Two years ago we were at a summer fair and ended up talking with a warden from the
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. He spoke to us about the various sites in the county and how the "Cinderella" sites tended not to get as much attention from the public as the large more well known locations (Sherwood Forest for instance).
He pointed us in the direction of Treswell Woods, which was only a couple of miles away from where we live so the following Sunday morning we decided to pay it a visit.
I can understand why the warden referred to it as a Cinderella site. We saw a few volunteers who come down most weeks to catch and ring birds in the woods so they can track populations. This census has been going on since the 1970s. We saw two people walking dogs, but that was about it.
The majority of the trees in the forest are Ash, Oak and Maple. There is a large pond and is home to a variety of British wildlife. You can also see various nest boxes around the woods.
There is also a workshop, which uses traditional methods utilising coppiced trees to ensure the health of this ancient woodland area.
A month or so later, we again paid a visit on a Sunday morning. There had been a thick fog and when we arrived and it was in the process of being burned away by the sun. It was one of those right place, right time moments as I was able to take some atmospheric shots of the woods.
We also came across something that was rather creepy that reminded me of Mirkwood in The Hobbit. Every single weed and plant in this area was covered in spider webs and I mean everything!
If it's a nice weekend walk without the crowds, then you can't go far wrong if a walk though Treswell Woods.
