Celtic rainforest, Cornwall

For about 7000 years, following the end of the last Ice Age, nearly the whole of Britain was covered with forest. About 5,000 years ago, the Neolithic people in Britain began to clear the forests for cultivation and permanent settlements. The arrival of the Celts, Romans and Anglo-Saxons meant the beginning of deforestation and most of the remaining forest disappeared during the 16th and 17th centuries to provide timber for boats or charcoal for the iron industry. This century, even more woodlands have been cleared and very few of the scattered woodlands date back to prehistoric times. The project at Cabilla near Bodmin, seeks to preserve an original rainforest and “rewild” a much larger area with native species. I regularly visit this area as part of a long term project. Being in these woods offers a very powerful sense of being, stability and harmony. These photographs are from a winter’s day last year during which eye, heart and mind were particularly connected.