Woods for sale for conservation and enjoyment

You are here: Home > Homepage

woodland rss feed

New Woods for Sale

Blue Hills Wood

Blue Hills Wood
£65,000 | Gloucestershire
Birdwood, Gloucester

High Meadow

High Meadow
£59,000 | Devon
Knightacott (Bratton Fleming),

Bentwitchen Wood

Bentwitchen Wood
£55,000 | Devon
Near Brayford, Barnstaple

Rosebay Wood

Rosebay Wood
£65,000 | Somerset
Bruton

Sowdens Gate Wood

Sowdens Gate Wood
£35,000 | East Sussex
near Udimore,

Frobisher Wood

Frobisher Wood
£55,000 | Kent
Langley Heath,

Harvestman Wood

Harvestman Wood
£85,000 | County Antrim
Lisburn

Squier Wood

Squier Wood
£65,000 | Devon
Portsmouth Arms, Near South Molton

Pinn Wood

Pinn Wood
£59,000 | Devon
Near Sidbury, Sidmouth

Woodlands.co.uk on Instagram

In this film from our Youtube channel, WoodlandsTV

In this film from our Youtube channel, WoodlandsTV meets Louise and Abi who swim in a woodland river in winter. These two friends explain how this activity improves their lives; they offer tips on how to swim in cold water and share their infectious joy of wild winter swimming. Full film on YT.

#woodlandscouk #Wildswimming #winterswimming #woodlandsandwater #riversofbritain #waterlife #naturalswimming #swimwild #timewithfriends #swimmingoutdoorsinwinter #brrrr

Deerparks. During lockdown I walk regularly in B

Deerparks.

During lockdown I walk regularly in Bushy Park and Hampton Court Palace Home Park, both home to healthy, managed herds of deer. I thought it was time to unclog my phone camera roll and share with you some more pictures of these beautiful creatures in their woodland park setting.

Bushy Park has a herd of red deer and a herd of fallow deer. Home Park just has fallow deer. Deer Parks themselves are an ancient tradition all over the world, wherever there were once aristocracy and monarchy. In Britain, deer Parks were created by the Normans, soon after Conquest. Woodland such as the New Forest were vast playgrounds for the new overlords so that they could hunt in peace, having excluded the commoners by enclosure, laws and threats of hanging for poaching. Having grown up visiting the forest's Rufus Stone, I find it ironic that William Rufus, son of Guillaume Le Batard (later tidied-up to 'William the Conqueror'), died while hunting there, 'accidentally' shot by a fellow hunter. Hunting can be a dangerous business...

The Royal Parks we now wander freely in were once there to explicitly exclude ordinary folk like us and to keep venison as a meat for the rich and powerful, which still has a present day hangover in the UK. Venison is seen as good food for anyone in most other countries and is far less class-bound. If you are a meat eater, expertly shot wild venison from a good local game dealer is an excellent choice environmentally and for health. Culling deer to protect the forest from overgrazing is vital in UK. Lockdown closures of restaurants has meant deer populations have not been reduced so much this winter. A spike in numbers will surely follow, risking damage to young trees.

It is always interesting to me to see how land use, class, history, forestry, nature and cuisine intersect.

#woodlandscouk #ukdeer #reddeer #fallowdeer #bushypark #homepark #deerpark #wildlifemanagement

Sound on. Ok it's just a tarp wrapped around some

Sound on.
Ok it's just a tarp wrapped around some poles, to make a simple teepee-shaped shelter. But I would happily sit here all day in the Kentish woods, listening to the birds and doing some craft. Add tea and a fire...

That's my wish. And it should be possible in about a month's time. Hope your wishes and plans for woodland time come true soon.

#woodlandscouk #simpleshelter #bushcraftshelter #tarpandpoles #teepeeshape #improvisedshelter #soundofwoodlands #ukbirdsong #winterwoods #wishiwashere

Swipe for uses of blackthorn's formidable thorns.

Swipe for uses of blackthorn's formidable thorns.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) the common native tree most often found in hedgerows, is one of my absolute favourite plants. The blossom comes before the leaves, (unlike hawthorn and its may blossom, which comes once the tree is in leaf). The small white flowers are abundant and fragrant, and will appear next month. These in turn become the famous tart blue fruit - sloes. Each year I make delicious purple sloe gin and vodka, tasty hedgerow liqueurs.

But I am posting today in appreciation of their thorns. Yes you read that right! If you have the time, growing a living hedge of blackthorn, hawthorn, wild roses and brambles, you'll have the most secure and practical hedge, but better than a fence or brick wall it will be full of life, with birds, insects flowers and fruit. A yearly trim and you will have created something of real good for all manner of creatures.

Near me, blackthorn is used as a living fence by the water board, as shown in the first 3 photos. The thorns are impressive, up to 3 inches long. Little birds flit happily between them but humans are effectively deterred from stumbling into the reservoirs and drowning...

