If You Go Down To The Woods Today...

In 1932,  Walt Disney decided to make a short children's animated cartoon. He called it 'Babes In The Woods' and introduced the dwarf characters who were precursors of the seven in Snow White. The Babes Story had gained popularity in the Victorian Era, as one of Randolph Caldecott's illustrated picture books. Disney decided to merge the traditional English 'Babes ' story [published 1595] with the German 'Hansel and Gretel' tale [collected by the brothers Grimm around 1809] 

That's right, Mr D added in H&G - because after all, don't all parents want their children to know about a cannibalistic witch, whose dwelling is liable to induce a diabetic coma, if hungry and lost children start eating it? Oh, its OK, these two German tots escape and rush home safely to mother, and never stray from their kindergarten again. Not so for the babes in Britain - they wander, lost and helpless, die of starvation, and the kindly robin redbreast covers their bodies with leaves. Maybe Disney wanted to sanitise the ending so his audience did not have nightmares. The original ballad said...

"No burial these prettye babes of any man receives, till Rpbyn Redbreast painfully did cover them with leaves"

But where did our Babes-in-the-Wood story come from? answer - Norfolk! In 1595, A guy called Thomas Millington published a ballad, telling the gruesome tale of how a wicked uncle hires two thugs to murder his orphaned niece and nephew, so he can inherit his brothers estate. But the men just leave them in the nearby wood - and they cannot find the way out, so they die. 

The estate in question was said to be Griston Hall - now a farmhouse just outside Watton, and the woods in question were the Wayland Woods close by, now under the management of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. We went for walk there one afternoon this week. "Feel the apricity!" I announced as the winter sun shone warm on my face. 

The woods are truly beautiful - they are well managed, and have been regularly coppiced for over a thousand years- records go back to the 10th century. Mainly oak, but also ash, hazel and hornbeam. 

Beautiful wide aisles to walk down, with plenty of benches if you needed to stop and sit. These have all been given in memory of others who loved the woods - and have appropriate plaques.

This should be read in the proper local accent! I was intrigued by the ladder, with the sign at the top "No Access"

As we did the circular walk, we saw a team of people sawing trees, and lots of tidy woodstacks. The moss growing on some of the felled wood was a vibrant lime green, stunning against the dry brown leaves, silvery bark, and vivid white lichens.

I remarked to Bob that nowadays the children would not have been lost- they could have followed the sounds of traffic and easily made their way to the busy A1065!

It was muddy in places, but not difficult walking and the circular route takes around 45 minutes. [no dogs allowed though] Afterwards we went into Watton and had a coffee at our favourite Portuguese Café 

The town sign in the High Street shows the babes lounging naked under an oak tree [we have no evidence that they died of hypothermia] Below them is a hare leaping over a barrel representing the towns name. Watt  is a local dialect word for hare, and of course tun is a barrel. 

Locals will tell you that many people call it Wailing Wood, because on dark night's you can hear the ghosts of the distressed children wailing. Historians on the other hand, say that the name comes from Waneland which is a Viking word for a place of worship.

I think I like that explanation - the wide green aisles, beneath the towering trunks reaching up to the heavens, a verdant green cathedral. For me it was a blessed spot, a place where praising God for the beauty of Creation seemed a right and appropriate response to my surroundings.

I will definitely visit again and re-do the circular walk - the wildflowers in the early spring are said to be lovely.