This week's blog has again been sent by one of our lovely visitors. Sylva Fae and her young family have recently visited Coombes Valley & have adventured around our new Natural Play Trail. For Jan & the girls, the highlight of the visit was the secret fairy village, hidden among the trees in our woodland. Read on to see Sylva Fae's poem about the mysterious fairies of Coombes, and visit her own blog for this post & others about life in the woods: www.sylvafae.co.uk
Woodland Rambles
On a woodland ramble through RSPB Coombes Valley Nature Reserve my little girls found a fairy door on an old log. We collected moss, pebbles and sticks and made the woodland fairies a garden, complete with flower bed, paths and a pebble sculpture. We then continued on our ramble and left it for the fairies to find.
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Fairy house, built by Sylva Fae, Scarlett, Sienna & Sylva
Weeks later we returned to find a whole fairy village had sprung up in the woods. My girls tiptoed round, peeping in the little windows; they were sure they could see the fairies hiding inside. The local fairies obviously consider Coombes a very desirable place to live and who can blame them?
Mayhem at the Fairy Glen
'The children are coming!'
Lookout bunny raced in fast
Feet pounding hard
As she sped through the grass.
Shouting through the trees
To the glen up ahead
'Fairies, elves and pixies,
Go hide in your beds!'
'The children are close now,
I hear them through the trees.
Back to your houses
Run quickly please!'
Fairy House - Lucy Hodson
Voices getting louder,
Footsteps getting near.
Leaves swishing, twigs cracking
Fairies run in fear.
Up the rope ladder
Elves race to their house
Peering through the windows
Quiet as a mouse.
Up the rope ladder! Photo by Sylva Fae
Fairy folk young and old
Zoom in from all around
And fly into their houses
Safe from being found.
But the cheeky little pixies
Don't want to go inside
Peeping from the treetops
They watch from where they hide
The children find the fairy glen
Tiptoe round with glee
Kneeling at the windows
To see what they can see.
They gently stroke the mossy roofs
And push the little swing
Tap on the wooden doors
Walk around the fairy ring.
Fancy fairy home! By Sylva Fae
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The elves peep down from above
Surprised at what they see
These children are respectful
Not loud and naughty
The children sort through pockets
For some gifts to leave behind
An acorn and a pebble
For the fairy folk to find.
They leave them on the doorstep
Then quietly walk away
As the pixies in the treetops
Jump down to run and play.
The littlest child turns back to look
As the pixies get too brave
She smiles and as she turns to go
She gives a little wave.
Is anyone peeking the windows? By Sylva Fae
Lookout bunny gives the sign
It's safe to come out again
Fairies, elves and pixies
Return to the Fairy glen.
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Our new family Nature Play Trail is open for you to come and visit now! Come and venture around the new pram-accessible footpaths, and see features like our mud kitchen, story telling circle, and of course the magic fairy village!
You can see all of our play trail on our spooky halloween event, Woodland Wizardry! Come along at 3:00pm on 31st October, and have a go making magic wands, broomsticks and more spooky art before venturing out around the woods and the new trail! The event will last until 6:00pm, and will include Halloween treats! Price: £5 per child, adults go free. 20% discount to RSPB members.
For more information on Woodland Wizardry and other events at Coombes , please visit www.rspb.org.uk/coombesvalley