Out in the Northumbrian Sticks

looking at a heavily forest area or fields of wheat, people tend to think of a monoculture, lacking in large varieties of species, in fact a bee keeper once said to me that there would be not enough flowers to support a colony of bees within a forested area. The truth is if you take the time to look closely, we have a huge variety of wild flowers growing within a recently felled area, this is because no fertiliser or pesticides have been placed on the land. As far as the bees are concerned, there is tree pollen from conifers and from acers (sycamore) and a continual supply of the wild flowers growing throughout spring, summer and autumn. Above: foxgloves, several varieties of orchids, hawk-weed, two varieties of thistle and vetch. (not shown: purple and white clover, dandelion and buttercups to name but a few) 

Cow Parsley, common along the verges and roadsides of Britain. Classed as a weed, but in close up quite a delicate flower, even comes in white and pink. BEWARE: another plant often grown alongside is deadly poison named Hemlock. It’s believed to have killed Socrates. Stay clear unless you know the difference.

“Little green bird”. People sometimes ask me what a particular bird is, based on colour and size. This is a male Siskin. Its smaller than a sparrow, about the size of Blue Tit. Its a finch. They mainly inhabit conifer forests, rarely seen in cities but common out here in Kielder. This one will be taking food back to its chicks.

The scenery en route through the forest to Roughside.

Enjoying a drink round the camp fire, the lights in the bothy are candles and camping lights (no electric here)

After the half mile walk through the trees, the hole at the end opens up to reveal Roughside Bothy, a place to stay for the weary traveller. It now has a toilet facility, working fireplace and sleeping platforms.

The inside of Roughside Bothy, as it currently is, being brought back up to standard. Tony Davies from Sheffield building new sleeping platforms and refurbishing a window. The wall pictured covered in graffiti shows the type of abuse this bothy has suffered. All will be refurbished. Stay tuned for updates!

Here we have a team of volunteers doing the hard manual work needed to bring this bothy (Roughside in Kielder Forest) up to standard, as it has been abused by people and was no longer fit for purpose.

Bothys, for those who don’t know, are basic shelters out in the remote countryside. Most of them are in Scotland, with about a dozen in the North of England. Most of them were derelict hill farms and shelters. They have now been taken over by the Mountain Bothy Association to provide a place of shelter, somewhere to sleep, for those out walking in remote parts of the country. They are open to all, not locked. For more information see the Mountain Bothy Association website.

The same piece of forest being felled with technology. A ‘Timberjack’ Which fells and logs to set lengths all within two minutes per tree. These are Sitka Spruce, about 32 years old, most of them will go to making chip board, flooring and worktops at the Eggar factory in Hexham.

Video to follow shows same patch of trees being felled using modern technology- a timber jack which strips the tree of branches, logs the tree into set lengths, all within two minutes.