Savernake Forest
I just posted about Giles Wood, a new forest on the Kennet & Avon Canal. Savernake Forest, however, is definitely not new. There is mention of the forest before the Norman Conquest, and several of the trees are considered ancient, meaning they’re a thousand years old. The present-day forest is actually a remnant of the primeval forests that covered England.
What remains is 4,500 acres/7 sq mi/18 sq km and you will find it to the north of the canal east of Pewsey and west of Hungerford. It’s open year round and free to visit with many walking trails, picnic areas, parking and public toilets (open from Easter to October). You can also camp in the forest at Postern Hill Campsite. There are toilets and running water, but no showers or electricity.
Not surprisingly given its long history, the forest is a bit of a hodgepodge, thanks to it having been a royal park, regularly harvested by the crown for oak and the efforts of famed landscape gardener Lancelot “Capability” Brown. There’s a Grand Avenue created by Brown that transects the forest from northwest to southeast and eight roads or paths intersect in the heart of the forest. There are even Roman roads through the forest but I don’t think they are recognizable as such.
The forest was managed by a series of ancestral wardens that included the Seymour family. It is said (make of it what you will) that Jane Seymour caught the eye of Henry VIII in the forest. Grand Avenue actually ends at Tottenham House, the house that replaced Wolf Hall, the Seymour home that gave its name to Hilary Mantel’s novel about Thomas Cromwell, the ill-fated adviser to Henry VIII. I’m not sure if there’s still access to Tottenham House, which was recently purchased to become a private home.
In nearby Great Bedwyn, which would have been in the Savernake Forest, you can find St. Mary’s Church and the tomb of Sir John Seymour, Jane Seymour’s father.
Miraculously some ancient oaks have survived to this day in the forest and can be seen, although most require detective work to find. Google Maps has a few of these oaks marked, including Cathedral Oak, Big Belly Oak and King of Limbs.