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The Forest Folklore Trail was devised to run throughout June, but was so popular we extended it throughout July and August too.

We were amazed and pleased at the response we had.  We are glad the folklore of woodlands inspired so many people to create some fantastic poetry and art.

Below are some of the many many entries to the poetry competition, from poets young and old, along with some images from the Trail.

YOUNGER CHILDREN (2-6)

OLDER CHILDREN (7-16)

ADULTS

Remy Crabb    

Aged 2 (dictated to mum)

Butterflies, butterflies,

Going the wrong way

And bump!

Flying, flying away

Up high

And that’s how they goes.

Fairies, Fairies

Find them in the wood,

Whose the fairies

Hiding in the wood.

Now the fairies are sleeping

Shush, shush, shush

Rebecca Hamilton

Aged 7

Once upon a time many years ago a girl afooted

To a wood and there she met her sorrow

A naughty elf came that way, came that way, came that way

A naughty elf came in the day of sorrow.

He tricked her to take a different path

So then she was lost.

Until with a shimmering shock,

She found herself not lost

But just before she left

She  saw a spark,

And a giggly laugh in the day of sorrow.

R L Hurst

Once upon a time in the deep dark wood

Samuel went where no one should.

He walked until he met the great old oak

Stunned by its size and amazed when it spoke.

“This is my wood kingdom, are you taking care?”

Samuel shuddered, he wanted, his mummy there.

“I’m keeping to the paths, and doing what I should”.

The kind old oak smiled and said “Good,

If you walk onwards and stay on the right path

You’ll have a life full of wonder and make people laugh.”

So Samuel ran off and followed the path to the end,

Running on the straight bits and careful round the bend.

By the time he reached the barn he looked very pale,

But shouted to his mum and dad

“That was the best ever Wilderness Trail!”

Emily     

Aged 4  (dictated to mum)

“We did the fairy home”

Fairy home.

Fairy home

We didn’t do nothing there,

Um.

Making a fairy,

And your tree fall,

In the water,

But we didn’t see a bear.

And the goblin brushed my hair.

Mike Bushell

“Wilderness Fairies, Moss and Us”.

A Dragonfly I could not see

And so I knelt down on one knee

And pulled a thistle from the ground

To weave within my web.

Then following down the leafy glen

Through Holly bush and wispy fern

We came upon a clearing bright

And photographed the scene.

We stood and wondered, captured sounds

Of children scampering o’er the grounds

When unexpected up on high

We spied red berries in the sky

And wandered off once more.

A few steps further, to the right

Our eyes beheld an eerie sight

A wooden block carved in the ground

A woman-man, once green is found

Is Puck still lingering here?

Onward trekked the intrepid four

As rain was pounding on the floor

A tractor and a smiling man

Confirmed the morning we had planned

Of warmth and peace and muddy boots.

Passed Oak and birch and “clipping” men

The four are now reduced to one

A broom for love and then romance

A goblin-house we found by chance

“Use your imagination...life’s sad without it”

The sun breaks through a clearing wide

With trees cut down on either side

The four once more, now spread right out

“It’s charcoal, Luke” I heard Nan shout.

Well spotted for an oldie.

Fairyland beckons, we should keep quiet

For any noise will lead to flight,

Their houses empty on the ground.

No fairy folk in here are found.

Too much chatter I think.

We stop and build another house

It’s gone all quiet, I hear no mouse,

Mum and son are working hard

With Nanny finding ferns and leaves

We hope they’re happy in their home.

A wooden bridge, cross dried-up stream

With moss abundant on tree trunks

More bridges, streams, these fairies work

They can’t have time to dream

We do it for them.

Robin, Marian, Herne and Puck

And Rudyard Kipling with any luck

Have passed through these woods now and then

And always will

Just imagine.

Jodie Lawson

Aged 7

In the woods I saw a tree

I looked at it, it looked at me.

Then I saw it had some eyes

All its friends were the butterflies.

Then I saw something in the tree

It looked like a fairy to me.

Fred

Aged 5.         

Dictated to daddy

First we went to the pond,

And looked at some creatures,

Secondly, we made a dream catcher,

And hung it on the tree.

Next we enjoyed making our

Fairy shelter.

On a mossy bank

The Chestnut cases were prickly

When I picked them up.

