A Host of Robins

words from the wood

Wayland Wood, Norfolk, where the folktale ‘Babes in the Wood’ is thought to be set, 9 November 2024

Hello dear Between the Moons friends.

Here we are poised just before the tipping point of the year, a time when tales are told around many a fireside.

Do you remember me saying that I would like to vary our Between the Moons gatherings by mixing up essays, podcasts, videos and perhaps how-tos and glimpses behind the scenes?

In the spirit of the season, for the December full moon Bracken & Wrack I’m planning a story about the Babes in the Wood. And this gave me an idea. How about a sneak peek at some of the photos from our walk through Wayland Wood, and how about if I were to read my actual notes from the day or two after the visit?

Younger trees near the edge of the wood, 9 November 2024

One or two of the photos and some of the free-writing will no doubt find their way into the article. But it will only be one story among several, so there simply won’t be space for a lot of scene-setting and atmosphere. By contrast, these notes are wholly taken up with conveying the feel of the woodland, since I only allowed myself a couple of quick bursts of writing time (always helpful for casting inhibition aside, I find) and this was as far as I got.

So - as something of an experiment maybe - I’m going to read my notes as they stand. Of course they are just that, notes, and with any luck they’ll be polished and edited into something more coherent when you see the finished piece in the next edition of Bracken & Wrack :-)

Did the Babes lie down under a tree just like this? Wayland Wood, 9 November 2024

I hope you’ll enjoy this introduction to Wayland Wood, and that perhaps you’ll be inspired to visit the wood yourself someday if ever you find yourself close to Watton in Norfolk (Wayland Wood is just outside the town).

Certainly, it’s a place that draws you in and surrounds you with whispered stories as the leaves dance, shiver, fall and crackle underfoot.

Deep in the wood, several of the trees have twisted themselves into weird shapes. 9 November 2024