MERLIN’S WOOD AND LAVINGTON COMMON WALK BY SIMON BAKER IRONS

An intriguing walk I discovered recently is the mystical Merlin’s Wood on the edge of Lavington Common near Graffham. A rare example of a lowland heath, Lavington Common is part of the open landscape that once stretched across the Weald of Sussex and Kent. Contrary to popular belief, heathland is not natural and was created by the actions of humans thousands of years ago by clearing the trees and working the land which ultimately caused nutrient levels to fall, this created perfect habitats for heathland plants such as heather to grow. 80% of the lowland heath has been lost since the 1800’s, mainly through neglect and tree planting.

Lavington common is owned by the National Trust and free parking is available in their car park. (GU28 0QL)

1. The 1km woodland trail through Merlin’s Wood starts at the car park. I found it useful to take a quick photo of the map on the information board as the route had very little signage.

2. Leave the car park by the woodland walk sign and head onto the heath. At the edge of the woodland, where the heath opens up is a small track through the heathers to the right, this will lead you to Merlin’s Wood.

3. A bridge crosses a small stream, which was in full flow on my visit, probably due to the huge amount of recent rain, however in the summer I would imagine that the stream will be much smaller.

4. Cross the bridge and enter the mysterious forest of Merlin’s Wood. You’ll know you are in the right place as the twisted trunks of the Rhododendron trees filter out a lot of the light and make it an eerily dark trail. Due to the reduced sunlight and damp atmosphere, mosses are abundant, growing all over the branches and trunks of the trees giving them a velvety coat. In May/June the wood will be in full bloom, bringing some colour to this otherwise dark wood.

5. The path through the woods is fairly clear as it winds its way in and out of the intermingled branches, twisted trunks and gnarly trees. The sound of the bubbling stream nearby indicates that you are on the right route.

6. Children will love exploring the many winding grottos and at places you may have to climb over branches that have naturally grown across the path, which adds to the adventure of this trail

7. At the end of the woods is another bridge that leads back on to the open heath. A short walk through the remaining pines and across the middle of the common will take you back to the car park.

8. There are also plenty of smaller paths to explore on the common that are formed between the heathers. Please keep to the paths as the heathers provide shelter and breeding grounds for reptiles such as adders and sand lizards along with birds and many insects too.

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