Savernake Forest near Marlborough, Wiltshire, offers 4500 acres of magnificent native trees, both young and old. Many are very old, and at around 1000 years old, the Big Bellied Oak claims to be one of the oldest in England - a young sapling around the time of the Battle of Hastings, it now it stands with an impressive 11m girth. In fact, it got so big, that in 2002, a corset was fitted to stop it splitting in half.
Legend tells that the devil will appear at midnight to anyone dancing naked around the Big Belly Oak, 12 times anticlockwise.
Tall beeches planted beside forest roads
Criss-crossed by tracks and avenues, this privately owned forest, managed by the Forestry Commission, is freely accessible to walkers although there are no public rights of way. The area is large enough for long walks of up to 10 miles.
The forest was first recorded in Saxon Charters in 934AD, and following the Norman Conquest in 1066 it passed into the care of the Norman Knight, Richard Esturmy. It was passed down through his family for 31 generations and for over 1000 years.
Henry VIII hunted there and, soon after the execution of Anne Boleyn, he was so impressed by the steward’s daughter, that he married her. Sadly, Jane Seymour, his only wife to give him a son, died in childbirth.
In the mid-18th century the area of forest reached 40,000 acres, ten times bigger than it is now. The head of the family at the time had risen in status to become Governor to King George IV, and employed the famous landscape designer, Capability Brown, to plant the beech avenues that run through the heart of the Forest. These include the Grand Avenue which, at 3.9 miles, is the longest tree lined avenue in Britain.
Contact us if you are interested in walking through this fantastic forest, full of history, folklore and wildlife.
Best
Anne
walkthelandscape.co.uk
