As someone who likes to spend as much time as possible in woodlands, come rain or shine, there are two quotes from the American naturalist John Burroughs that I think about often. The first: “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” The second: “The walk to take today is the walk you took yesterday. You will not find just the same things.”
The latter never seems more true than during autumn, when the trees put on their greatest show; their leaves turning from green to yellow, then orange and red, before falling to the ground in their final act of seasonal surrender, crunching underfoot, and nourishing new life as they decompose into the earth.
“Autumn is my favourite season,” says 18-year-old Joshua Horsfall, who recently became a member of the Woodland Trust youth council. “It’s the perfect temperature and there’s the breadth of colours, and suddenly everything becomes a bit more tactile, with leaves everywhere and acorns and conkers.
“But I think the real reason autumn is my favourite time of year is because it’s the end of the natural cycle of the trees, at least deciduous trees. There’s always a sense of reflection that comes from that, but also then looking forward – because as much as it’s the end of one cycle, it’s the start of the next one. I’ve always found that renewal theme very powerful in autumn.”
Horsfall – who has just left home to study at Warwick University – says that one of the things he loves about woodlands is that they can be found all over the country, and some of his favourites include Sisland Carr and Old Wood, both in his native Norfolk, and Pattles Fen in Suffolk.
“Wherever I go nature’s here as well, so I’ve always felt quite protected by it,” he says. “Just yesterday I went on a walk of the campus and stumbled upon Gibbet Hill wood, an ancient woodland managed by the Woodland Trust. It was fantastic. It’s one of those undisturbed woodlands that just seems sort of perfect in every way.”
Londoner Maria Shahid is also a Woodland Trust member. Like Horsfall, the 55-year-old is a big fan of autumn. “I still love stepping on crunchy leaves. I love the changing of the seasons, and feel like autumn can be one of the best times of the year in the UK,” she says, adding: “We got married in October, so it’s a special time for us.
“Sometimes the days are so clear and lovely – and you don’t get that disappointment like in summer, when expectations are so high. When you have a sunny day in autumn, it’s always like an unexpected surprise.”
Shahid – who has two sons, aged 15 and 19 – says spending time in nature has always been “quite a big part of how we’ve parented”.
“When you’re outside somewhere new, everybody is just so much more relaxed and able to communicate with each other better,” she says.
This autumn she’s hoping to explore some new Woodland Trust sites, including Langley Vale in Epsom and Warren Farm in East Ewell – both a short drive from her home in Wimbledon.
Gillian Erskine, 42, from Fife, has been a Woodland Trust member for about two years. Although she finds the transition to shorter, darker days hard, she still manages to find some seasonal treasures.
“There’s that wonderful, rich smell when the leaves start decomposing. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s really nice,” she says. “And I do quite like being bundled up. It feels really nice when you come back in after a walk on a cold autumn day.”
For the most part, Erskine and her family have explored Woodland Trust properties in Scotland, including its largest site, Glen Finglas – a vast estate with mountains and rivers, hills and glens, woodland and moorland – which Erskine says is “absolutely amazing” in autumn. But she also highly recommends Whitewebbs wood in Enfield, north London.
“It’s got great paths for walking, a lake and a bridge over the canal,” she says, adding: “It feels particularly magical because you’re sandwiched between the M25 and the A10, and then there’s this really lovely green space.”
Like Shahid, Erskine especially enjoys visiting the woods with her children, aged six and eight. “It’s like the opposite of being at school, isn’t it? They can just create their own worlds, whether that’s climbing a tree or having a tea party on a log. It’s a different kind of play.”
As for what she gets out of spending time in nature, she says: “I think it’s good for keeping things in perspective, particularly if you’re going through a hard time.
“When you go to the woods, especially at this time of year, you’re reminded that the leaves will fall off, and then they will be dormant for a while, and then they will come back. It makes you aware of the rhythms of life, and that is quite comforting. It’s good for the soul.”
Join the Woodland Trust
It’s all going on in the woods. By joining the Woodland Trust, you’re directly helping grow healthy woodland habitats for nature and people. Visit woodlandtrust.org.uk/join to become a member today and keep all the drama of the woods alive.
