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Taking My Dog
ON A FOREST HOLIDAY By Natasha Blair from
had always thought
Silver Travel Advisor
of fungi as soft and moist but in reality
How glad I was that I
over time they can
didn’t allow my initial
become hard. It
feelings of trepidation
certainly taught
to influence my stay with
me what to look
Forest Holidays. Being
for in the future.
a townie, and despite
Thankfully dogs
having a dog, I had never
know not to eat
considered taking a holiday
mushrooms. We
in the middle of a forest.
also looked at trees,
Poppy, my Coton du Tulear
crayoning pieces of
and I had an unexpected,
paper on their barks
wonderful, relaxing time.
to make patterns,
Forest Holidays are spread
and were told how
throughout the country and I chose the one nearest to London, at Blackwood Forest in Hampshire. A big added bonus to this holiday was not having to endure the hassle of airports. The minute we arrived we were immersed in nature. Our cabin was modern, airy, and spacious with, at the back, a hot tub with views of trees as far as the eye could see. A real plus was that Poppy was allowed access everywhere even in the reception/shop where there was a small cafe with a terrace, the focal point for meeting other guests, and more importantly, other dogs to play with. Dogs are supposed to be kept on a lead in areas where there are deer, but as we never saw any, she had free rein for the majority of the time. On the day we arrived, Gail one of the two forest rangers, was running a fungus foray. I had hopes of teaching Poppy to sniff out truffles but sadly none were to be found. However, Gail did show us lots of different species, warning us not to eat any unless we knew for certain that they were edible as it could be dangerous. What surprised me were those growing out of tree barks that I had, up until now, thought of as parts of the tree. I
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to identify a tree by its particular leaf. Although perhaps not something that I would remember, it certainly gave me the taste to learn more, and question what I see. The time of year obviously dictates what is growing, and sadly we were just too early to see the profusion of bluebells that apparently coats one of the meadows. Shelters made from long branches could be seen everywhere. These, David the other forest ranger, explained were made as part of the survival class although given the number around parents were also helping their children to make them on their own. In this course, participants learn the three basics of how to keep warm, forage for food, and provide shelter. Although the class is geared to youngsters, as the activities are family oriented the adults also participate, and enjoy it as much. I learnt how to light a fire safely using what I could find, and how to build a shelter, along with the sort of things I would need to consider such as the direction of the wind. David also had a box of goodies from which he took out containers filled with bugs for us to identify, showing us where to find them under fallen barks. The one and a half hour courses are charged as an extra but