Yesterday, October 15th, 2024, I kicked off the first session of my Woodland Photostories series with a visit to the ancient woodlands at Willingham, just outside Market Rasen. The day was bright, perfect for capturing the beauty of this Lincolnshire gem. I was joined by eight fellow members of the Royal Photographic Society East Midlands Region, a group I’ve been managing for the past decade. Our collective mission was to write visual stories with our cameras, translating the essence of what we saw and felt into images.
Willingham Woods is a place that speaks to both the history and the heart of Lincolnshire’s countryside and stretching back centuries, the woods have seen many uses. In its earlier days, Willingham Woods was a source of timber, an activity that still occurs, but today, it’s more widely known as a recreational haven. A walk through these woods feels like stepping into a natural archive, where past and present blend together. The Forestry Commission manages it now, and it boasts over 100 Trees of Special Interest. These trees have seen so much history, bearing witness to the evolution of both the landscape and its people.

As a group, we met at 10 AM by the kiosk cafe, where I snapped a quick photo of the group standing proudly by the Willingham Woods sign. Left to Right we have Howard and Jackie Fisher, Diane Seddon, Rob Hill, Graeme Reynolds, Peter Roworth, Richard Hall, and John Rutherford.

I didn’t mention it on the day, but October is a bit of an anniversary for Peter, since it is the month he joined the RPS East Midlands Region in 1976. He must have been one of the youngest members of the society back then.

The red route is seen in the bottom right corner of the map and is one of my favourite areas of the woodlands, and is the route we followed in the morning. You can download the map by clicking here

We entered the woodlands across a footbridge and then it winds around the woodlands, providing some of the best photo opportunities you could ask for.

Towering trees stood as guardians of this ancient place.

Lilly-ponds shimmered in the morning light

One my favourite image of the day was this babbling brook that to me captures the narrative of the way the journey of Autumn was starting to wash away the year’s growth. I stepped away from the group for a few minutes having taken the image and whilst listening to the flow of water wrote a haiku:
Gentle waters flow,
Whispers of autumn’s breath,
Year’s growth washed away
haiku captures the essence of the brook, the transition of seasons, and the feeling of change as autumn begins to take hold. It reflects both the beauty and the inevitability of nature’s cycles.

We carried on walking past the big fallen log that I photographed a few weeks ago when our children and grandchildren came up from Suffolk to stay with us for the weekend

And then I then stepped off the path, as though through a bush into a dense, dark, and secluded pocket of tall trees. I often think that we spend too long looking at ‘the landscape’ and when we step into ‘the landscape’ and look out of it magical things can happen.

As we stepped into this shadowy space, it felt as though we entered a secret, magical world, far removed from modern life, a place to play, and our creative levels went up. I heard a number of the group say ‘yes’.


As the group created, I stopped to create a haiku into my tape recorder. I wanted the haiku to captures in words the enchanting feeling of stepping into a secret world, where creativity flourishes away from the noise of modern life.
Through the thickened brush,
Into shadows deep we tread,
Dreams awaken here

After lunch, shared at the picnic tables back at the cafe, we regrouped and set off once again, this time along the yellow route. We had to stand to oneside to allow a large lorry named ‘Woodster’ drive past. I wasn’t expecting lorries in the woods, but it shows how this is still a working area!
Our in afternoon goal was to reach the site of the medieval hermitage, a point of historical intrigue for many of us. There’s something about the idea of hermits living in this ancient forest centuries ago that adds a layer of mystique to the woods. However, despite our best efforts, we somehow got a little lost.

I did stumble upon the striking Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric mushroom. With its iconic bright red cap adorned with white spots, this mushroom is both beautiful and intriguing. Renowned worldwide, it’s notable not only for its aesthetic appeal but also for its complex nature—it is a psychoactive fungus. This means it can induce hallucinogenic effects, but it also poses risks; while some might consume it for its psychoactive properties, it can be toxic and potentially harmful if not prepared correctly. Caution is essential, as improper consumption can lead to severe health risks, including death!

One of the group recounted a story where a chef had said that you can eat all mushrooms, but some mushrooms you only get to eat once! Two of the group had spent the whole morning creating intimate photographs of mushrooms, and whether they came across any of these psychoactive fungi I do not know, but they arrived for lunch bouncing and very happy!!
This stopped to write another haiku, this time looking to reflect the enchanting yet perilous nature of the fly agaric mushroom, capturing both its allure and the caution it demands.
Scarlet cap adorned,
White spots dance in forest light,
Beauty cloaked in risk
We spent nearly five hours exploring Willingham Woods although a number of the group said the time had flown by. I was happy that most seemed to be going past just creating images and appeared to be looking to capture not just the landscape but the atmosphere—the moods, the shadows, and the light. I think this is where photogrpahy becomes really interesting.We decided to head back to the kiosk for a well-earned cup of tea. Though we didn’t reach the hermitage, the afternoon adventure was worth it.
In the coming days, I’ll update this post with some of the group’s photographs, showcasing what they captured during our woodland wanderings. And today, many of the same members will join me at Waters Edge in Barton Upon Humber for the second session of our series. I can’t wait to see what stories will unfold there.
This looks and sounds like a super walk, wish I could’ve been there!
Hi Viveca, thats really nice of you, thank you