Environmental author, broadcaster and founder of sustainability consultancy Beyond Green Joanna Yarrow writes about the picturesque Wilderness Wood.
I grew up in Wilderness Wood – 60 acres of mixed woodland in the Sussex Weald. While other kids were getting to grips with the first generation of computer games and watching TV soaps, my friends and I were devising outdoor action adventures and getting deliciously muddy.
I didn’t always appreciate living the ‘Good Life’ 24/7 – I secretly coveted my friends’ TVs and junk food, and would have enjoyed a lot more shopping! But I could build a fine shelter in minutes, knocked up perfectly edible campfire feasts, and thrashed my peers in cross-country races on legs strong from endless rambles.
When school groups visited the wood from London I was impressed by their fashionable clothes, but shocked to see older children squeal with excitement the first time they jumped on springy pine needles or splashed through muddy puddles. I suddenly realised that perhaps there was something a bit special here. My outdoor childhood had a profound effect on me. It developed into a strong passion for the natural world that has driven my career as an environmental consultant, broadcaster and writer. And while I love city life, I seek out time outdoors every day – even if just planting out some seedlings on a windowsill.
An excursion into the great outdoors – whether a quick stroll in the park, a farm visit, a nature ramble or a mountain mission – puts you in your place. It reminds you you’re part of a very big and wonderful system. Away from gadgets and gizmos, it shows you all the amazing tricks and treats it’s been up to while you were inside. It lets you stretch your legs, breathe fresh air, see the bigger picture and enjoy being human.
Sadly our increasingly urban and hurly burly lifestyles often don’t include much time outdoors. We’ve become isolated from the natural world. ‘The environment’ is something we learn about, but it can often seem distant, remote and alien.
So I’m very excited to be taking over Wilderness Wood from my parents, and continuing their legacy in making this special piece of Sussex somewhere people can enjoy the outdoors. Visitors can walk around woodland trails, building up an appetite for locally grown refreshments served in the barn. Kids can let off steam in the play area built entirely of wood grown on site, and learn to build camps and fend for themselves on a Castaway or Survive in the Wild activity session. Their younger siblings can explore the wood on bug hunts or teddy bears’ picnics, make fairy gardens or chase woodland monsters. Adventurous types can camp out under the stars in woodland huts and glades. And throughout the year seasonal events including Easter bunny hunts, bluebell walks, fungus courses, chestnut celebrations and dig your own Christmas trees mean there’s always a new way of enjoying the wood.
Do come down to the woods someday soon. And meanwhile, get outside!
