maldon… Seen here fighting for the line!
Some years ago I was talking to Top Sail Charters about their barges while booking a barge for a group event being organised by my local church – it transpired that the EWLT group from Hadleigh and Daws Heath had done a trip down the Blackwater and offered some trees to Top sail… The trees were duly felled, left to season and transported to Maldon. I believe that wood eventually went into the steel barge Thistle: inside she has a lot of timber…
Top Sail Charters can be found at: http://www.top-sail.co.uk/
Well, I can hardly go without mentioning sailing, can I… So, after our early morning walk, here is my good mate concentrating hard as she runs across from Two Tree Island shortly after I’d dropped and stowed the mainsail.
Mrs Mate at the helm…
We saw our first terns too, hopping from mooring to mooring, as we close reached up past Two Tree Island. Spring has truly arrived … the Brent geese have thinned out but there are still many munching away in the saltings, readying themselves for their northwards flight…
It was a little fresh on the water and the boat had her sides well wetted, but the sun shone. The downs have all but gone green now: the blackthorn blossom has wilted and leaf growth is in full swing. Fresh shoots of green could be seen along the salt marsh edges too – cord grass and glasswort. The water’s are no longer quiet either: we met a good ten other craft on the move – winter has definitely gone…