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Thread: Anyone bought a woodland?

  1. #1

    Anyone bought a woodland?

    I’ve been looking at, and dawdling on, buying some woods for quite a few years.

    No grand plan, just some acres to mooch about, maintain and improve the flora and fauna, have somewhere for my kids to associate with, do some rough camping and stuff.

    I know of woodlands.co.uk but I don’t like them.
    Any other avenues to explore?

    For info, I am in Nottinghamshire


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    Last edited by notenoughwrists; 3rd May 2021 at 23:58.

  2. #2
    Grand Master
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    Woodlands.co.uk are a complete bunch of arses, if you search on the ukfarmandland website, and specify woodland in the search box you will find lots for sale without the ridiculous restrictions applied by the numpties.

  3. #3
    Craftsman
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    I'm sure if you use the search function that there was a whole thread on this here some time ago. I'm not on many forums and recall the discussion which seemed to be, in essence: I bought one because I fancied spending time with my boy and my chainsaw.

  4. #4
    I was looking for some years to buy a small wood, and tried woodlandsforsale (useless!!). A 30 acre wood came up for sale locally through an estate agent at offers around £50k (this was twenty years ago!), and I put in a £60k bid, but the woodland bordered a mobile phone tycoon's property and unsurprisingly I didn't get it. More recently, I tried to buy a 30 acre Scottish island, but that's another story! ;-)

    Searching through the farming and agricultural agents websites does turn up suitable properties, and of course regular scouting drives out in the area you want to buy can prove fruitful.

    I completed the purchase of a little derelict farm four days before lockdown #1, and I have been living my best life since! I found that by chance whilst out on a Sunday drive. Replacing the farmhouse with a new home is proving to be a long-term project with the local planners jealously protecting the green belt; but enjoying my land is without compare! I have big grass fields and a small park with a sycamore copse and a nice little wood, stretching to 10 acres in total. I can't recommend it enough!

    It's worth persevering...😊

  5. #5
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Like Mike Wood we've looked at a couple previously with little success but in the next year or so we hope to complete a deal on an old small farm which comes with a adjoining wood about the size of a football pitch, the ground ivy will be a bugger to clear.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by number2 View Post
    The ground ivy will be a bugger to clear.
    It is! And so are the brambles! But very satisfying afterwards. Good luck with your purchase. ☺

  7. #7
    Master unclealec's Avatar
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    Don't diss the brambles! Great for barrier security. Grow like fury and practically impenetratable by felons, plus more bramble pies than you can shake a stick at. I have a huge-fruited huge-stemmed variety that would be an asset to any rough ground.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by unclealec View Post
    Don't diss the brambles! Great for barrier security. Grow like fury and practically impenetratable by felons, plus more bramble pies than you can shake a stick at. I have a huge-fruited huge-stemmed variety that would be an asset to any rough ground.
    Have you got any recipes for moles? I got lotsa moles....

  9. #9
    Master unclealec's Avatar
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    Sadly not, Mike. I have a friend in Shropshire who got a little terrier hoping that she would clear the moles, but unfortunately she has cleared the area of weasels instead, which of course means more moles!
    Owl encouragement might help, but the mole quantities can be daunting.

  10. #10
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Wood View Post
    It is! And so are the brambles! But very satisfying afterwards. Good luck with your purchase. ☺
    Most of the brambles are in places around the house and gardens where they'll provide an excellent extra security layer, security will be a priority as we'd like to avoid a huge fence.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  11. #11
    Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Wood View Post
    Have you got any recipes for moles? I got lotsa moles....
    Hose pipe and a .410.

  12. #12
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Wood View Post
    Have you got any recipes for moles? I got lotsa moles....
    Tastes like chicken
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by seadog1408 View Post
    Woodlands.co.uk are a complete bunch of arses, if you search on the ukfarmandland website, and specify woodland in the search box you will find lots for sale without the ridiculous restrictions applied by the numpties.
    Brill - thanks. Agreed, woodlands.co just seem awful.
    Will try as many suggest, the farming and land sales and just roam about and see what I see.