I enjoyed doing the trail

I learnt a lot of new things.

Ellen Mary Cooker

Aged 7

“The Woods”

Going to the woods, finding nuts

Going to the woods making huts,

Going to the woods looking at leaves,

Going to the woods finding different trees,

Going to the woods going down the side,

Going to the woods making hides,

Going to the woods looking at flowers

Going to the woods but mind the showers!

Mia Aged 5, Molly Aged 4,

Caro Aged 4, Harry Aged 5,

Sophia Aged 3.

We went for a walk

And had a talk.

We had lots of fun.

Because of our tum.

We saw lots of fairies,

It was so scary.

We walked in the trees

And walked in the leaves.

We ran very fast

So no one went past.

We hid in the wood

Because it was good.

We made a fairy den

We will come back again.

Rachel Jung

Aged 8

“Red Rubies”

Red are ladybirds and holly berries too,

Umbrella mushrooms, shiny’ bright and new.

Butterflies so rainbow-like swarm round foxglove mouths.

Yellow dainty primroses

Are sniffed by one tufty mouse.

Zara Green

I can see the muddy path invading the

Beautiful plants.

I can smell fire flaming wood,

I can hear small birds singing,

I can taste the gorgeous blackberries,

I can feel the roughness of the stick

I am carrying.

Mia

Aged 9

A day in the woods with nora and mummy

It was both magical and a little bit funny

I saw a green man and made a very good camp

We would like to come back at night with a lamp

At night our dreams would be protected with   the catcher we hung from the

Branches that projected.

Isobel

Aged 5

It’s grate, it’s fun

The things we’ve dun

And wilderness woods

Has been so good.

Isobel Colman

Aged 9.

“Spirits of the open “

Mossy ground,

Pale green leaves,

Little conker pom-poms,

Sharp blackberries,

Breezes

Warm Pine air,

Scattered leaves,

Grass tufts on earth

Shadows of the trees on the sunlit path.

Alexandir Sen

These trees,

Our first house.

This canopy,

Our first roof.

Living walls

Whose protection

Comes form connection,

Not separation.

Toby Anscombe   

Aged 6

The beautiful trees and and amazing                     

Places and building enchanted

Shelters.

Honey bees buzzing

Ants creeping,

Beetles peeping,

Flies fluttering.

Fairies talking and chattering.

Olivia Wells 

Aged 9

Fairies, spirits and sprites feed,

As myths and legends flow through these trees,

From Fairies to elves, magic and wonderous

From ogre to spirit angry and thunderous.

Trees whisper from ear to ear,

Hoping the naughty goblins will never hear.

All this wood is full of magic and glee,

So the one who has most enjoyed it,

Is definitely me!

Family Albers. The Netherlands.

“The English Woodlands.”

House of many animals

Large and small

Living amongst the trees

Always different, always the same

A place of calm and quiet

Away from Mankind

Their sorrows, their impatience

Where the fairies of the wood

Will protect you.

George Mc Ilvenny

Aged 9

“The eyes of the wood”

The grass wet as dew sticks to it like a magnet

The rustling of the trees as if a monster is shaking them

The twigs snapping like eggs being opened,

The dots of light beneath us as if there is yellow paint splodged all around.

The lovely scent of camp fires that bring flavour to the air.

My journey through the woods is nearly at an end.

I have been a builder, an artist, a poet and an explorer,

I wonder what I will see and who I will be next time!

Carole-Ann Goodwin

“Nature at Play.”

The sunlight twists and turns though the trail

Hoping to trick the shady places hidden in the woods

It finds an open spot, lingering to dance and play

Creating dappled shapes before moving on swiftly

To catch the wind.

Taking up the challenge, the summer breeze tiptoes

Gently through the ferns before rippling softly

On the small babbling stream.

The trees rustle their woody, sighing approval

As the woodpeckers tease the insects from

Their bark with their strong beaks.

Silvery laughter is heard in the distance -

Fairies or children - as the butterflies flit

From plant to flower.

Time to play, time to dance, to make the

Most of the day before the dark creeps in.

Finnley Frost            

Aged 6 

“Acrostic poem"

Where am I?

I do not know

Lets find out

Do we have map

We will do a poem

On the walk we did a poem

Once we made a camp

Does the fun have to end?

