Hello. Looking for our woodland

[Campievanner]

Hi to all.
We live in Manchester and after toying with the idea of a woodland for about ten years (but didn't go to see any - mores the pity) we have decided to start looking seriously for "our" woodland.

For us the access is the main part (as opposed to distance ideally within about 2 hours) as we would like to visit it in our campervan for weekends about once or twice a month.

So far we have been to see 2 plots, both in N.Wales that were just a bit too steep. We were planning to visit the following weekend another couple, but they have sold. We are looking at the usual 2 woodland sale sites and looked at general land on websites.

Does anyone have any suggestions of other ways to go about our search and places to look at ? thanks Janet

[Dexter's Shed]

my suggestions,

max 1hour away, I know you say you want to drive there in camper for weekends one a month, trust me, I too thought I'd visit once a fortnight, well that goes out the window once you become an owner, I spend at least one day per week, if not more,
think about your weekends there, 4 hours wasted travelling, why not just buy a cheap caravan and site that, cheaper and quicker to travel in car, plus unless you have hard roads in and out of the woods, then you'll get stuck in the winter mush

[Binz]

4x4 campervan and add some decent tyres? e.g. Mazda Bongo or VW Syncro

[SimonFisher]

For us the access is the main part (as opposed to distance ideally within about 2 hours) as we would like to visit it in our campervan for weekends about once or twice a month.

Our wood is a fifty miles journey, takes upto an hour depending on whether I've got my trailer with me and of course traffic conditions. For us that's probably about as long as we want to spend getting there and back. You may well feel differently, and of course the availability of the right woodland plays a big part. When we got ours we had no real idea other than it being a little piece of our own quiteness to escape to. For the first year we were down every weekend just walking around, relaxing and enjoying. Now we're into active management of it, have a second piece more or less ajacent and I can't imagine life without.

So far we have been to see 2 plots, both in N.Wales that were just a bit too steep. We were planning to visit the following weekend another couple, but they have sold. We are looking at the usual 2 woodland sale sites and looked at general land on websites.

I'd see as many as you can to get an idea of what you like and what you don't, see the area they're in. Just because it's 'sold' doesn't mean it won't fall through and come back on the market. Maybe even the seller will be open to a higher offer. You may also see one 'plot' of a larger woodland, another 'plot' of which may come up for sale later.

What are the sale sites you're looking at? Without telling us, we can't know they're the usual ones

Good luck

Simon

[oldclaypaws]

Manchester is at the centre of a huge urban metropolis and you'll probably have to travel some way to find a green haven. I had a look for you on Rightmove, land < £80k within 40 miles of Manchester, but was surprised how little there was that might have been of interest to you. You can set up searches on Rightmove and Primelocation to get email alerts on anything matching your interest, it does turn stuff up you'd otherwise miss, much of it from local agents selling at auctions. Wales is a likely hunting ground, there are woods regularly coming up there and the prices can be more reasonable than elsewhere. The downside is they tend mainly to be conifers on slopes (Wales has a few of those), small level deciduous woods with good access are difficult to find, you'll need patience and can expect intense competition when you find a good one, so if it feels like the right one don't dither. Have the finances in place so you can act quickly.

No doubt you're referring to our 'hosts', woodlands.co.uk and rivals woodlands4sale, they do cater well for the smaller amenity market. Have you looked at John Cleggs? They tend to have larger woods, even 'forests' of hundreds of acres, but also have smaller ones. This one might be of interest, if at the outer edge of your search patch? Their slow tendering system of inviting offers is rather stressful, a fixed price or auction is quicker and more 'open'.

http://www.johnclegg.co.uk/uk-&-ireland-property-search/property-detail/?id=832&filter_region=2/7/0&filter_price=&page=1

Be aware that if you were to get anything in a National Park or AONB like The Peak District, Snowdonia or The Lakes, it comes with strict planning laws; you'll be unlikely to get consent for a 'shed'. Wooded areas outside AONB's and 'Parks have a presumption in favour of a 'toolstore and shelter for forestry purposes' using planning prior notification, which opens the possibility of a little hut on site as a weekend shelter or a fixed caravan.

