Dartmoor is commonly thought of as a bleak and treeless waste, but is home to a small number of ancient oak woodlands. In these sheltered woods, mossy boulders and lichen-festooned branches combine to lend a primæval atmosphere, almost unchanged since lowland England was almost entirely forested in Neolithic times. The oakwoods are special places at […]
A companion to White Wood in spring, this photo was taken just a few metres, and six months, from the other one. The bright russet of the bracken caught my eye, as did the repeated wavering patterns of the oak trunks. I didn’t appreciate, until I saw the image full-sized, that there was a narrow […]
Wistman’s Wood is an ancient dwarf oakwood on Dartmoor, with a floor of wonderful mossy boulders. I visited it on a cool misty day, and chose this view of the trees silhouetted against the bracken-covered hillside beyond. Overcast helps to accentuate the rich colours – perhaps surprising in a late Autumn landscape.