A special walk through the woods

Once the laurel had gone, we set about creating our magical woodland walk: a feat of local skill and craftsmanship. Now, you can stroll along more than 80 meters of a timber walkway that winds through the ancient trees and across centuries-old field boundaries – from a time before the wood when the land was used for pasture. As always, designed with the land’s best interests in mind, we made sure that the walkway winds around the trees and other natural points in the landscape.

The idea for the walkway was conceived by one of our neighbours, David Saltmarsh. A woodworker from a family of woodworkers, he moved to the valley more than 20 years ago. As well as farming the land on which he lives, he specialises in making outdoor furniture. Although he can also turn his hand to buildings, barns and, his favourite object, a contemporary version of the Windsor chair, usually made from foraged wood. ‘I like chairs, because they’re taken for granted. They’re everyday objects that improve the quality of our life, but also works of art in their own right.’

David loves the different timbers he used to make the woodland walk.

‘The wood we used for the three bridges is quite special. It’s locally produced Devon chestnut, which was perfect for the timber-frame approach we decided on: making mortice and tenant joints, stitched together with oak pegs. I know the process well as I often help make timber framed houses and barns – like the one we built at the top of Louma.

‘We made the bridges in a friend’s workshop a couple of miles away – creating them in sections. Using what we hoped were precise measurements, we cut all the individual joints then numbered them. Meaning that we didn’t know until we were actually in the woods whether they’d fit together perfectly. I remember it was quite a day, lugging these huge pieces of wood through the wet and the mud, then slotting them all together and hoping they’d fit. Which they did!’

The walkways traverse the old raised boundaries, and the earth can become very boggy in the winter, due to the natural winter born springs that dot the land. At some stages you’ll also be walking along a woodchip path on the ground, and if you take a left in a little clearing you’ll find our mushroom logs and habitat piles. We’ve inoculated the logs with mycelium to produce a range of mushrooms, including oyster and shiitake – which we’ll be serving at our meals. Meanwhile the habitat piles provide shelter for small animals, including voles, mice, and other mushrooms like chicken of the woods.

David’s favourite time to visit the walkway is in May. ‘It splits into higher and lower levels off the ground, and the higher walk is particularly lovely as the area hosts hundreds of bluebells in springtime. I designed the walk so that you can be in the middle of the flowers without trampling on them. Not only are you ten feet above ground, with a beautiful carpet of blue underneath, but you can also see down to Charmouth and the sea beyond.’

Walk a bit further and you’ll see one of Louma’s rocket hives. Having had only visiting honey bees when we first arrived, bee colonies are now thriving on our land – using our specially built hives, as well the hollow trunks of dead trees. In the first year we had three colonies, the second year five, then eight (for bees follow the Fibonacci sequence.)

In order to help encourage them, we’re planting more blossom around the site, including in the woods. Similarly, if you see ivy left on our trees, this is because it provides the perfect place for birds to nest in. There’s a balance in preserving nature that we’re always striving to achieve.

Another of David’s favourite spots along the walkway is the bench he designed to sit under a sweet chestnut tree. This too is a remarkable feat of nature – for if you look carefully you’ll notice that the tree is growing upwards from an original tree that fell in a storm. ‘Although,’ David says, ‘sit on the bench with caution in October, when the chestnuts are ready to fall. They’re a bit like conkers with big spikes on them. Much better roasting on an open fire, than landing on your head!’

Forest Bathing

Alternatively, you can take a moment for yourself instead. Forest bathing, or ‘shinrin-yoku’ was first developed in Japan in the 1980s, following scientific studies conducted by its government. The results showed that two hours of mindful exploration in a forest (or wood) can reduce blood pressure, lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and improve concentration and memory.

Trees release chemicals called phytoncides, which have a protective antimicrobial effect on human bodies, thereby boosting the immune system. And in 2018, academics at the University of Derby found that improving your connection with nature can lead to a significant increase in your wellbeing.

Our story is nature, the researchers tell us, because we are part of it. Meaning that our relationship with the rest of nature matters hugely for our well-being. And yet it’s a connection that for many of us has all but broken.

Caring for what’s around us, as well as taking the time to really experience it in all its beauty, is one small step towards mending this connection. Or, to be more accurate, many hundreds of steps along our carefully planned woodland walkway.