Joydens Wood

Joydens Wood, the lovely area of woodland at the end of our road.    And which we appreciate very much, as do the large number of walkers and cyclists who come past our house on the way to the entrance.

As from the 18th Century the wood was part of the Mount Mascal Estate and was managed for game shooting.   Most of the trees were felled after the Second World War, and when the Forestry Commission acquired the land in 1956, they replanted it with conifers.   But they also developed the wood for recreational purposes, and made provision for equestrian and pedestrian users.

The Woodland Trust who  bought the land in 1987, are slowly cutting down the conifers, as they mature, and replanting natives.    They have also reintroduced the traditional management system of coppicing the Sweet Chestnut, Larch, Ash and Birch trees, which then provide small poles, as well as benefiting the wildlife.   There are now open glade areas, marshlands and ponds as well as numerous well maintained paths, and two marked walks, the Faesten Dic walk and the Woodland walk.

The wood is very pleasant on a summers day, green and peaceful.

As with the rest of the UK, there is much history here, and the most remarkable is the Faesten Dic (Dyke). English Heritage research shows that the dyke was constructed between the 5th and 6th centuries AD, by the Saxons in order to defend their lands, no doubt.  An Anglo Saxon Chronicle records tribal warfare in the Bexley area during the 5th and 6th centuries.  There was also a battle at Crayford, called the Battle of Crecganford, in 457AD.    The Dyke is also referred to in a Saxon boundary survey of AD814.

The Faesten Dic started off as a deep and wide ditch, with a stone path running along one side of it.  The remains of the path can be seen today, which probably indicates that the dyke was intended to be patrolled.   The dyke can be traced for one and a half miles through the wood, but historians believe that originally it was much longer and may have extended as far as the Chiltern HIlls, which is quite some distance away.

Over the years, the ditch has become filled in, so there is now just a shallow depression, as can be seen in the photograph below.

The fence and stile separates the horse riders from the walkers' part of the wood.   There is a path for walkers alongside the bridle path, but definitely no horses are allowed to enter the pedestrian part, and fair enough too, I say.    Everyone to their own area.

The bridle path, which meanders around the equestrian part of the wood.   A beautiful place to go horse riding, except for mad riders who gallop around blind corners.   I was never one of those, of course.   But my last horse ride was in Joydens Wood, and a horse bucked a rider off it.   Right into a puddle of water. I decided then, that I was getting too old for such capers.

The very manicured golf course which runs alongside part of the wood,

and the dedicated and earnest golfers, on the course, concentrating on their golf game.

A path through shady woods, with sunlight filtering through very leafy trees.  

The stand of tall conifers with bracken growing thickly in the dappled light under the trees.

I know the path below looks quite bright with the sun shining through the trees, but it is in a very heavily wooded area, and very gloomy and mysterious.   Red Riding Hood country.   I always look out for wolves when walking in this part of the wood.

I must also mention the deneholes, which were once very plentiful in the woodland, and in surrounding farmland.  Although they have been filled in, a few houses in Joydens Wood have suddenly found deep holes in their gardens, and I believe one appeared under a house, which partially fell into the hole.   Deneholes are funnel shaped shafts, which open out into several small chambers, and were dug up to 100 feet deep.   They were probably used to extract chalk to spread over farmland.  The majority are probably medieval, although some may be Roman.

Such a lovely wood to walk in and enjoy, no matter the time of year.   And always changing, depending on the time of day, sunlight and time of year.

Wellingtons, gumboots to Australians and New Zealanders, are a must for a large part of the year.  Come prepared!