A trip to Pembrokeshire
Written by Tir Coed / Thursday 19 April 2018
A day out of the office to be in the woods is something I look forward to, so the drive to Aberaeron to meet my boss for an early morning coffee is how my day started before the long journey down to Tir Coed’s Pembrokeshire site.
Arriving on site with the sun shining through the leaves was lovely and the reception from the tutors was as always, very friendly. We walked over to the area where the participants were working on the construction of a shelter made from logs and smaller pieces of timber. This area had been cleared of low bushes and brambles and with so many people working there it was very muddy, so muddy that in some places it covered the bottom part of my boots! I say this with emphasis because working in an office every day one forgets about the environment of the outdoors.
While Angie took pictures of some participants working on the construction I went over to talk to one of the tutors who was showing a participant how to use a drawknife which needed strength but precise movements so the knife didn’t go too deep into the wood. As we wondered round finding out what each group was doing it was interesting to take note of the different personalities within a group of people brought together to work on a joint installation for public use; some shy, some confident, and as time went on all the participants relaxed and were more confident in their work and answering any questions we had.
We were only there for just over two hours and when it was time to leave I was surprised to realise how relaxed and refreshed I felt; there are studies that indicate there is a positive health benefit for spending time in the woods.
So now I’m really looking forward to the next time I go on a visit to the woods.
