Thursday Doors – Forest Walk

Some of you might recognize which forest we are walking through for this week’s Thursday Doors, as I’ve featured it in the past. Trees are so beautiful, at any time of year, even when they are covered by moss, lichen or ivy. On the way to this forest I managed to capture a few doors. Although the house in the next image looks like I pasted it into the shot, I can assure you that’s exactly how it looked as we drove by. The red door stood out to me, even at a distance, and the house has a freshly painted look to it, from what I can see.

Unlike the previous house, these next buildings are being taken over by nature. When I look at them I can see the potential for a cosy cottage, with a workshop for Mr. R. and a writer’s den for me.

This old gate is a good place to display all of those children’s items that get left behind after a family hike. The black glove seems to be pointing the way for us.

That looks an interesting path to follow but I think we should stick to the main route for now.

Just look at that feathery moss draped around the foot of those trees.

There’s a carpet of it in the most shaded areas.

Some trees are smothered with ivy, the same type that was growing on the rear of our house when we bought it. The back door was completely hidden behind a curtain of the stuff.

Even the stone walls can’t escape. Is anyone else reminded of the scene in the movie Labyrinth, with the ivy vines on the old stone walls?

However, I much prefer to see the bark of a tree, they are all so different, ranging in colour from beige to dark brown.

Spring plants adding a dash of colour. I think this one is called Coltsfoot

At last, we’ve reached our destination. Those gates are definitely telling us something. I guess we shouldn’t follow those tractor tracks. Have you guessed where we are yet? The next image is a big hint.

Yes, it’s Castle Saunderson. One of my favourite places to go for a walk and gather wild garlic and elderflowers.

Sorry for the glare, the sun was behind the castle.

Here’s a video I took from inside the old yew tree grove next to the castle.

Many thanks for keeping me company on this walk through the forest and if you would like to carry on exploring, Dan has lots of interesting links to a wide variety of Thursday Doors over on his blog.