Just wondered if any members had purchased their own woodland as I keep seeing woodland for sale (way out of my price range at the moment) and Im curious about how easy it is and if its even worth considering.
Buying woodland? Is it worth it?
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I guess that depends on what you want to do with it?
One of the issues that I see for using woodland as a commercial venture, coppicing, firewood, greenwoodwork etc,
is that the likes of woodlanduk buy up reasonable size woodland and then split it in to small plots for resale.
I would love about 40+ acres of woodland and I think that I could make a living from it...... possibly
atb
One of the issues that I see for using woodland as a commercial venture, coppicing, firewood, greenwoodwork etc,
is that the likes of woodlanduk buy up reasonable size woodland and then split it in to small plots for resale.
I would love about 40+ acres of woodland and I think that I could make a living from it...... possibly
atb
I was really just looking to use it for camping/bushcrafting really (I know its a lot of money to spend to make nothing back) but I cant seem to find any permissions locally or woodland where I can practice bushcrafty stuff without the police being called (knife/fires being spotted by dogwalkers)but have found small bits (5-7 acres) of woodlands for sale within 5 miles and thought that would be a perfect place for me to go.
Is it worth it? Depends really, people buy very expensive luxurious motor caravans and park them on their drives for 50 weeks of the year..waste of money in my opinion. Use it for motoring/ camping holidays 2 or 3 times a year and on many weekends then yes, it's a good move.
Same with woodlands in my view. When I'm not living on my boat, I'm living in my wood so for me personally the expense was well worth it, but I don't own a house or very much at all, and spend a lot of time in the wood, so perhaps it's different for people living different lives. I've no doubt you've noticed that the more inaccessable or situated in less popular areas the woodland is, the less expensive. Many buyers want vehicle access, water supply etc: and have to pay premium prices.
As far as the actual process of purchase is concerned and I only have the single experience to judge by remember, I would say it is extremely easy. Bought from an land agent and dealt with by a solicitor who handled the land registry searches etc: the whole process took under a month, but that may be that mine was a simple cash purchase of land with no public rights of way, no previous planning or developement history so legal enquiries were I imagine fairly straight forward.
As far as finding land is concerned, well it's a bit like applying for jobs I suppose, you have to keep looking at all possible sources. Not an occasional skim through the Internet. I saw a notice board on a piece of woodland which was way out of my price range but 'phoned them up and said" What have you got on your books that no-one wants?"
Reply, "Only this which is very isolated, no road access, never any hope of planning permission for anything at all and a bit of a wilderness really"
Yeehah! cracked it..
Same with woodlands in my view. When I'm not living on my boat, I'm living in my wood so for me personally the expense was well worth it, but I don't own a house or very much at all, and spend a lot of time in the wood, so perhaps it's different for people living different lives. I've no doubt you've noticed that the more inaccessable or situated in less popular areas the woodland is, the less expensive. Many buyers want vehicle access, water supply etc: and have to pay premium prices.
As far as the actual process of purchase is concerned and I only have the single experience to judge by remember, I would say it is extremely easy. Bought from an land agent and dealt with by a solicitor who handled the land registry searches etc: the whole process took under a month, but that may be that mine was a simple cash purchase of land with no public rights of way, no previous planning or developement history so legal enquiries were I imagine fairly straight forward.
As far as finding land is concerned, well it's a bit like applying for jobs I suppose, you have to keep looking at all possible sources. Not an occasional skim through the Internet. I saw a notice board on a piece of woodland which was way out of my price range but 'phoned them up and said" What have you got on your books that no-one wants?"
Reply, "Only this which is very isolated, no road access, never any hope of planning permission for anything at all and a bit of a wilderness really"
Yeehah! cracked it..
For me absolutely worth it to buy our very small section of a larger wood. And it's likely that the value will keep pace with inflation which is more than cash in the bank did but that wasn't the main motive.
Have a fire, camp and set up an archery field course with no club to tell me that I need a 3 month course to learn what I learnt aged 12 in a day or shoot my air pistol or crossbow when I want. Don't hunt on it preferring to watch the wildlife. Deer pass through and there is at least one active badger sett.
