SAVERNAKE 500

Savernake Forest is an historic Woodland Forest situated within the southern half of the County of Wiltshire. Savernake or SAFERNOC as it was known in early Saxon times, was not always a Woodland area but more of an 'Open' Hunting area that was used for leisure purposes by the Royals of that time.
Soon after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror passed 'Wardenship' of SAFERNOC to one of his Knights who fought at Hastings. This Wardenship has since been passed through the family from father to son (or daughter's husband, on three occasions) in an unbroken line for 31 generations, and during that time it has continued to be used by the Royals of the day for leisure purposes.(Hunting)
As the years moved on, more recent Wardens of this Forest decided to develop the area into a 'WOODLAND' Forest, and this is what we have today.
With the exception of a small number of private roads, the complete forest remains open to the general public for pedestrian access. However, there is only one road, The Grand Avenue, that is open for public vehicular traffic. The Grand Avenue is the longest straight avenue within the UK.
There are also many aged Oak trees within the confines of SAFERNOC and many have names that hark back to more ancient times.
The purpose of my book - SAVERNAKE 500 - is two-fold. Firstly, the information, detail and actions found within the covers of this book, have been generated due to an annual requirement of mine to participate in fundraising Events in aid of COLOSTOMY UK. Secondly, I felt that I needed to publicise the Wildlife, vegetation, Trees and other obvious signs of the History of this wonderful area for the benefit of others who have not yet had the pleasure of finding it for themselves.
For the last four years I have been involved in the Charity Events of Colostomy UK and each year I have conducted my event within the confines of SAFERNOC. Over this four year period I have covered approximately 1000 miles. 2024 was the year that my event enabled me to cover around 550 miles, hence the title of my book. This book will hopefully share the details of my Trek with the wider public to enjoy.