11/23/2023 0 Comments The mighty oak doom![]() ![]() I have been surprised by how many fallen acorns and sweet chestnuts with their green spiky cases have littered the tracks, adding an extra dimension to the soundtrack of my walk. Even if only momentarily, the cares of the world seem a million miles away. The wind’s soft summer susurration has given way to a more sinister whistle and the deciduous leaves, forming a thick carpet which increases in depth and composition by the day, rustle and crackle under my feet. While the display of rhododendrons in springtime is spectacular, my favourite season is autumn with its vivid palette of colours, a mix of vibrant golds, rusts, browns, reds, and greens. ![]() “An oak will not start to produce acorns until it is around 50 years old and, over the span of its lifetime, will produce around ten million of them” Its dense pine woods make it eerily atmospheric, perfect for attracting film crews who nervously protect their elaborately designed sets from the unwary boots of walkers. Used by the military for training exercises, more so now as even their ability to travel has been restricted, the sylvan calm can be punctured by the popping of gunfire, the sight of camouflaged soldiers and urgent exhortations to get out of the way. Large enough to allow an escape from the madding crowd, it does present some surprises. Part owned by the Ministry of Defence and the local council, it is a mix of pine, oak, and sweet horse chestnut, interspersed with a carpet of bracken and heathland gorse and an avenue of rhododendrons. My quest for daily exercise has taken me to the extensive woodlands just a stone’s throw from my house. Over the last year I have taken the opportunity to discover the attractions of my local area, shamefully neglected as hitherto I had been all too ready to answer the siren call of far-off, exotic lands. Martin Fone looks at the phenomenon of the 'mast year'. It's not your imagination: there really were far more acorns on the ground than usual this autumn. Country Life's Top 100 architects, builders, designers and gardeners.
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