The last two pictures are courtesy of @pariogallico who is a great teacher and researcher of living history, particularly Iron Age methods. Recently she posted these great blackthorn pins & needles that I wanted to share with you. Go look at her grid and follow, you'll be amazed. The crossover with wilderness skills and bushcraft is obvious, as our ancestors used what was readily available: wood, bone, stone, long before metals were smelted, and well into the age of iron.

Blackthorn is also a close-grained and hard fruitwood, and I have heard it is execllent for turning and carving, though I have not done this myself. I use the thorns for making replica North American fish hooks, bound with split spruce roots. When I find my stash I will share them with you. In the meantime, feel free to tag us with your blackthorn and sloe posts.

#woodlandscouk #blackthorn #sloebush #thornbush #hugethorns #gameofthorns #ironagekit #bushcraft #earthskills #historicalsewingkit

Trees and their reflections in a woodland pond nea

Trees and their reflections in a woodland pond near Seveoaks Kent. This is a classic winter woodland scene, taken last week, with authentic biting cold wind clearly audible. This week there would already be tiny green shoots to see, as in the south of England spring really feels as though it has sprung. The joy of getting to know a wood intimately, is that you can follow all the tiny changes with your five senses.

#woodlandscouk #treereflections #woodlandwater #woodlandpond #kent #sevenoaks #coldwind #lookaroundyou #getoutside #englishwoodland #kentishwoods #woodsinwinter

Like sci-fi illustrations from the 1970s, or Yes A $Like sci-fi illustrations from the 1970s, or Yes Album covers (Tales from Topographic Oceans, anyone?) this incredible ancient weathered dead oak I found yesterday is full of swirls showing the unique pattern of its grain, which is in turn a history of its growth. Like islands, weather systems, rock or fingerprints, families of natural patterns often share a fractal similarity. These ones seem to have maps, faces and forces hidden within. I could look at them forever, on a bright sunny day. Hope you enjoy them too. #woodlandscouk #oldoak #deadoak #standingdeadwood #amazingpatterns #oakgrain #weatheredwood #naturalwonders #lookdown #lookclosely #worldswithinworlds$

Three signs of spring from today in the woods on t

Three signs of spring from today in the woods on the Thames riverside. 1: very chilled Egyptian goose among the crocuses, completely unbothered by me snapping a pic. 2: quince blossom. It's very common in hedgerows, gardens, parks and churchyards around here, which always bodes well for delicious foraged preserves in the late autumn. 3: primroses, named from the Latin for 'first roses', always a pleasure to see and also a good wild edible, both petals and leaves.

Foraging times ahead!

NB, obviously I shan't be foraging an Eqyotian goose or their eggs, don't worry, despite the fact they wake me now each morning with incredibly loud bickering and shouting.

#woodlandscouk #egyptiangoose #primulavulgaris #quinceblossom #cydonia #futureforaging #wildedibles #thameswaterfowl #woodlandflowers #waterfowl #restingbird

An unexpected emergency water source that you migh

An unexpected emergency water source that you might not think of in the woods are these hollow bowls in tree trunks. Here it is found at the base of a mature ash tree. Depending on how desperate you are, the leafy, tannic rain water that you'll find might be pretty astringent, but after straining through a garment like a sock or t shirt, and boiling, it would be fine. Other creatures may well drink from these too, so unless in extremis, boiling, purification/ filtration bottles or purifying tablets are necessary. Most UK trees are non toxic, but steer clear of yew or holly.

In a longer wild camp, with rain forecast, it's worth scooping out and cleaning a hollow like this and using it to collect water, saving pans that might be needed elsewhere. A plastic bag or tarp can be rigged to drip directly into the bowl, making your temporary shelter into a source of clean water too.

On an ordinary ramble they are fun things to find, and really worth adding to your list of things to get kids to tick off, I-spy style. I reckon five extra points at least for one of these!

#woodlandscouk #waterhollow #hollowtree #treehole #collectwater #bushcraft #survivalskills #woodlandtips #emergencywater #wildcamping #mossytree #woodlandfinds #woodlandIspy #sourceofwater

Follow on Instagram

Conserving British woodlands by helping individuals and families buy their own woodlands to enjoy and to look after.

Latest Blog Articles

Woodland and hedgerow plants – the primrose. - 5 March, 2021

Primroses were said to be the favourite flower of Benjamin Disraeli, indeed he wrote of them that he liked primroses so much better for their being wild... Read more

Plants – chemical factories - 28 February, 2021

It is a sad fact of life that the plant sciences do not receive much attention, indeed university botany departments and herbaria have been ‘lost or... Read more

More articles from the blog »

Woodlands For Sale - The Poem!

The winner of the 2020 Christopher Tower Poetry competition was Nadia Lines, with her poem 'Woodland For Sale'. Hear the poem »

WoodlandsTV RSS feed

WoodlandsTV

Woodlands Awards 2020

Now in their fourth year, the Woodlands Awards aim to celebrate and promote woodland initiatives, skills, knowledge, creativity and best practice.

Three new award categories for 2020!

See how you could win a prize, or help a friend or woodland enterprise to win the recognition they deserve, by visiting Woodlands Awards.

© 2021 Woodland Investment Management Ltd | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact us | Blog powered by WordPress