A Wagon in the Woods: Pursuing a dream in an ancient forest

For everyone who dreams of escape to a cabin by a stream, for those moments of tranquility while the natural world does its thing around you … Some moments in childhood are frozen in time, vivid and vital, an anchor. When James Aldred tracked down an old Romani wagon he once played in, he found himself inside one such moment again. However broken and rotten, it transported him to a magical summer in the New Forest forty years ago and awakened in him the possibility of reliving it with his young family. In his evocative memoir, Aldred chronicles his return to a cherished landscape. As he painstakingly restores the wagon, learning from local crafts people, he delves into both the New Forest’s natural history and storied past, tracing its roots back to the 16th century and even further to the time of William the Conqueror. Camera traps reveal otters hunting in the brook nearby, while the nearby goshawk nest and fox earth speak to the area’s thriving wildlife. Masterfully observed, A Wagon in the Woods is a celebration of both people and place, and the timeless bond between land, history and the enduring spirit of adventure.