Trees, Bikes, Camera … Action! (and an owl)
Recently, I was given the opportunity to do something kind of cool, involving a forest, bikes, cameras, and mental health. I mean, come on … If that hasn't got me written all over it, I don't know what has.
Before I get into that, I'm going to deviate!
… I was formulating this blog in my notebook, whilst sitting on a Lincoln-bound train one morning. I do love writing on trains. No, I don’t mean I enjoy decorating public transport with spray paint! I started to think about bikes. Yes, whether you like it or not, I will selfishly indulge myself in a bit of reminiscence. Those of you who perhaps were too young to have grown up during the 1970s and ‘80s in the UK, will no doubt soon be rolling the rolliest of eyes while thinking “Ffs, not another ‘We didn't have the internet when we were your age’ story!” Well, we didn’t, so, stick your Human League cassette in your Sony Walkman, pull on those day-glow leg warmers, and strap in! .. and while we are at it, let’s also have a little bit more respect young man/lady/insert relevant pronoun here …!
In all of my 51 years on this big blue ball, I've never been without a bike of some description. I can’t recall learning to ride a bike, however, I'm sure my Dad taught me, “You're doing great, look forward, don't look at me, don't look at me, that's it … I’m right here, keep going!” he would have no doubt been saying, when in reality he had stopped running behind me ages ago, while I wobbled forward, slowly falling sideways into a big pile of white dog shit, (Google it, it was a thing!)
I can recall all the bikes I've ever owned, like pins on a map of my life. The blue Raleigh Tomahawk, with its nod to the bigger and much more desirable ‘Chopper’. Then the first 5-speed racing bike given to me one Christmas. My sister also had a bike that year, a shopping bike, you know how much 7-year-old girls love grocery shopping? It was a little too big for her so blocks of wood were screwed to the pedals, so she could reach them. I was, of course, the perfect age to be beguiled by BMX when they appeared to me in the early 1980s. The inclusion of these amazing mag-wheeled machines in movies like; ET, The Goonies, and not forgetting the Aussie-made BMX Bandits, starring none other than the young Nicole Kidman probably played a large part in the seduction. My Raleigh Extra Burner in its red and white livery didn't stay ‘stock’ for long though, different brakes, seats, handlebars, and tyres came and went, I think I even resprayed it at one point. I moved on to mountain biking in the 1990s and I've built and owned quite a lot of them.
I’ve been building my own bikes for decades, and I built myself a new mountain bike earlier this year. I knew there were trails built specifically for bikes at Sherwood Pines in Kings Clipstone, Nottingham, as I’d visited a few times over the last few years, so that's where I would go. I became a Forestry England member, primarily for the free car parking, and the cafe discount at the Sherwood site. I thought if I paid up for a year-long membership, then I’d go more often, you know, so as not to waste the money spent. All about the cost so far right? I indeed built the new bike because it was cheaper than buying one already built, and I bought a Forestry England membership because it would save me money each time I visited, the benefits though, went far beyond the monetary.
The first time I felt it was on a 3-day lone camping trip to Sherwood Pines, I was determined to do as much biking and walking as I could during the stay, racking up around 50 km of biking, walking, and running around the forest. On the first full day, after completing the first 15 km biking trail of the visit, I planned to walk The Rangers Path, an 8km loop. After looking at the route map, it looked as if this might be the best solution for getting away from the noise. It was the school summer break, so lots of ‘day visiting’ families meant lots of kids enjoying themselves at the tops of their voices! It appeared the trail would take my ears the furthest distance away from the cafe and play areas, and I was craving some peace, this was the point after all.
Guided by a carefree attitude, the occasional arrow nailed to a post, and the carpets of pink and purple heathers, like floral skirting boards aside the forest trails, I ambled along. I sometimes stopped and took my phone out to photograph something that piqued my interest, but quickly placed it back in my shorts pocket. I was slightly annoyed by the presence of my phone, but as I hadn't brought my camera along, it did, at least, have a small role to play. About halfway, I came into a huge clearing, where a large wooden picnic table accented an obvious crossroads in the path. My legs were complaining after the ride earlier, so I sat. The environment, juxtaposed against what I ‘treated’ my senses to in my normal life, was intoxicating. The sound of children playing, crying, and shouting, the distant humming of vehicle tyres and engine sounds now replaced with the sound of trees moving and rubbing in the slight breeze of the warm late summer evening. Birds communicating in the distance, the long legs of the many pine trees, casting an ever-changing display of light and shade as they obstructed the sunlight during its final moments above the horizon.
At this moment, I suddenly realised I was still. I was actually still. How did this happen? My usual washing machine mind seemed to have finished its wash cycle, its load, emptied. Wait, what? How did that happen? I spend many hours trying to be ‘mindful’, to live in the ‘here and now’, in the ‘moment’, and to be truthful, I didn't think mindfulness was even a thing, as it has been so elusive, I would usually put it in the box marked ‘Chickens teeth, Unicorn tears, and other such bullshit’ yet here I was experiencing mindfulness with no actual effort!