Also have plans for Living History experiments, prehistoric hut etc. Have introduced a few native wild foraging plants. A small stream that might produce panned specimens of tin or gold for interest rather than profit runs along the bottom and will be tested for potability.
If the motive is to enjoy then get one.
Have a fire, camp and set up an archery field course with no club to tell me that I need a 3 month course to learn what I learnt aged 12 in a day or shoot my air pistol or crossbow when I want. Don't hunt on it preferring to watch the wildlife. Deer pass through and there is at least one active badger sett.
Also have plans for Living History experiments, prehistoric hut etc. Have introduced a few native wild foraging plants. A small stream that might produce panned specimens of tin or gold for interest rather than profit runs along the bottom and will be tested for potability.
If the motive is to enjoy then get one.
Hi all
I was recently at a Forestry Commission forest health day where they were discussing the increase in new tree diseases.
Many of the commercial woodland owners and managers were looking pretty nervous when they left.
Red band needle blight and the various phytopthora species were particularly scary.
I'd do your research before investing in woodland for commercial reasons.
I was recently at a Forestry Commission forest health day where they were discussing the increase in new tree diseases.
Many of the commercial woodland owners and managers were looking pretty nervous when they left.
Red band needle blight and the various phytopthora species were particularly scary.
I'd do your research before investing in woodland for commercial reasons.
Thats exactly what i want it for, not even thinking about renting out or anything like that, just wanted my own bit of space to do my own thing. Im guessing a bit of shopping around and asking agents is the best way forward as the cheapest Ive found so far was over £50,000 for 7 acres of protected woodland and that sort of money just wont happen for me.
set up an archery field course with no club to tell me that I need a 3 month course to learn what I learnt aged 12 in a day....
...
......
If you want to shoot on the land you buy then ask if the shooting rights come with the deal as I have heard that sometimes the shooting rights have already been bought by syndicates?
I'm not sure how this works as it would be strange to own some land and have to let others shoot there while you cannot? If someone knows about this let me know as I feel I may be just reciting something I heard?
Steve.
I'm not sure how this works as it would be strange to own some land and have to let others shoot there while you cannot? If someone knows about this let me know as I feel I may be just reciting something I heard?
Steve.
Entirely possible for fishing/shooting rights to be sold separately from the land. Not sure how the access is arranged but possibly there could be a covenant allowing shooting access. Certainly something to check.
Quite true Steve. Sometimes people sell land and keep the shooting rights themselves, or sometimes the rights are let and the money goes to the previous owner, not the new owner. Something that a good solicitor will also find out is if there are any covenants on the land which allow other people access without your permission.
Of course as always these things alter the price, land with shooting rights is invariably more expensive than that without owner rights.
Of course as always these things alter the price, land with shooting rights is invariably more expensive than that without owner rights.
I have a couple of friend who either bought some woodland or lease a few acres, they all went though woodland.co.uk, fom what I know of their experience not one had any kind of issue with the process, Might be worth a look chap, they seem to present all the info regarding shooting,access and mineral rights on the ads themselves,
Thanks for all the advice and opinions. Its not something I can even think about considering at the moment, but am definately thinking about it for the future. Owning my own patch of woods is a dream to aim for. Thinking about hunting for a smaller patch (about an acre) in a bigger woodland area as this would keep the costs down.
Anyone know if its possible to get a mortgage for woodland or is it just houses or building plots you can get mortgages for? Sorry if thats a stupid question but Im not really clued up about that sort of thing.
Anyone know if its possible to get a mortgage for woodland or is it just houses or building plots you can get mortgages for? Sorry if thats a stupid question but Im not really clued up about that sort of thing.
I'd toyed with the idea of buying some woodland but unless it was right next to my house (unlikely, seeing as I live on an estate...) I wouldn't go there as often as I should. However, with a bit of networking, I've made some contacts and got some permissions to use other people's woodland so it doesn't cost me anything (unless I do some logging for them in exchange). Keep trying!