What size and budget do you have in mind? Most of us seem to have around the 3 to 8 acres size, as you'll have seen depending on the nature of the ground and trees prices can vary between £5K up to £12K per acre, small one or two acre plots can be even higher.

Good luck, patience and happy hunting, its worth it.

[Campievanner]

Thank you for all your replies they have given us lots to think about and research. OldClaypaws was correct with the 2 websites

We are probably really looking or something under 4 acres - although the one near York is a very good price per acre , I wonder if there are covenant on it to prevent splitting/selling on part after purchase. I have signed for email updates from John Clegg & Co too so hopefully we wil get more ideas.

The weekend is nearly upon us so might be able to go looking around some - even if they aren't ideal it is good exercise and always birds to watch.

Open to any suggestions if anyone sees anything around.

[oldclaypaws]

The Cleggs one near York might seem a good price, but that's just to attract interest. Its has a guide price, not a fixed one, and if several people (as usual) are interested, it'll go to sealed bids by a certain deadline, so you'd have to try and guess what others might be likely to pay and then try to beat that. I went through that process with Cleggs and missed out, although it was a blessing in disguise as I ended up with a better wood.

It also has mature timber ready for harvesting, so someone might be tempted to take out most of the sellable timber, replant, then perhaps sell it again as a 'recently thinned and now regenerating' amenity wood, for a quick profit. Many of Cleggs properties are commercial plantations and the value will depend by degrees on the stage the timber is at. Mature woods with valuable timber approaching maturity cost a premium compared to younger woods.

[Binz]

woodlands co uk will have covenant preventing splitting it up and also preventing things like motor sport. We are in AONB and neighbouring owners have caravans, shipping containers, etc.

Do you have a list of criteria to help you decide which is right for you? e.g. north facing or south facing, water, open on 1 or more sides, closeness/remoteness to others, conifers or deciduous.
there are pros and cons to several aspects, e.g. we are close to the woodlands gate which means we have easier access than plots further into the larger woodland, handy for us and also for visitors who have 2wd cars, downside is you can hear the road. And the most important criteria is how does it feel when you are there.

distance? we are about 80 minutes away (planning ahead as it's near where we want to retire to). It would be good to be closer as you can then just pop in on a whim for an hour or so rather than planning a day.

[Wendelspanswick]

woodlands co uk will have covenant preventing splitting it up and also preventing things like motor sport. We are in AONB and neighbouring owners have caravans, shipping containers, etc.

Do you have a list of criteria to help you decide which is right for you? e.g. north facing or south facing, water, open on 1 or more sides, closeness/remoteness to others, conifers or deciduous.
there are pros and cons to several aspects, e.g. we are close to the woodlands gate which means we have easier access than plots further into the larger woodland, handy for us and also for visitors who have 2wd cars, downside is you can hear the road. And the most important criteria is how does it feel when you are there.

distance? we are about 80 minutes away (planning ahead as it's near where we want to retire to). It would be good to be closer as you can then just pop in on a whim for an hour or so rather than planning a day.

Have to agree with Binz, we are also in an AONB and had no problem with a Prior Notification application for a 10m by 5m shed.

[smojo]

I spent hours trawling the internet for places that sell woodlands other than the "big two" and found very few that had anything suitable. Often there are several agents advertising the same woods. Right Move are worth looking at. I found a few on there though they weren't what I wanted.

As for distance from home. Dexter is right, you will end up wanting to go more and more. Mine is 55 miles away and takes about 75 minutes usually. Don't rule out anything over an hour though. I came to the conclusion that I would have to accept compromise on what I wanted as the ideal otherwise I would be looking forever. The upsides of not having it on my doorstep is a) my wife doesn't become a "woodland widow" b) I tend to make a full day of it and try to get plenty done rather than just popping in for half an hour or so. c) no danger of getting bored or over-familiar with it - each visit becomes something I really loo forward to