Wandering in the woodlands

IMPRESSIONIST Alistair McGowan is better known for his take-offs of David Beckham and the like than for waxing lyrical about the English countryside.

Get him started on the subject of woods, however, and there is no stopping him.

"Can you imagine what our countryside would look like without trees?" he says. "Woods offer us peace and tranquillity, inspire our imagination and creativity, and refresh our souls. A land without trees would be a barren, cold and impoverished place. When I want to get back in touch with nature and escape from the hustle and bustle of my daily life, I love to visit and explore these natural treasures."

Woods are natural treasures indeed - homes and refuges for countless species of birds, insects, plants and mammals, as well as places where we can go, however briefly, to get back in touch with nature.

North Yorkshire is better known for its rugged dales and moorland landscapes, its coast and the gentle beauty of the vales of York and Pickering, but we have our fair share of top-class woodlands as well.

A handy new guide from the Woodland Trust - to which McGowan has written the introduction - sets out to introduce us to a wealth of wonderful woods in the region, all with public access and many within easy striking distance for a great day out.

Some, according to Exploring Woodland: Yorkshire and the North East, are "virtual time capsules of landscape and habitats which have been mostly swept away over the last 1,000 years".

Among the finest examples of ancient woodland in North Yorkshire, according to the guide, is Hackfall Wood, not far from Ripon. Set in a 350-foot gorge on the edge of Grewelthorpe, 19th-century writers apparently hailed it as one of the most beautiful woodlands in the country. It was a favourite spot for the landscape artist Turner, who regularly painted there, and for Victorian tourists, who flocked to view the woods and house and enjoy teas at Mowbray Point.

Hackfall owed its popularity during its Victorian heyday not entirely to nature. The 110-acre wood was bought in 1731 by John Aislabie, famous for his landscaping work at nearby Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. His son William transformed the area into a 'beautiful wilderness', creating grottos and surprise views, glades, rustic temples embedded in groves of trees, waterfalls and follies, many of which can still be found today.

Hackfall fell into decline in the 1930s, but since the Woodland Trust took it over in the 1980s footpaths and woodland walks have been restored, while the various follies and managing the fragile habitats have been conserved.

The guide is enthusiastic about this jewel of a wood. "There is something about the wild splendour of Hackfall Woods that simply inspires creativity," it says. "Hackfall teems with wildlife and sustains a thriving range of wild plant communities including a spectacular display of bluebells.

"Modern visitors can once again bask in the stunning scenery and enjoy period features including a host of man-made waterfalls and water courses displayed throughout the woodland."

Plenty of other magnificent woodlands are featured. Here are a few:

Nut Wood and Wauldby Scrogs, Cottingham

Known locally as the Bluebell wood, this is a welcome oasis in an arable landscape. Parts of the 35-acre woodland date from the 13th century and there is a rich ground flora of dog's mercury, wood anemone, wild garlic and - naturally enough - bluebells.

Scar and Castlebeck Woods,

North York Moors

"If you have ever wanted to tread in the footsteps of dinosaurs," the guide says, "visit Scar and Castlebeck Woods. The secluded woods straddle a deep ravine carved by the streams and small rivers that run off the moors - among them Castlebeck, Jugger How Beck and Bloody Beck, cited as one of the best inland exposures of dinosaur footprints."

These woods are not only a dinosaur-hunter's paradise, however: nature lovers will delight in them too. A site of Special Scientific interest, there are 23 species of nationally scarce insects here, a wealth of mosses and liverworts, rare hay-scented buckler fern, plus woodland birds such as owls, woodpecker, woodcock and the pied flycatcher. And the river is home to trout, kingfishers and herons.

Duncombe Park

Overlooking medieval Helmsley Castle and the River Rye valley, the estate consists of 35 acres of landscaped gardens surrounded by 400 acres of park land. Half of the park land is designated a national nature reserve. It includes remnants of ancient woodland and provides a sanctuary for some of England's oldest and tallest trees. A well-signed river walk through Terrace Bank Woods offers fine views across to Helmsley.

New Covert and Park Woods, Melbourne, near York

New Covert is a wet woodland dominated by birch, willow and alder. Park Wood, to which it is linked, is precious ancient woodland, dominated by birch but with plenty of gnarled oak trees which provide a haven for wildlife. The woods make for a quiet retreat - but there is a visitor car park and over a mile of footpaths.

Levisham Wood, nr Pickering

Part of a wider woodland complex which swathes the slopes of Newtondale, one of the most spectacular valleys in Yorkshire, much of the original oak, ash, birch and lime woodland has survived. An extensive network of paths allow you to explore remote corners.

Dalby Forest, nr Pickering

Adorning a landscape shaped by the Ice Age, Dalby Forest is a vast manmade wood which is perfect for visitors. The ancient forest may have gone, but a trip by car or bike along the nine-mile Dalby Forest Drive is a journey through time and a virtual geology field trip through the Jurassic period. Burial mounds, linear earthworks and the remains of a rabbit warren industry add to the interest.

Garbutt Wood, Thirlby

"There is a mystery to Garbutt Wood," the guide says, "where gnarled and twisted veteran oaks and birches lend a 'Tolkeinesque' quality."

Don't let that put you off. The wood is part of the Sutton Bank National Park Centre. Superb views open up as soon as you enter and a well-marked nature trail leads through open bracken that is dotted with birch and oak and alive with bluebells in spring. In denser areas of woodland oak, birch, ash, rowan, hazel, holly and hawthorn are supplemented with crab apple, willow and alder.

Updated: 08:39 Saturday, February 28, 2004