We LOVE trees! And as part of the Greener Camping Club, we receive a new sapling of a native UK tree for every new member who signs up. Here is Matt planting some of last year's saplings, which have overwintered on our patio, and are ready to go into the lovely damp soft ground. These ones are going into the bank by Thistle Yurt.
Teal, the labrador, races Blue, the collie, at a weave, supervised by the cat......... (we can't do anything on-site, out of season, without a gang of pets 'helping' us).
As well as accommodating so much wildlife, trees are fantastic for producing pollen and offsetting our carbon, as well as sheltering some of our pitches, providing privacy whilst framing the views.
On site we also have a 25 year old established amenity woodland "Granny's Wood", full of sweet chestnuts, larch, ash, beech and willow - a private and safe spot for dog-walking, shelter-building, or just sitting and enjoying birdsong. One of our campers built an amazing shelter last year which is still standing - see pictures.
We are mindful of nature in all of our grounds maintenance, leaving areas truly wild around the site, where appropriate. The rewards for this are abundant blossom in the spring, wildflowers through spring and summer, and a great harvest of hedge-foraged berries in the autumn (always leaving plenty for the wildlife).
If bigger woods are your bag, there are 3 fantastic forests (all flowing into each other) within 5 minutes' drive (Toch, Minwear and Canaston Woods) - you can even walk from the site to them all if you are feeling energetic. If you prefer a more curated look, we have Picton Castle Gardens and Woodland 5 minute's drive away, and Colby Woodland Gardens (National Trust) 25 minute's drive away.
Here's a picture of one of Caroline's favourite beech trees in Toch Woods - a true giant of a tree, dark and brooding, with a wide canopy, and the floor carpeted in the bronze hue of shed leaves.