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  14. #14
    Master unclealec's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint-Just View Post
    Tastes like chicken
    If it tastes like what it smells like, I won't be adding to my carnal repertoire in this particular direction.
    They stink - with a vengeance.

  15. #15
    Master draftsmann's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seadog1408 View Post
    Hose pipe and a .410.
    The hose is to flush them out? Before clubbing them with the buttstock of the .410 😀

  16. #16
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    poor moles, they were there first, and don't have that many places to go.
    Sounds like the wild west all over again...

  17. #17
    Grand Master Passenger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by redmonaco View Post
    poor moles, they were there first, and don't have that many places to go.
    Sounds like the wild west all over again...
    Does seem a bit extreme.

  18. #18
    Clive emson does have sometimes woodland for sale.

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  19. #19
    My neighbors, in their 70's, bought a little bit of land about 18 months ago. Not woodland, but from what i understand a couple of acre strip on the edge of a farm that was cutoff by a stream so no use to the farmer. they contacted the woodland trust or similar, who not only paid and arranged for all the fencing to be replaced, but also planted the whole plot with trees

  20. #20
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Not something I have ever thought of, but it seems a lovely idea.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  21. #21
    Grand Master snowman's Avatar
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    I've toyed with the idea of buying woodland a few times in the past, but it seems quite expensive for land that you can't (often) do anything with...

    We're TRYING to buy a flat at the moment, but it seems all solicitors have become f*ing useless (or maybe they always were?) and it's taking an age...

    Moles : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93mgyE2ctwg


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    Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?

  22. #22
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Wood View Post
    I was looking for some years to buy a small wood, and tried woodlandsforsale (useless!!). A 30 acre wood came up for sale locally through an estate agent at offers around £50k (this was twenty years ago!), and I put in a £60k bid, but the woodland bordered a mobile phone tycoon's property and unsurprisingly I didn't get it. More recently, I tried to buy a 30 acre Scottish island, but that's another story! ;-)

    Searching through the farming and agricultural agents websites does turn up suitable properties, and of course regular scouting drives out in the area you want to buy can prove fruitful.

    I completed the purchase of a little derelict farm four days before lockdown #1, and I have been living my best life since! I found that by chance whilst out on a Sunday drive. Replacing the farmhouse with a new home is proving to be a long-term project with the local planners jealously protecting the green belt; but enjoying my land is without compare! I have big grass fields and a small park with a sycamore copse and a nice little wood, stretching to 10 acres in total. I can't recommend it enough!

    It's worth persevering...😊
    That wasn't Deer Island, was it? Auction estimate £80k but I couldn't find a sales price!

  23. #23
    Master Ruggertech's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by redmonaco View Post
    poor moles, they were there first, and don't have that many places to go.
    Sounds like the wild west all over again...
    Puzzled me why someone would want to buy a bit of wild land and then go about removing the wildlife. Surely that's a large part of the attraction?

  24. #24
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by redmonaco View Post
    poor moles, they were there first, and don't have that many places to go.
    Sounds like the wild west all over again...

    Im with you on that...
    Cheers..
    Jase

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by 33JS View Post
    That wasn't Deer Island, was it? Auction estimate £80k but I couldn't find a sales price!
    No, Little Ross Island off Kirkcudbright...I never did find out who the successful buyer was, but there was allegedly a Parisian billionaire on my boat when a group of us sailed out to the viewing. Or it could have been somebody in one of the helicopters that landed. ;-)

    https://www.galbraithgroup.com/news/...-west-scotland
    Last edited by Mike Wood; 4th May 2021 at 15:45.

  26. #26
    Another Woodland agent https://www.johnclegg.co.uk/our-properties/


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  27. #27
    Master
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    I own a wood in Herefordshire, two and half acres, my father owned it and gave it to me.

    I go and visit it every now and then although haven't been for a while.

    I like the idea of leaving it to itself and letting nature take its course.