So when will we come again?

Jodie Jessica Green

Aged 9

Wilderness Wood is adventurous

It is as peaceful as an old church,

Lovely calm birds cheeping

Deer coming out when no one is here

Extra quiet to hear little sounds

Red, blue and pretty yellow flowers

Nothing to miss when I walk through

Even my Dads woods not moaning

Small trees and massive trees

Streams trickling gently across the wood.

Helen    

Aged 6  

In the forest sounds you hear,

Like the little fairies fear

In the wind leaves will rustle,

Away from all the hustle and bustle,

In the wood the oak stands proud,

Looking down at all the land.

Poems by Harry & Caitlin Duffy and

Sam & Isobel Lobo

When I rest at night.

I know there will be a fright

The dream-catcher stands by my bed

Protecting my dreaming head.

Floating fairies follow my footsteps

Guiding me into the wood’s hidden depths

Sheltering all the fairies so it isn’t very scary

But how I hate thy human stamping on  

My owl was so fantastic,

My clay was so elastic,

We placed it in a tree,

For everyone to see.

The gnome needed a home,

 So we made him a dome.

We gave him a seat and somewhere to eat

And now his life is complete.

Now we’ve written a poem for you to read,

With all the adventures which we seed.

Now it’s time to go and play,

So goodbye for today.

Hayley Maslin  

Aged 16

“Summer Day”

Tip tap, tip tap my feet go

Looking around it’s like a show

Brightening colour mostly green and brown

Really can cheer you up when you are down

From the leaves at the top to the moss below

Must be some work for someone to mow

The breeze softly tickles my flushed face

What a beautiful and fascinating place

Tweet tweet the birds cheerfully sing

What wonderful memories this place brings

Tip tap, tip tap my feet go

I will return to this place

I know.

Amelie Rimer

Aged 6

"The Old Oak Tree"

The old oak tree

Swaying in the wind

Swish, swosh, swish, swosh,

Woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh,

Old oak tree wooshing in the wood.

Sebastian

Aged 6

“Tree”

Once a tree fell

Down and it landed

On a log and it went

Krack.

Emily Hague, Lottie Carding, Alina Wiltshire, Hannah Carding. All aged 10

“A sense of nature”

I hear the rustle of leaves,

I see emerald fingers reaching into the blue,

I smell the sweetness of fresh air

I feel the rough bark on the tree.

I taste Nature as it really is.

Maia Mawa 

Aged 6

I feel icsited I feel scared

I lisen too the trees crunching,

I lisen too the trees blow.

I see the flowers blooming

I see the leaves blowing.

Alexander Stevens      

Aged 11

“A journey through the forest”.

Winding around the ancient trees

There is a rocky and brown track

Covered with sticks and grass and leaves

And a pool of mud, all wet and black.

The air is silent, there is not a sound.

You could hear a fly’s foot fall

And then, there is the rustling of a Deer,

But it is not there at all.

Ivy and brambles crawl up the trees

And leaves flutter to the floor,

Flocks of birds fly through the sky.

Along with a raven’s “caw”.

I can feel the eyes of the fairies

Staring right at me

And I think I saw a grumpy gnome

Who is a tall as my knee.

The forest is rather calming

And I feel only peace

And I see a tree spirit on an Oak

And it looks like an un-tamed beast.

My journey now is at an end

And I’ve enjoyed it as I should

I really have loved my day out

At magical Wilderness Wood.

The Tester Family

The Tester Family went out one day

Off to a forest so far away.

Wilderness Wood was where we went

And what a lovely day we spent!

Walking the trails looking for things

Wondering what nature would bring

Then we arrived at a camp and fire

Which we were thinking we would love to hire.

So off we went with great delight to ask the man if

We could stay the night.

So here my story ends for now, we’ll up

Our blog and tell you how.

So our adventure went in the wood

It will be fun, at least it should!

Maya

Aged 6, with mother

On Sunday -  a fun day

Rainy yesterday, today is a sunny day,

A squelchy scrunchy muddy day,

Crunching through the wood chips day.

Boots walking, boots talking

Through the woods where the tree

spirits are hiding

Sleepy fairies snoozing

On soft mossy mounds

First we got lost then we were found.