A Walk in Chambers Farm Woods
Lincolnshire Woodland Walks
This was the day I had waited an age for, off from work, a cold, dry morning with brilliant winter sunshine and an empty wood. If Southery Wood was my favourite place of 2007 then Chambers Wood Farm near Bardney is already looking like winning the title for 2008.
No sooner had I parked the car then a hare skipped through the undergrowth alerting a grey squirrel and a green woodpecker to my prescence. This set the tone for the rest of my stay here (about four hours) there was an abundance of wildlife including friendly Robin’s along every pathway.
The recent heavy rainfall has taken its toll, some paths were too boggy to pass but they can wait for drier days, these paths meander off in every direction and I cannot wait for the warmer months when the wild flowers will attract butterflies and other birds away from the high tree tops.
By lunchtime the sun was shining brightly through the trees, lighting up the surrounding fields and the scurrying pheasants. There are two main routes to follow with a third opening this year. The red route is the longer of the two though hardly strenuous and the side tracks make for an interesting detour and a longer walk.
Despite their less than welcome prescence in a woodland the grey squirrel is still a joy to watch. Trying to follow one with a large zoom lens isn’t easy, the slightest noise and they are straight up to the very top of the trees jumping from one to another with reckless abandon.
So this is officially my new favourite place to walk around unless I find a Canon camera superstore somewhere! Bardney is the nearest village, it can be found just off the B1202 Bardney-Wragby road, OS map grid reference: TF 158 743.
What a great day !
That first picture …
Possibly one of your best !
It looks like something Tim Burton would come up with
Rod
January 23, 2008 @ 9:03 am
Miles,
Your photographs have star quality written all over them. I have been to these woods before, no doubt on some wild fungi hunt and probably left empty handed. There is something magical about woods and we don’t have many in this county. My grandfather was keen on woodland walks and I always went with him during school holidays. It was a cheap day out of course but he lived in a very built up concrete area and relished any natural environment. We’d find all sorts of things including grass snakes and beautiful wild flowers, some things I haven’t seen since.
Cid
p.s. can’t wait for the misty morning shots and Chambers Wood in spring.
January 23, 2008 @ 10:59 am
Miles,
Is that a Siskin I spot? They are lovely birds that I would like to see more often, alas there is not enough woodland around me.
Cid, you are right about woodlands where you can stand and stare and listen, just magical.
Miles, you had a quality day out and thank you for sharing it.
Elsie
January 23, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
Elsie,
The question is does Miles require some female companions on these naturist trips? Would the wildlife be put off by our presence? What bothers me is that he was in the woods for four hours…. does that mean we would have to remain quiet for that length of time and could we? Anyway I thought we’d take a few extra things along with us, like a dinghy… you know the sort of stuff, things that men won’t think of
like a satellite navigation system and planks… you can never have enough planks for emergency bridge making. Have you got a porta-loo… we’ll take that as well.
I might struggle to get there for dawn, I’ll still be in my curlers and negligent
Cid
January 23, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
Rod,
Thanks, the picture doesn’t do the moment the justice it deserves, the light which shone over the fields as I approached them was something special, it was as though I had turned a corner and walked straight into Spring.
Miles
January 23, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
Cid,
Isn’t it wonderful that you are from a time when you look back on your childhood and recall woodland walks? Pity those who will look back at video games and bad television.
Miles
January 23, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
Elsie,
Could be a young one with less yellow colouring, what threw me was the red mohican!
Miles
January 23, 2008 @ 7:22 pm
Miles,
Before I could spell neccccesssssary, I could identify a Jews Ear fungus and all kinds of leaves and wild plants. I was fascinated by trees in general and loved the different textures of bark. My school was on the edge of a private wood and we were always in there playing about. It was over grown but had been very grand in its day and had a line of giant redwood trees amongst the normal specimens. Every kid loved it no matter what their other interests might have been. When we moved to Lincolnshire it was one of the first things that struck me, where were the trees? Woods and forests have a sweet earthy smell and I love that too.
Cid
January 23, 2008 @ 7:49 pm
Cid,
You paint a vivid picture, as for Lincolnshire, well yes there are plenty of fields but I have been genuinely suprised at the number of woods close to me and within an hours drive. I intend to walk around them all, some have fascinating historical connections, others are full of wildlife and some are just great to walk around.
Miles
January 23, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
Miles,
If you would be willing to send me a copy of the first picture in this post, I should love to print and frame it. Of course, if you wish to charge for the privilege of having that photo I would be more than willing to pay.
What an inspiration.
Annie
January 23, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
Annie,
Thanks for the compliment. As far as the photographs are concerned I am involved in a new project through Goldeneye Holdings (which this site is affiliated to) with a view to making these and other images avaliable for purchase. I shall contact you in due course as it is very much a work in progress.
Miles
January 23, 2008 @ 9:05 pm
Miles,
You are quite right that it is not a Siskin. I appears to be a Redpoll.
Cid, we shall need our fieldguide and binoculars. I can’t go on mixing up the kins with the polls. I am expecting Miles to be navigating with his compass, on second thoughts you might be right about the satnav.
No porta-loo I am afraid. No matter, as we shall be building a hide with en suite facilities. Meantime, do you think we should attend a course in sign language for our silent communication?
January 23, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
Elsie,
Sign language - excellent idea and we’ll take a radio too. If it makes you feel better I doubt I’d know the difference between a kin and a poll, either way at one bite big Miles won’t be interested in reaching for his gun
As experienced hide builders, Miles will be expecting great things…. thought we’d have a go at a ‘Tree Tops’ safari kit… we’ll be able to potter through the canopy via an intricate set of walkways, or so it says 
Cid
January 23, 2008 @ 9:34 pm
Miles,
I’m slightly concerned about the Goldeneye Holdings connection, have you checked out the MD’s credentials?
Cid
January 23, 2008 @ 9:38 pm
Cid,
‘Kin’ and ‘Poll’? More like ‘Kin’ and ‘Hell’ with you women causing havoc in my blissful solitude
Miles
January 23, 2008 @ 9:55 pm
Elsie,
Redpoll-well done! Upon closer inspection I would suggest it is a female sporting the latest winter look.
Miles
January 23, 2008 @ 10:05 pm
Miles,
I’ll have a word with the game park warden to see if we can get an open top jeep thing … speed is of the essence should we encounter any man-eating critters
Cid
January 24, 2008 @ 9:29 am
Cid,
Reminds me of a story earlier this week about an Australian man who was attacked by a salt river crocodile, his friend went to the rescue but shot him instead of the croc!
Now that’s unlucky!
Miles
January 24, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
Miles,
Quite right, guns are dangerous…. therefore we have made a pact to wrestle any rogue crocs with our bare hands….. there, feel any better?
Elsie,
Not sure how to break this to you my dear, but before we head through the college door marked ’sign language’, we must deviate towards ’salt river croc encounters’…… I’ll say this for him, he’s thorough
Cid
January 25, 2008 @ 8:04 am
Cid,
When you have finished, I’ll have the handbag.
I am not sure that I can cope. You must be made of sterner stuff. I’ll signal you when the croc appears
Elsie
January 25, 2008 @ 8:53 am
Elsie,
Between you and me, I think Miles is losing it a bit…. for one thing he’s convinced Chambers Wood is inhabited by reptiles, and for another he hasn’t even mentioned the en croute possibilities should we encounter one.
Cid
January 25, 2008 @ 6:28 pm