Photos of Haldon Forest Park
About Haldon Forest Park
Haldon Forest Park sits on the Haldon Hills just west of Exeter. Forestry England has run it as working timber ground since the 1920s when the forest was planted after the First World War to re-build a national supply, and around 1,500 hectares of it is still cut and replanted today. Trails wind right through those working blocks, open to walkers, riders and bikes alike. It is with high sustainability standards as a wildlife habitat, timber grounds and public nature area. That unusualy mix is what makes it interesting to shoot. The forest is a patchwork of ages, varying from dense rows of older trees into open felled ground and then to young saplings all within a few hundred metres. Pointing your camera down one of the straight rows lets the trunks repeat away from you creating incredible leading lines. Cleared ground opens long views east over the Exe Estuary, with Dartmoor behind you. Autumn brings incredible colours into the broadleaf and heath sections. If you are lucky enough to be here on a foggy morning, it settles into the planted rows and turns every gap between trunks into a shaft of light that is just begging to be photographed. A wildlife hide sits a short walk from the car park if you want to experiment with bird photography. Parking is pay and display, and it is the only charge for using the park. The forest is open nearly every day of the year, though weekends and school holidays often get quite busy. Felling closes or reshapes sections without much notice, so sections of the park may be closed without much warning. (Kennford, Devon, England)
