A former Royal Marine Commando is using his skills to lead fascinating walks in the wild woods of Hertfordshire.
The last time anyone of military rank led me on a hike, it briefly involved a siren, distant smoke and the narrow alleyways of a Middle Eastern settlement. The only sounds I’m hearing are those of a song thrush, an idling brook and the occasional snapping of a birch twig.
This assignment is, thankfully, much closer to home and I’m in the considerably safer surroundings of Northaw Great Wood with former Royal Marine Commando Ian Finch. The only defensive lines on his mind are those of the pollarded hornbeams that flank Cuffley Camp.
"If you look that way, you can see a long line of them. That’s not unusual. They often were grown as natural hardwood boundaries." The logs on which we are standing would typically be used for anything from piano keys and cobblers’ shoe stands and, at one time, Roman chariots.
Despite being just north of Potters Bar and the M25, we are enveloped by 540 acres of often dense forestry. We're following bracken pathways through an area whose history is as rich as its flora and fauna, parts of which were once the playgrounds of Norman barons and used to provide timber to fuel local hearths.
His new company, Walk Wild, takes small groups on such rambles half a dozen times a month, as well as monthly camping trips in some of Herts' most verdant countryside; each trip with a strong educational emphasis.
Northaw Great Wood, a site of Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1953, is one he knows well as someone who grew up and lives in Potters Bar.
Ian takes a break from explaining the logic behind the pruning, pollarding and coppicing of large areas of birch, oak, ash and sycamore and pauses to take in a holly tree.
"Now, these are super intelligent," he says, explaining how a tree will re-form itself to adapt to new surroundings, such as the emergence of a bridle or pathway, so as to avoid getting knocked about.
As we pass the edge of Cuffley Camp, he recalls his first camping trip there as a child, a rather terrifying one given that he was huddled in a small bell tent during a thunderstorm.
Luckily that didn’t deter a love of the outdoors. Long before he joined the marines and trained in Arctic and mountain warfare, he and a pal at Chancellor's School in Brookmans Park would wander off into the woods to build campfires and construct makeshift shelters for the night.
So, what sort of people join him on his expeditions? "All sorts. I’d say it’s about 60-40 in favour of women, although there isn’t a typical client. I do get quite a few repeat visitors who like to get out and about every few weeks."
They include parents with young children, fitness types and retirees who have enjoyed everything from the glorious dappling sun to snow that once tipped the temperature scale to -8 degrees. So, is learning about the woods and wildlife the draw – or merely a chance for some peace and quiet?
"It’s obvious that people really do want to increase their awareness," he says. "They do show genuine interest which is pretty impressive. And they bring a lot of knowledge too, which probably has something to do with the access to information we have these days.
"I like to think we’re just sowing the seeds of people’s love of nature and giving them the tools to enjoy it. That, and teaching them nature is not a scary place. I like to include a mindful 15 minutes in a walk just to reflect and hear the birdsong."
Great Northaw Wood itself is an interesting case study, combining the welcome spaces of a country park, while maintaining the protection of a nature reserve. Some of that protection falls to local volunteers who help with such things as managing vegetation, controlling invasive species like rhododendron, which if unchecked – like the wood itself - would run wild.
Ian adds: "It changes all the time. In a while, we’ll see the bluebells and the ferns up to seven feet high. Those who come back regularly see those changes and that keeps them coming back. And me.
"It’s a like a sanctuary; somewhere to come and generate ideas and think. Seriously, how can you not feel relaxed in a place like this?"
For more on Ian Finch's walks, trips and workshops, go to walkwild.co.uk. A full version of this article appears in the current issue of Hertfordshire Life magazine.
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