Forest of Dean

Pulling up to the forest you can smell the recently cut wood and breathe in the fresh air. We are going on a two hour walk to see the sculptures that are situated around the forest and read about what they represent. Paul and I aren’t really arty people but we enjoyed reading about the sculptures and getting out for a walk, even if it did start to snow. So even if you aren’t really into art and all the airy fairy stuff that goes along with it, you can still enjoy a nice walk. After finishing the walk we had lunch back in the travelling house which consisted of leftover risotto in a sandwich, yum! Next stop, Stratford-upon-avon.

 

 

Paul standing next to the sculpture known as 'Place'. The book states: You will first glimpse this gigantic chair as you leave Beechenhurst to walk the trail. An iconic work, its strength is as much covered with its position overlooking the landscape as it is to its formal structure.

This piece of work is called Iron Road - Twenty carved jarrah wood railway sleepers remind us of the train line that used to run through the forest carrying coal and iron. Each sleeper illustrates an aspect of the forest from smelting to writing, charcoal to hunting.

This piece is called Raw - An entire Oak tree planted in the 1800s, to provide timber for war ships and felled to reveal a glade in the woodland, exposing the floor to the sky. The entire tree reconstituted as a sculpture, constructed of cubes of timber, using as much of the tree as possible.

Ash on top of the sculpture known as Observation - A staircase to transport you up into the canopy of the trees and observe the pond below and the surrounding woodland. With a secret space under the stairs to escape to, to sit down in and wonder about the world.

Cathedral - As you walk along the avenue of trees approaching 'Cathedral' you are reminded of the aisles in a cathedral and the experience of awe that such gigantic architecture evokes. But instead of religious imagery, you see the life of the forest in brightly coloured glass.

Paul on 'Melissa's swing' - An engaging work that plays on the familiarity of hanging swings from trees, adding a further dimension by creating a sound as you swing and look up into the canopy.