Woodlands??

[Welshwiz11]

Hi all, just wondering what peepsthoughts are on buying a woodland? Has anybody got one? What are the benefits/ pitfalls? This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while

[pseudonym]

If you are young enough, have your mortgage paid off, have savings aplenty, pension sorted I say go for it.

You have a place to take yourself/ family for nice breaks all year around dependant on any covenants.

You can practice your bug out routines, bushcrafting skills

You are now a landowner with the responsibilities that entails in custodianship/management of the wood.

Wild campers will see it as a secluded spot and Leave No Trace.

Any numpties will see your wood if close to a footpath/main road as a place they can party they will not adhere to the LNT.


If I was 30 years younger I would of gone for it.

[Deeps]

I'd love a wood, finances dictate otherwise though. Some come up for sale not far from me from time to time and I keep half an eye on them but its pipe dream stuff for now.

[Arzosah]

I'd love a woodland, if I were a bit younger. Even land - a friend has just moved to a commutable distance outside Sheffield, and they have 11 acres, with a liveable house already built on it, and only need one salary to pay the mortgage and all the bills. Land might be preferable in some ways, fast trees won't take long to shoot up.

Holidays, practising, establishing habitats for this that and the other, planting perennial veg. that might be very useful in a bad time, safeguarding a stream, establishing new plants there like watercress ... it's endless, what you could do. Certainly disguising the entry a bit, so that numpties don't recognise it, making sure you're not right next to any public rights of way if possible, and research the laws about what you can use for fencing and preventing access.

I wouldn't buy very close to the sea or sea level, but I'd get close - foraging on the seashore, fishing, bringing back seaweed and broken shell to fertilise the soil ...

And if things did start to go very wrong, you could even set up a cache of bulky stuff there, like the post-apocalypse fiction always talks about

[Welshwiz11]

I’ve seen a few now up for sale. Ranging from a cred card doable amount to a full blown mortgage. Some close and some 30 miles or so away. It certainly is appealing, and I agree you could plant fruit trees and veg and maybe stick a pond with fish. But you always run the risk of plonkers finding it and ruining it. You can’t be there 24:7 if it’s not your main place of residence. This has been a pipe dream of mine for years now. 38 so I’d still class myself as young don’t ya think????

[Deeps]

I’ve seen a few now up for sale. Ranging from a cred card doable amount to a full blown mortgage. Some close and some 30 miles or so away. It certainly is appealing, and I agree you could plant fruit trees and veg and maybe stick a pond with fish. But you always run the risk of plonkers finding it and ruining it. You can’t be there 24:7 if it’s not your main place of residence. This has been a pipe dream of mine for years now. 38 so I’d still class myself as young don’t ya think????

I'm 50 and still think I'm young enough so aye, you definitely are. I'll be near 60 when our mortgage is paid off though so unless its an inheritance I'll need to wait. Seen some near me for c30K so not THAT far out the way. We also fancy a motorhome so not likely to be able to do both. Real First World problem eh ????

[xplosiv1]

I grew up with 500 acres of woodland at the end of my parents back garden ...... it was amazing and I do really miss it, I'd probably get more use out of it now than I did when I was a kid.

I've been looking over the past few years at properties here in Scotland some are just super expensive or cheap but not exactly convenient to get to or near anywhere I could actually live and work.

I seen a property up for sale a while back that was beautiful , not that I have the cash (circa £2M it's out of my league) it was over 5,000 acres with several houses and barns etc, your own glen, some woodland, some marshland, part of the property ran down to a loch, it had a large stream too and a small lake and private roads ..... ugh I can only dream.

[Arzosah]

I’ve seen a few now up for sale. Ranging from a cred card doable amount to a full blown mortgage. Some close and some 30 miles or so away.

Not *quite* sure what your definition is of a credit card amount, but if it was within *my* definition, I'd consider it And the further away might be the better, or maybe ... thinking of redundancy, near enough so that you could use a pushbike to get there, and still have some welly left to do a bit of work on it, even if its just using a scythe or something.

It certainly is appealing, and I agree you could plant fruit trees and veg and maybe stick a pond with fish.

That sounds like it wouldn't be your first choice? What would you choose to do with it?

And as far as a pond goes, can I point you in the direction of https://duckweedgardening.com/ run by a research scientist with a passion for her subject. Talk about ways to increase soil fertility

But you always run the risk of plonkers finding it and ruining it. You can’t be there 24:7 if it’s not your main place of residence.

Is that what you're hoping for, a main place of residence type thing? I was shocked in a good way when my online acquaintance managed it with her 11 acres, but if thats what you want, a "big garden" type place might be more the way to go, rather than woodland, under current regs.

This has been a pipe dream of mine for years now. 38 so I’d still class myself as young don’t ya think????

Yes, I do those of us who're saying "if I was younger" are a fair bit older than that, sadly If you want it, go for it. The time will go by whether or not you do it! DYOR, though, and be sure what you actually *do* want good luck!

[Welshwiz11]

Cheapest I’ve seen in wales is 19k, still a push. For somewhere to go and play at the weekend. I think there is some scope for a joint purchase with the right ppl. This wouldn’t be a place of residence as I believe you can only stay the max of 30 days there. It would be a safe haven to travel to in a SHTF situation. Where you can cache equipment and supplies and live out the carnage lol

[Deeps]

Cheapest I’ve seen in wales is 19k, still a push. For somewhere to go and play at the weekend. I think there is some scope for a joint purchase with the right ppl. This wouldn’t be a place of residence as I believe you can only stay the max of 30 days there. It would be a safe haven to travel to in a SHTF situation. Where you can cache equipment and supplies and live out the carnage lol

Something to consider for a SHTF scenarios is that most people wouldn't give a crap for who owns it so if that's your logic you'd be just as well finding a site that suits and burying some gear anyway. In a moment of red wine inspired weakness I bought a 30L air/water tight container to bury at my preferred wild camping site. Its still sat in the garage unused and unloved.... for now. I fancy a wood for 'now', my missus would hardly see me and the dugs would love it too.