I really like trees, as a general rule. I prefer being around them to people, most days, as anti-social or hippy-ish as that sounds. They're easier, let's be honest, and a lot less hassle, most of the time. Where I live there are a few forests nearby, which is nice, but they consist mostly of recently planted pine trees where there used to be heathland, and after a while, the sight of Scot's Pines' gets a little boring. So I've been bugging my dad to find out where an actual ancient woodland is and to take me for a walk there, for about a year now.
He takes walks very seriously, not like me and my casual jaunts around the common - he uses compasses and has proper walking boots - so he found out that Savernake forest wasn't too far away, near Marlborough. After having a bad night sleeping and generally feeling a little sorry for myself, my dad dragged me out for a 'stroll'. It turned into more of a 6.5 mile walk and the weather wasn't that kind to us..
However, the walk was pretty great. I'd like to go again, not in the rain, because I was starting to feel like it wasn't helping my mood! Savernake is actually ancient woodland, and has some really amazing trees. We didn't see as many of the ancient oak's that I would have liked, as we got a bit turned around when some of the pathways were shut, but we did see lots of fallow deer, which was worth it. The further you go in, you can tell that it's old woodland, from the way the trees are thick and twisted. I highly recommend going, even if you just walk a little way into the woods, it's a really lovely place with a history that is pretty interesting, too.
