A Walk in the Woods....

Apparently, not too many years ago, this whole area was woodland. Houses, roads and shops later, only part of the wood remains. The remainder is now called Highwoods Country Park. Much reduced, but at least this means that it's protected now!

Part of the wood has been coppiced regularly since Tudor times and continues to be managed this way. There is a small log-cabin type visitor centre, serving tea and coffee, and selling little pocket-money things like pens and pencils, and rubbery bugs for scaring sisters with.
There is a lake, a hill covered in grass (it gets covered with picnickers in the summer!), a meadow, and marked walks and cycle routed through the trees. We recently found another bit, a wilder bit, fewer paths. We hadn't known it was there!

It's only a short drive to get there, and we're resolved to go there more often this year. Last week we took a walk there late in the evening, to hear the birdsong as they go to roost. Well, I expected the birds, but what I didn't expect was the scent- as soon as we stepped out of the car, the smell of bluebells and an evening air heavy with May Blossom hit us! It was gorgeous. And apart from one man walking his dog, we were undisturbed the whole hour or so we were there...

The photo's are dark as it was getting late....
it was almost dark by the time we came home again!

The bluebells are on their last legs, but still lovely...

I love the way walkways disappear round the trees....
this next photo is out of focus but I still wanted to keep it :)What the??? Oh dear... well, you can't blame him, it's only what Bears do in the woods...

I think these pink ones are Red Campion but I could be wrong! They look lovely, especially mixed in with the bluebells...There were some places we didn't walk through, out of respect for the flowers, and all the wildlife that must be enjoying them :)We saw lots of these wee fellas, some with babies. They were all over the open spaces and bounced into the hedgerows as we came along. I managed to catch one on film. I think he was playing chicken, or pretending to be invisible:
Lastly, a view over Colchester from the woods:

SCRUMPTIOUS TIMES!