Me in my carrier in Prehen Wood

Prehen Wood is a remnant of ancient woodland that once covered much of the county of Derry and, indeed, Ireland.

We headed out to take a look around it on a damp Autumn day. It was difficult to find as it’s hidden amongst housing – come on Woodland Trust, better signs please – but we eventually managed and, dressed in warm clothes, set off to investigate.

At 7.5 hectares, it’s quite possible to walk the whole woodland in an hour – and that’s with a baby on your back!

The woodland is described as “a significant block of semi-natural woodland which is a scarce resource in Northern Ireland. In terms of its habitat, species diversity and mammal interest, it is already of Local Nature Reserve Status.”

It’s certainly a woodland of interest, but has a couple of non-native trees that should probably be removed over time – beech and sycamore. Both these will slowly replace the native trees – and such “scarce resources” really should be protected by the removal of non-natives.

Thanks daddy… for hijacking this post! You can tell he has a bee in his bonnet about woodland! We had fun swinging on rope swings, trying to identify mushrooms and reading the poems on the wooden sculptures. Looking forward to going back when the bluebells are flowering…