SAVERNAKE FOREST-Finding each of the 33 NAMED OAK TREES-Summer 2024 скачать в хорошем качестве

SAVERNAKE FOREST-Finding each of the 33 NAMED OAK TREES-Summer 2024

If you feel like an enjoyable challenge where you can be out exercising in the fresh air maybe you should consider a search for the 33 named oak trees in Savernake Forest. The forest is privately owned but public access is granted all year except being closed for one day during January. I normally visit the forest in July to look for butterflies and other insects but especially the Purple Emperor butterfly (Apatura iris). A number of clips of forest butterflies are included in this video. This season is the worst I have ever known with numbers of nearly all species of insects significantly down. So the poor weather inspired me to search for just one or two of the named oak trees but this soon changed to all thirty three. Whilst a number of these trees appear on Ordnance Survey maps the most useful guide is produced by Peter Noble and has now been updated to 2024. I obtained this inexpensive leaflet guide from White Horse Bookshop in Marlborough High Street and it not only shows the location of each of the 33 named oaks but includes many other interesting sights to look out for in the forest. Some of the oak trees are very easy to find but using this guide, where even minor tracks are marked, it can lead you to trees that are literally off the beaten track. The numbers I have allocated to each tree are not official but do follow a logical order. Some are difficult to locate and can require wading through bracken, brambles, stinging nettles, standing water/boggy areas, fallen trees (especially conifers) and in some cases other obstacles to negotiate such as cattle enclosure fences. In the absence of accurate grid references one trick is to locate the approximate position of the tree from the guide (field boundaries shapes, woodland edges, and bends in paths can assist with this) and use GPS tracking (Satellite) in Google Maps on a smartphone. I visit the forest when trees are in full leaf. They would be easier to find in winter and despite the whole tree structure being visible the trees would look dead, walking will probably be wet under foot and there is the short length of day to consider so spring maybe the best time to visit as the leaves are unfurling. Although walking considerable distances is necessary searching for each of the trees you will visit quieter parts of the forest with varied and quite stunning scenery. There are many more impressive trees which deserve names to be bestowed on them. It is quite a moving experience to be very close to these magnificent old oak trees (Quercus sp.) several of which are over 1000 years old. Despite being alone, I did not meet any goblins or trolls on my travels although I did hear voices a couple of times yet nobody was there!