Into The Woods

Robert Frost may have spoken evocatively in his poems about lovely, dark and deep woods and trodden/untrodden paths; thereby inspiring numerous readers to set off exploring woody trails and unknown paths, but for me the inspiration has always been the writings of Enid Blyton.

Her books may now be considered controversial, problematic and lacking in intellectual worth for all sorts of reasons; but during my childhood they created an imaginary world that I longed to inhabit and one into which I escaped whenever the real world would allow me. All those adventures in secret islands with hidden caves, abandoned houses, leading to exciting discoveries, solved mysteries and and sometimes even treasure…I lived them all.

Also, I was fortunate enough to grow up in a place that was blessed with the bounties of nature- wooded hills all around, a large, beautiful lake and spaces that just begged to be explored. Which of course my friends and I did- with great enthusiasm; on foot and on bicycle. Many times we set off along paths that looked promising, in the hope of unearthing some marvellous treasure. We never did, but what fun we had just trying!

Which is where I got my love for long walks and rambles in the woods, far from the noise of the city. It could also explain why, whenever a see a path that leads somewhere off the main road, I feel so very tempted to follow it. Had it not been for my absolute horror of all things creepy-crawly and those that lurk in the undergrowth, and an equally strong aversion to ‘roughing it’, I would have been an intrepid explorer. Well, maybe only in that imaginary world of my childhood!

But now, after decades of city living, I have once again got the opportunity to visit a space that is surrounded by trees and hills and lined with all sorts of tempting paths that lead into the woods. And once again, I so long to set foot on them and see where they lead me. But I content myself with taking dozens of pictures and allowing just my imagination to follow these trails.