Category Archives: Trees & Greenspaces

Season of Mists

Posted on October 12, 2015 by moselman

Autumn is my favourite time of year to be out and about exploring the woods, fields, moors and meadows of the surrounding countryside. As well as the vibrant red, gold and orange hues of wild cherry, maples, birches and beech, there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Aachen & Euregio, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Urbanism, Wild Places | Tagged autumn, autumn colours, biodiversity, birch, conkers, cultural landscapes, fly-agaric, foraging, Hohes Venn, mushrooms, norway maple, steuobstwiesen, street trees, sweet chestnuts, Urban Greenspace, urban trees, wild cherry, wild harvests | Leave a comment

Down in the Orchard

Posted on October 10, 2015 by moselman

Over the last few weeks we’ve noticed a lot of fruit going unpicked in local orchards and decided eventually to do something about it. Today we knocked on the door of a local orchard owner who was only too happy … Continue reading →

Posted in Aachen & Euregio, History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces | Tagged Aachen, ancient trees, apples, biodiversity, birds, cultural landscapes, fruit growing, healthy eating, invertibrates, local distinctiveness, local produce, nature conservation, orchards, organic produce, pears, sense of place, streuobstwiesen, sweet chestnuts | 2 Comments

Alps at the Crossroads: Green Utopia or Developers Paradise ?

Posted on September 3, 2015 by moselman

It all looked great; a traditional apartment in the alpine village of Oberjoch, located at 1200m in the Eastern Allgaü region of Bavaria and close to the beautiful Tannheimer Valley in neighbouring Tyrol. With Germanic diligence I scanned the latest version of Google satellite maps for any items … Continue reading →

Posted in In Europe, Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places | Tagged Allgäu, architecture, Bad Hinderlang, bavaria, Bavarian Alps, climate change, farm tourism, forest education, Green Tourism, Hintersteinertal, local distinctiveness, Oberjoch, Schattwald, ski developments, Slow tourism, Sustainability, Sustainable tourism, Tannheim, Tannheimertal, timber constructure, Vilsaplsee, wellness resorts | Leave a comment

New Life in Scotland’s Ancient Forests

Posted on March 2, 2015 by moselman

On the banks of the River Tay by Dunkeld in Perthshire stands the ancient “Birnam Oak”, reputedly the sole surviving tree of the famed Birnam Wood of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In Shakespeare’s “Scottish” play, Malcolm’s soldiers camouflaged themselves with branches from Birnam Wood before capturing Macbeth’s stronghold … Continue reading →

Posted in History & Culture, In Scotland, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places | Tagged ancient woodland, birch, Birnam Oak, Cairngorms, Caledonian Pine Woods, charcoal making, community woodlands, coppicing, Forest of Spey, forest schools, Glen Finglas, Glenmore Forest, Highland Birchwoods, highland clearances, Highlands, history, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs National Park, Loch Tay Woods, Macbeth, native woodlands, oak, Pass of Ryvoan, Perthshire, Scots pine, spirit of place, tanning industry, Trossachs, wood pasture, wood turning, Woodland Trust | Leave a comment

Secrets of the Wild Wood

Posted on February 26, 2015 by moselman

Like a scene from a distant lost world, the damp woods of the Inde valley between Hahn and Walheim hang with a mass of tangled ivy. Dead branches, rotten tree stumps and slippery, moss-covered rocks litter the ground, making for treacherous conditions underfoot. Ominous, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aachen & Euregio, History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places | Tagged Aachen, ancient woodland, Blaustein, Bluestone, brophytes, Camperdown Elm, Devonian limestone, Eifel, Eifelsteig, Hahn, Inde, Konelimunster, Lime kilns, mosel, nature, nature conservation, outdoors, Raeren, saproxylic species, spirit of place, venwegen, Walheim, woodlands | Leave a comment

Meeting a Himalayan Legend: the Man who Conquered Everest

Posted on January 21, 2015 by moselman

Mountain tourism in Nepal has been very much in the spotlight recently following the tragic deaths of 16 Sherpa guides on Everest last April. In October last year, unseasonal snow storms in the Annapurna region accounted for a further 43 deaths, including many … Continue reading →

Posted in History & Culture, Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places, World | Tagged Adventure Tourism, Bon Po, Chomolunga, Climbing, Community Forestry, Community Forestry Program, Everest, Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Ri, Himalayan Trust, Himalayas, Kathmandu, Lukla, Mani Rindu, Namche Baazar, Nepal, Nepal Earthquake, Phaplu, Reforestation, Sagamartha National Park, Salleri, Sherpas, Sir Edmond Hillary, Solu Khumbu, Sustainable tourism, Tengpoche, Tibetan Buddism, Tree Nurseries, trekking, VSO | Leave a comment

“Away With the Fairies” – The Legend of Doon Hill and Robert Kirk

Posted on November 17, 2014 by moselman

As a child I spent many, happy summer Sundays sailing on my Dad’s boat at Loch Ard; a scenic forest-fringed loch, located in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park within the Trossachs region of Scotland. In 2002, this area became part of Scotland’s first National Park, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, History & Culture, In Scotland, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places | Tagged Aberfoyle, Atlantic oak woods, Bonnie Banks, clootie wells, clooties, Doon Hill, Elves, Fairies, Fauns and Fairies, heritage trees, In Scotland, legends, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs National Park, magic and mystery, nature, outdoors, Rev Robert Kirk, sacred groves, spirit of place, The Little People, Trossachs, Trossachs Trail, woodlands | 2 Comments

Bernkastel Kues

Posted on April 23, 2014 by moselman

We spent Easter around the little historic wine town of Bernkastel on the middle Moselle. I love the town’s ancient little market place, (very reminiscent of “Trumpton”) along with its winding streets and leaning half-timbered houses. The steep South and SW facing slopes produce … Continue reading →

Posted in History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places | Tagged Andel, Bernkastel Doctor, Bernkastel Kues, mosel, Moselle, Mulheim, Riesling, Vineyards, woodlands | Leave a comment

The Bluebell Woods

Posted on April 16, 2014 by moselman

One of the real treasures of the springtime in the British Isles must surely be when the bluebells carpet the floor of our ancient woods. Bluebells (or wild hyacinths) are a feature of woodlands which are virtually unknown in other … Continue reading →

Posted in In Scotland, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places | Tagged ancient woods, Bluebells, coppice, Midlothian, oak woodlands, Skye, wild garlic, wild hyacinths, wood anemones | Leave a comment

Spring Woods of the Eifel

Posted on March 22, 2014 by moselman

Spring really has sprung ! …at least here around Aachen and in the sheltered woods and glens of the Eifel, an upland plateau area which lies between Aachen and the river Mosel. This is a great time of year to be out and about in nature in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aachen & Euregio, History & Culture, In Europe, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places | Tagged Aachen, beech, forests, Heimbach, herb paris, Monschau, mosel, oak, Ruhr, sawmills, wildflowers, wood products, woodlands, Zweifall | Leave a comment