    I always assumed it was pretty much of no value but maybe not...

    Anyway, I will leave it to carry on doing its thing but will definitely visit this year having been reminded to by this thread.

  28. #28
    Grand Master thieuster's Avatar
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    Answering the OP's question: yes, we did buy woodland.

    I've written about it before. Initially 6.3 acres, - now with some additional purchases, 9.8 acres now. About 14,000 sq.ft of lawn. One of my next-door neighbours is officially our King. We border with the Royal Grounds and Forestry. It may not sound as a surprise that we had a visit from a forester and some security people. Nice conversation, mainly about the fence between our land and His Royal Majesty's. A very cheap conversation as well: when we need a new fence between the plots, all costs are on HRM because they have rules regarding the size and shape of the fence. I'm fine with that. And oh: "When you notice something odd, please call this number, 24/7"

    Pros of living in the forest:
    • The wildlife (you must get yourself a wildlife camera!). Roe deer, badgers, foxes, but also ducks in the pond and tons of birds like the great tit, jays and woodpeckers. No wild pigs thanks to the King's A+ fencing between us. Those four-legged hooligans will turn up your soil for you...
    • The fact that you don't hear a thing. It's absolutely quiet.
    • You'll in awe every morning when you open the curtains: "This is really mine!" And then you know it is.
    • You can build a workshop the size of Texas for all your goodies. And, you will need it.
    • Your neighbours are very useful: the tools, the experience, the network of specialists. Make yourself useful in the village and you'll be accepted. Example: I needed a piece of land cleared and leveled for more lawn. A local guy did the work for me. In return, I offered him a few oak and birch trees for his log fire. He came round with a big-@ss New Holland tractor and a crane to load them in an agricultural trailer. Everybody happy.


    Cons of living in the forest:
    • Don't underestimate the amount of work. I can safely say that I can work in the forest all days of the week. Full time job. But hey, I'm retired, I have plenty of time.
    • Problems with city council because you aren't allowed to cut trees without permission.
    • Forests with birch have a lot of problems due to the extremely hot summers we had. A lot of birch trees are on their last legs and need to bet cut down. Have it checked by a professional before you buy.
    • You need professional machinery to get the work done. 4stroke or 2stroke is the only option. "Battery?" you say. No! A battery-powered tool is not strong enough/lasts long enough. E.g. I bought myself a 4stroke brush cutter today.
    • No more town-garden level of machinery. Even the lawn needs a bigger machine.
    • Get a log burner - or more than one. Put a big one in your workshop as well.
    • Containing the undergrowth like brambles is a job on its own. And then there's ground elder. Green pest it is.


    The Neg. list appears to be longer than the Pos list. All details. True, but I would not go back to my townhouse with a 7000 sq fr garden and noisy neighbours all around me. I love the freedom, the silence and the clean air.

    Do it, buy a forest and enjoy it. Drop me PM if you want to know more (although I'm located in the Netherlands so I don't know anything about the UK forestry rules)
    Last edited by thieuster; 5th May 2021 at 19:54.

  29. #29
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    In the UK Menno, there are woodland plots for sale but you’re generally not allowed to live or build on them, you buy woodland to keep as woodland. Sometimes it’s possible to have some sort of accommodation on the land but that’s very rare.

  30. #30
    Grand Master thieuster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    In the UK Menno, there are woodland plots for sale but you’re generally not allowed to live or build on them, you buy woodland to keep as woodland. Sometimes it’s possible to have some sort of accommodation on the land but that’s very rare.
    Bummer! Living on the land is the biggest part of the fun!
    Still, a lot of pros and cons stay the same, I suppose

  31. #31
    Master
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    Personally I think woods were around long before humans so I leave mine alone but obviously that depends on what you want from it.

    I think my Dad is probably too old to visit it again (he's nearly 90 and it's a bit hard to get to) but he always enjoyed the visits because a lot of the wood was harvested in the war so in some ways it is quite young, and was different every time he visited.

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