The Green Man of the Woods

We've been here before  - Sugar Loaf  (Mynydd Pen-y-Fal) near Abergavenny that is.

The southernmost peak of the Black Mountains it's just shy of 2000 ft but we cheated by starting from the car park which is about half way up!







We chose a different way up from the last time though oak woodland and along the stream. It's been a bit wet over the last week or two and the watercourses and springs were busy relocating the water from the hill stops to the rivers in the valley bottoms.

The car park was busy but the woods were quiet - almost supernaturally so. There was no wind so other than the noises of the water rushing down the hill there was no sound - not even birds, and the stillness was absolute. It would be hard not to believe in the fairy folk in such a setting.

Close to the tree line the oaks were stunted and twisted into fabulous shapes. Many of the trees had faces  - here are just a few.

OK this one is lichen but the green man it definitely is!

More of a gargoyle than a green man perhaps  but the way he was waving his stick at us made us disinclined to linger too long.

Finally I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of the purple alder catkins that lined the stream









And yes I did make it to the top - It was a hard slog but the views were worth it; even if the ravens at the peak were camera shy!

The Power of Nature

We have had ample demonstrations recently of the power of nature, the tsunami in Japan and the on going earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealad are but two of them.

I have had a reminder this week that nature also shows its  strength in quieter less dramatic ways but no less awe inspiring for that.

This was taken in an area of woodland  in which were former mines in Lydney close to the Forest of Dean. In a few more years much of the workings will be completely hidden by vegetation.

An even more dramatic example here. Taken nearby in an area that was heavily quarried  this old yew tree has actually split the rock as it grows through the obstruction.

Another picture of the same tree showing the sheer size of it. The roots are out of the shot on the left on the other side of the rock pillar.

It must have been growing prior to the quarrying as all the surrounding stone has been removed but the quarry workers allowed this to remain.