Salcey Forest - For bird's-eye views

“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” » Mahatma Gandhi

Salcey Forest is an oasis of nature and history only 7 miles from the centre of Northampton. Wildlife and history are in abundance at this ancient semi-natural woodland.

 The Tree Top Way rises to 15 metres above the woodland floor, with a crow’s nest platform at 20 metres reached by steps. The structure offers stunning views across Salcey Forest and the adjoining woodlands of Yardley Chase.

 The structure provides you with a totally different perspective – a bird’s eye-view. If you feel it wobble and bounce, don’t worry, it is designed that way! It is also accessible for wheelchairs at 1.5 metres wide, with a gradient of just under 1:10, and there are resting points every 24 metres.

 Up to 3 metres above the ground, the Tree Top Way is made from green oak cut from Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®) certified and sustainably managed local Northamptonshire woodlands. Above 3 metres, the sub structure is steelwork, using radio mast bridge technology. The project also used innovative stress-laminated bridge technology. Both techniques were pioneered by Forest Civil Engineering in Scotland.

  The elephant pond - named as such because it is where elephants bathed from a local travelling circus, after they were enlisted to help extract timber during the Second World War – onto the tree top way. The tree top way is a wooden boardwalk rising to 15m above ground level, finishing with a viewing platform at 20 meters with views over the forest and the surrounding countryside; a fantastic way to see the different autumn colours from a bird’s eye perspective.

 The walk leads you through semi-natural ancient woodland where you can view a vivid colour display from the native oak, ash and hazel trees. You take a path which skirts around Salcey lawn – a relic of the medieval hunting lawn. The walk then passes a ‘folly’ bench at the crossroads next to the Church Path Oak – perfect for a rest whilst sheltered under your very own thatched roof!

 “For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.” » Martin Luther

 “Walk tall as the trees, live strong as the mountains, be gentle as the spring winds, keep the warmth of the summer sun in your heart and the great spirit will always be with you.” » Native American proverb