At the Sussex meet it's only £5 a night and you can come bristling with knives and light as many fires as you want - there's bound to be some sort of similar place nearer to you. Damn site cheaper than buying it and you don't have the responsibilty of maintaining it (pretty labour intensive, woodland management)
At the Sussex meet it's only £5 a night and you can come bristling with knives and light as many fires as you want - there's bound to be some sort of similar place nearer to you. Damn site cheaper than buying it and you don't have the responsibilty of maintaining it (pretty labour intensive, woodland management)
My advice is to follow your instinct - if you think it will be a good thing for you then it probably will.
A few practical points.
Buying woodland is relatively easy but there are a few things you should look out for. Once you find something you want to buy, hire the services of a solicitor experienced in land purchases ( I could recommend one if you get to that stage). He/she will conduct a search to check for any old covenants governing the land.
Things to look out for include shooting rights, as has been mentioned, the existence of a vehicular right of way (sometimes if this right hasn't been used for a while it can lapse I believe), public footpaths through the wood and any fencing obligations.
Not sure if you can get a mortgage on land purchase but as land is a far more stable asset than property and tends to appreciate gradually and consistently over time, it might be possible.
Good luck, it is a dream worth pursuing.
A few practical points.
Buying woodland is relatively easy but there are a few things you should look out for. Once you find something you want to buy, hire the services of a solicitor experienced in land purchases ( I could recommend one if you get to that stage). He/she will conduct a search to check for any old covenants governing the land.
Things to look out for include shooting rights, as has been mentioned, the existence of a vehicular right of way (sometimes if this right hasn't been used for a while it can lapse I believe), public footpaths through the wood and any fencing obligations.
Not sure if you can get a mortgage on land purchase but as land is a far more stable asset than property and tends to appreciate gradually and consistently over time, it might be possible.
Good luck, it is a dream worth pursuing.
.....but as land is a far more stable asset than property and tends to appreciate gradually and consistently over time....
That's an excellent point by Treadlightly, in fact it was one of the deciding factors for me to purchase. I was happy to pay occasionally to camp on recognised 'open fire' sights, but getting older and seeing savings becoming either stagnant or losing value, I decided to buy. Something for me now and of benefit to the Grand kids when I snuff it, rather than £'s worth pennies in the future..
That's an excellent point by Treadlightly, in fact it was one of the deciding factors for me to purchase. I was happy to pay occasionally to camp on recognised 'open fire' sights, but getting older and seeing savings becoming either stagnant or losing value, I decided to buy. Something for me now and of benefit to the Grand kids when I snuff it, rather than £'s worth pennies in the future..
widu13
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
If anyone knows of any deer infested substantial woodland/heath up to about £150k (with shooting rights) let me know please 
You could perhaps scout out your intended area (maybe firstly with a 1:25k or larger scale map) for small parcels of woodland and then track down the owner(s). You never know, you might find a farmer willing to sell you an acre or two or three of woodland. Ensure you have a legal right of access if there's no public highway access. And fence it to keep his stock out!
Another thought is a cooperative with a good buddy or two: a couple of families with similar ideals sharing a piece of woodland could be an option? Outlay could be less, or you'd get more woodland for the same outlay when shared.
Or if time is not of the essence, try and buy a field and plant your own wood. You can still use it to camp in in the meantime and can start utilising the wood crop when you start to thin the planting. You'd need to ensure you comply with local change of use policy. (Of course, hammocking is not an option for a while!)
You might like to take a look at www.johnclegg.co.uk. Whilst these tend to be larger parcels (147 acres down your way, a snip for a half a mil!) some smaller lots are sometimes available.
Good luck with your search...
Another thought is a cooperative with a good buddy or two: a couple of families with similar ideals sharing a piece of woodland could be an option? Outlay could be less, or you'd get more woodland for the same outlay when shared.
Or if time is not of the essence, try and buy a field and plant your own wood. You can still use it to camp in in the meantime and can start utilising the wood crop when you start to thin the planting. You'd need to ensure you comply with local change of use policy. (Of course, hammocking is not an option for a while!)
You might like to take a look at www.johnclegg.co.uk. Whilst these tend to be larger parcels (147 acres down your way, a snip for a half a mil!) some smaller lots are sometimes available.
Good luck with your search...
widu13
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
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