Woodland Encounters
Bluebell Wood — a private woodland for reflection, renewal, and connection with nature. Part of the 74 acre Birdwood Coppice.
Bluebell Wood
A quiet clearing, a circle of trees, the flicker of firelight.
Here, time slows. The bluebells spread each spring, the anemones lift their faces to the sun, and the woodland holds space for reflection, renewal, and deeper connection.
Bluebell Wood is not just a place. It’s an invitation; to pause, to listen, and to return to yourself.
We found it in January 2021 after six months of searching during the Covid lockdown. From the first visit, it felt right. The trees were welcoming, and the land carried a quiet presence that drew me in.
I spend time here several days a week. Over the seasons I’ve come to know its character — the bluebells spreading across the floor, the wood anemones opening in the sunlight, the fallen branches becoming shelter for insects at the base of the food chain. The wood continues to teach me to slow down, to notice, and to listen.
Getting to know the land
There is a lot of fallen branches and dead wood; eventually we will burn some but we also want to leave fallen branches as habitat piles for the insects that are at the start of the food chain. As the borders of our wood are owned by other people, we’ve been placing dead branches along the borders to give some clear edge to our land, useful when other people are with us, so they don’t stray out of our wood.
I love walking around our wood, properly getting to know ‘our land’. To begin I would trip, I was probably moving too fast. I’ve now slowed down, but I also have a hazel stick I can use for safety in some areas. We have a track that cuts the wood in two, eventually it will grow over but for now it is a good way to divide base camp from an area I want to use for well-being. I feel the trees are wanting to look after me.
With going to the wood several times, a week, I’m noticing far more than I would have seen if I’d only visited an area less frequently, and of course there would have been a lot of people around. For example, I have seen how the wood anemones have covered the floor and how they open and close in the sunlight, and each day see more bluebells. We don’t seem to have many daffodils in our part of the wood. I’ve spotted a couple of dog violets, and as I walk, look carefully to see what I can see.
What Happens Here
Bluebell Wood is the setting for my nature-based work, including:
One-to-one sessions: reflective conversations supported by the stillness of nature.
Nature retreats: gentle gatherings offering time for rest, renewal, and deeper insight.
Vision Quests: profound rites of passage guided in wild nature.
This is a place to step away from busy lives, to switch off from the digital world, and to reconnect with yourself. Some people spend time in guided reflection, others walk slowly, or rest in a hammock by the fire. However you engage, the wood invites you to pause and simply be.