Brian, the nemesis that is my, often crumpled-up crisps packet of a mind seemed to have … Well. He's gone. Fucked off. Done one! As the realisation of this well-overdue abandonment sunk in, a huge owl flew across the clearing and into the trees to my right! I say, ‘HUGE’ because to me it was as if someone had feathered an Airbus, but it was perhaps a very average/normal-sized owl. Now I consider this, would an owl that size still eat mice? It would need a lot of them, like The Hulk surviving only on croutons. Well, I was so taken aback by this incredible moment, I almost fell off the floor!
Then, my damn phone rang, one of the few friends I allow myself (adoptee minds work best in the centre of small social circles) was calling to see how I was. I landed straight back on earth for a few moments, we chatted, I ended the call, drifted back into forest mode, and thankful the ‘still’ had returned, I walked on.
For the rest of the stay, stillness and I lived side by side, while I watched couples argue about kids, with kids, and kids arguing back. I have 3 children, and they are amazing. I love the time I get to spend with them, but for these 3 days, I was alone, in a bubble of serenity, and equanimity, and gratitude was more than in reach. I guess what I’m saying is when people say “Get out in nature, it's good for the soul.” then believe the hype, because it's true … I know, I was surprised too!
OK, after this tangential ramble, back to the point of this blog, I had almost forgotten about it. A couple of months ago, Forestry England sent an email out to all of its members. It said;
“This autumn, we’re on a mission to make your membership experience even more rewarding. To help us get there, we’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts by filling out a quick questionnaire which will take less than two minutes.
As a thank you, four lucky members will have the chance to be featured in a special film about what membership means to them and will also receive a complimentary membership at their next renewal …”
The film will be showcased on all our marketing channels including our website and YouTube channel.”
“Ooh, free membership” I thought, “I'm in!” I opened the link, filled in the questionnaire, doing my best to get across how I believed spending time in the forest had improved my mental well-being, and clicked send. Some days later, I received a response saying they would like to offer me the chance to be one of the members to appear in the video.
Email Ping-pong ensued, resulting in a time and place being agreed, and so at 09.45 on Tuesday 5th November, I arrived at Sherwood Pines with a calm demeanor, relatively fresh haircut, beard trim, and a clean bike in my car. Inside I was full of nervous energy, like a dog waiting to chase a ball about to be thrown. I received a text “Hi Andy, we are here. In a grey van, shall we meet by the cafe?” I was pacing about anyway so I walked back to the carpark. There were 2 grey vans, both empty. I bounced back towards the cafe, “Andy?” I spun around to find 2 people standing nearby, one in a green Forestry England jacket and the other standing with a tripod and camera.
We shook hands and went to chat on a bench. Proper introductions and icebreakers completed, we ran through the morning's shoot; an Interview on camera, I suggested a good spot, me arriving and leaving, walking into the bike shop on site, and the bit I was most concerned about, footage of me riding the trails. I don't fall off my bike that often these days, as I’ve become a bit more sensible as age creeps in, but if I was going to end up head first in the thicket wrapped around my bike, then today would be the day.
For the interview bit, I had a couple of stories and poignant comments lined up in my head. I’m not great at being scripted, choosing to ‘wing it’ more often than not, I once spent a week writing a speech for a wedding, only to throw it behind me as I stood to deliver it!.
I took 30 seconds to get all the swear words out of my mouth, put the camera's presence to the back of my mind and we were off. I was asked to include the question in my answers as there would be no audio of the questions being put to me, that is more tricky than you'd think, I was able to recall my previously thought out content, and with a few false starts and mucking around from me … Andy Wallis’s interview, standing out in a forest, (who seemed to find it almost impossible to keep his left hand out of his trouser pocket) was ‘in the can’.
After filming the scenes in the bike shop, we moved onto riding. Oh fuck, here we go, Andy face first in tree - take 12! I chose some good sections of the blue route as they were close by and, if ridden right, would appear quite dynamic on camera. I didn't fall luckily, but just how dynamic they were has yet to be proven. After that we filmed the incidental stuff, arriving, setting up the bike, and leaving the forest, all to be cleverly stitched together by George, the videographer later. After we parted company, I went on to ride a couple of the trails before leaving for home. The video will be available to view sometime in December (2024) and I'll share it when it drops.
A massive thank you to Forestry England for inviting me to be involved with this project, and for giving me another year's membership in return. We need trees in our environment, this is not news, keeping England’s forests going is such vital work, and it's work that Forestry England does so well. With the help of the members across the country, they can continue this indefinitely. Why not get out in the forest near you today? You never know you might find some stillness for yourself, or get to see your own owl-shaped commercial airliner.
For more information about becoming a Forestry England member click here.
