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BB2022
: My Secret Wood
Wednesday
24th June 2020
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I
knew that Stephen had a thing
about Doris Day. Indeed
it was he who was indirectly
the inspiration for BB1228
Whip Crack-away.
So it was not a surprise
to hear him humming the tune
to Secret
Love.
We
were on our way from Levens
to Helsington Church, the one
on the top of the hill that
has the superb panoramic view
of the Lakeland Fells. On
a good day. Which it wasn't.
But at least it had stopped
raining.
At
the start of the climb Stephen
said "No let's not go that
way" and he started singing.
"Once I had a secret
love."
"Aye
aye," I thought. A
bit of gossip coming. "What
secret love?" I asked.
"Wash
your ears out," he said.
" A Secret WOOD. I
am going to take you to MY secret
wood."
So
he did.
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It
is to be found on a route up the hill that
neither Stan nor I knew existed. There
was a path through the trees. After a couple
of hundred yards into the Secret Wood Stephen
stopped and said that now he was going to
take us to his Secret Pond. He led
us down a little side track where, after
a short while, there was a wicker screen
and on the other side of the screen, a secret
pond. Unfortunately it was rather
dry and overgrown so if there were any wild
life to be seen we didn't wait long enough
to see it.
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We
returned to the path. Stephen told us he
now had an even bigger surprise for us,
his Secret Tree. Again he led us off
on a minor trail, uphill this time, to find
a yew tree that had a huge girth. I
have seen yew trees that are claimed to
be over 1,000 years old and this was as
broad as any of them. Yet this
one is secret.
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At
the far end of the Secret Wood we emerged
onto the familiar track up from Sizergh
Castle and continued along to the Church.
Sadly we were unable to view the Marion de Saumerez
mural,
thanks to the C19 lockdown of churches.
We
could see the estuary.....
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.....
and the lakeland hills had cleared a little.
We continued along the scars to the
cairn that looks down to Barrowfield Farm
and had lunch.....
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.....before
taking the steep path down to the farm and
turning back towards Levens. Immediately
we had another wood to pass through but
this one was no secret; indeed it is quite
familiar to us. Eventually it emerges
onto a farm track and then onto the steep
and winding Brigsteer Road. On its
other side is a bridle path which led us
back up the hill, beyond the church, only
to drop down again into the village (Levens)
and back to Stephen's house.
As
I drove away, I could hear him singing from
his heart at his open door "Now my
Secret Wood's no secret anymore."
Don,
Thursday 2nd July 2020
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