Category Archives: The Beechwoods

The Beechwoods is a rare piece of mature beech woodland on the southern outskirts of Cambridge. It is a vantage point from which to observe and reflect on the seemingly inexorable expansion of the high-tech City.

Beechwoods Year End

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Brian

This strange, minimalist barrier to driving onto the field is not part of the Beechwoods, but standing opposite the entrance it has become inextricably associated with the woods in my mind.  I see an enigmatic abstract sculpture.   In the … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods Walk

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Brian

Walked from Like Kiln Hill to the Beechwoods this morning looking for landscape setting views of the woods for the ongoing project.  I’m doing this in monochrome on film, but I liked the colours of the pre-sunrise sky looking north. … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods Contrasts

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Brian

Since I started posting Beechwood pictures in July the woods have transitioned from a dense green summer canopy through a vibrant palette of autumn red and gold to the bare grey trunks of winter now.  Recently processed film recalls the … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods Chill

Posted on December 3, 2016 by Brian

Today the Beechwoods looked dour in the grey light of a chill December morning.  The birds were silent, as if weighed down by the leaden sky, only a wren sang bravely with its disproportionate song before disappearing into the ivy.  … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods Mellowed

Posted on November 26, 2016 by Brian

Last week the Beechwoods were gilded by autumn sun.  Today the mist mellowed the woods; and only water dripping from the trees broke the silence. Photos: Beechwoods, Cambs, November 2016  

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Beechwood Colours

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Brian

It has been a glorious year for autumn colours and the trees in the Beechwoods have turned into beacons of flaming gold above a rich russet carpet.  When I visited on the 13th a flock of pigeons broke cover from … Continue reading →

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Beechwood Runes

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Brian

The soft, smooth bark of the beech invites lovers’ sgraffito; the union of minds and bodies is declared under the whispering trees.  Maybe the love will grow and mature with the tree, enduring from decade to decade.  But it’s a … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – maritime

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Brian

My post on 29th July quoted from Robert Macfarlane’s The Wild Places: ‘From a quarter of a mile away, I could hear the noise of the wood in the wind: a soft marine roar.’     On a blustery sunny … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Traces

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Brian

Entering the Beechwoods is to enter a realm of traces, traces in the land, traces on the trees, traces of human hands, traces of the hand of nature.  Traces of the past, traces of the present.  It is in its … Continue reading →

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Beechwoods – Hollow

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Brian

The Wildlife Trust’s description of the Beechwoods claims that ‘Medieval plough terraces are still visible beneath the trees’.  I think they are very difficult to pick out.  Another, more obvious feature is the hollow, clear of trees, at the heart … Continue reading →

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The Beechwoods – ‘The Wild Places’

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Brian

The opening chapter of Robert Macfarlane’s The Wild Places is titled ‘Beechwood.  He starts: The wind was rising, so I went to the wood.  It lies south of the city, a mile from my home: a narrow nameless fragment of … Continue reading →

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Beechwood Discord

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Brian

Birds add natural harmonies to the Beechwoods susurrus of leaves rustling in the breeze.  But another world intrudes: Roar of an accelerating motorbike Car tyres zinging on tarmac Warning siren of an ambulance Drone of an airliner high overhead Continuous … Continue reading →

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Beechwood Harmonies

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Brian

Summer birdsong in the Beechwoods Soft, mellow cooing of wood pigeons Harsh ‘Kreek’ of a startled crow Loud disproportionate trill of a wren A great tit’s insistent ‘teechew-teechew-teechew’ Rough ‘skraak’ of a jay somewhere deep in the woods Raucous, squabbling … Continue reading →

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The Beechwoods

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Brian

The Beechwoods is a rare piece of mature beech woodland on the southern outskirts of Cambridge. It is a vantage point from which to observe and reflect on the seemingly inexorable expansion of the high-tech City.  I’ve begun to photograph … Continue reading →

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