It was loosing Valley View that was the immediate spur to find me asking the farmer, would you be interested in selling any land, like that near my wood? I asked in December, after a year of regret and short temper. He came back to me in January, with a surprising yes. Capital was hard to come by, his father old, his fathers Georgian farm house crumbling, captial would be useful. It seemed we both came together at a beneficial time for each other.
The Valley View dream was community living, 5 acres of land facing south valley, with bungalow, outbuildings and all abutting my wood, offered potential as well as potentially a school and expansion of Kinda. This land dream was a woodland and potentially woodland burial project for economic sustainability as well as – a death community!
Due to the need to order seed for that year, the farmer said he needed a swift decision. The first week the idea sat with me, alone. The need for woodland burial as a critical need diminished, and the thought of just woodland, a kind of legacy, settled. I looked at a map and saw from Holton Hall Park 70 acres, my wood, this field, linked on to Holton Pits, and the Blyth valley was a natural green corridor.
I walked the field one dull January day.
On the face of it, it was a ‘boring’ piece of land, with little interesting hedge, relatively flat, no Dorset slope although a little lilt, last years monoculture of barley coming through. Yes, it had a lilt, and walking up the small hill to the top north corner, turning south feeling the winter sun, I saw the view across the valley. I felt excited.
The second week I opened out the idea, asking people for advice. The first was Alan, an ex planning officer, immediately keen on the wooodland burial idea and concentrated on this – the need to research further, entrance would need to be enlarged, a new foot path down, the track improved. etc.
I walked with Alan Barham, the farmer, to explore the boundary, hear about the land.
I spoke with Jonathan, a land estate agent.
A few conversations with Michael. At first he was disappointed. It meant we would not develop the barn, a joint project to our benefit, a place for us to live looking south. A home with a spare room. Then one evening he said. ‘I know how I could be involved. I could be involved in the Woodland Burial project’. Indeed for over 10 years he was a celebrant and he was simulated by the comforting of people. A wave of gratitude came over me, to feel his love and support was magic.
Finally I met with Paul.
‘You are a sweet connection to Martin and Wakelyns, an inspiration to me, leading from Metfield Stores to this wood, and potential this land’
‘An inspiration to us all’, he laughed. ‘I thought I knew all there was about farming until I met him’, Paul qualified.
It’s a bit boring’, he began as we walked down the track. Ah, he said, a view, now I see where I am. Good to have a view.’
We turned north to walk up the lilt. Paul picked up the soil. ‘Good soil, well drained, it will be forever hungry. Wonderful!’, he said. I asked what hungry meant. It does not naturally mineralise – you’d need added nutrients if you were to grow carrots for example. But for you, it means not too many nasties. Few brambles – see how few in the hedgerow. I almost feel jealous!
Like …, Paul sees the history in the land, spotted the low of the lilt, suggesting may be an old drain here. He was right as I looked at some old maps,
Finally some photographs of points of inspiration collecting in this basket.
Kaliwood 