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| A young foal and its mother nearby |
Immersing oneself in the austere and dramatic beauty of the Welsh countryside can have a profound effect on people. For many, a strenuous hike across the verdant mountains here will bring a chance to reflect on what's really important and perhaps offer a new sense of perspective on our daily troubles. For our Prime Minister, however, it brought about a decision to call a snap General Election. Yes, you can blame Wales for that too.
But this post isn't about the General Election, you may be relieved to discover. It's about the Welsh countryside.
The view from the window here as I look out is of the hills northwards across the winding Dyfi river. They recede into the distance, and today the mist hangs low over them. They slope sharply down to the river, partly covered in conifers and partly sheep pasture, but young broadleaved trees are in the near distance, framing the view and coming quietly into verdant leaf.
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There are pockets of ancient woodland around Wales. I attended a fascinating talk by Adam Thorogood of the Woodland Trust on Wednesday. His job is to locate woodlands which he suspects are (or were) ancient and sweet-talk the landowner into letting him do a survey for them, which will suggest ways of managing the woodland to help restore it.
Ancient in this context means covered in trees since at least 1600 when decent maps start to become available. It doesn't mean untouched as human activity reaches everywhere, so the phrase “ancient semi-natural” is used. They are precious because of the unique wildlife habitats, flora and fauna, that they offer, as well as the trees themselves of course.
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Wales' Ancient Woodlands Inventory from 2011 is available online here to browse to your heart's content. It shows that part of my land contains ancient woodland, that on the slope down from the road, but not apparently the big trees that line the river.
I've also been delving into old tithe maps from the 1850's which have now been digitised and are available on the National Library of Wales site here (http://cynefin.archiveswales.org.uk/). There are no trees indicated for my land or the surrounding area on these maps. But I have learned that it was owned by a Thomas Hartley Esq as part of a larger land parcel, and that Mr Ellis Williams who lived in the house up the road and presumably farmed the land had to pay 13 shillings a year to the Rector. Glad I don't have to do that!
But this post isn't about the General Election, you may be relieved to discover. It's about the Welsh countryside.
The view from the window here as I look out is of the hills northwards across the winding Dyfi river. They recede into the distance, and today the mist hangs low over them. They slope sharply down to the river, partly covered in conifers and partly sheep pasture, but young broadleaved trees are in the near distance, framing the view and coming quietly into verdant leaf.
There are pockets of ancient woodland around Wales. I attended a fascinating talk by Adam Thorogood of the Woodland Trust on Wednesday. His job is to locate woodlands which he suspects are (or were) ancient and sweet-talk the landowner into letting him do a survey for them, which will suggest ways of managing the woodland to help restore it.
Ancient in this context means covered in trees since at least 1600 when decent maps start to become available. It doesn't mean untouched as human activity reaches everywhere, so the phrase “ancient semi-natural” is used. They are precious because of the unique wildlife habitats, flora and fauna, that they offer, as well as the trees themselves of course.
Other classifications of ancient woodland are “Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites” (PAWS) where ancient woods have been felled and replanted with timber trees, and “Restored Ancient Woodland Sites” (RAWS) which are PAWS that have or are being sensitively restored. It is mainly these types of woodlands that Adam Thorogood is surveying.
Wales' Ancient Woodlands Inventory from 2011 is available online here to browse to your heart's content. It shows that part of my land contains ancient woodland, that on the slope down from the road, but not apparently the big trees that line the river.
I've also been delving into old tithe maps from the 1850's which have now been digitised and are available on the National Library of Wales site here (http://cynefin.archiveswales.org.uk/). There are no trees indicated for my land or the surrounding area on these maps. But I have learned that it was owned by a Thomas Hartley Esq as part of a larger land parcel, and that Mr Ellis Williams who lived in the house up the road and presumably farmed the land had to pay 13 shillings a year to the Rector. Glad I don't have to do that!
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