ON A chilly morning down at the lido on Wycombe Rye, mist rises over the warm blue-lit water.
Barely distinguishable swimmers emerge from the half-light, as if in an advertisement for an Icelandic geothermal spring.
As dawn breaks, swimmers turning their eyes skywards may see fluffy clouds tinged with pink, or vapour trails slicing through the fabric of a clear blue sky.
It’s crisp and cold and calm: October in the Chilterns, when the woods are ablaze with colour and families are searching out their scarves and winter coats to make the most of the seasonal spectacle.
Autumnwatch is back on our screens, the pumpkins are suddenly swamping the supermarket shelves and a host of animals and birds are stocking up for the winter months.
It’s a month when the woods are alive with a glorious array of shapes and textures, when our attention might be grabbed by the night-time cry of a fox or muntjac, by honking geese or calling owls, by the fantastic colours of swirling leaves and ripe berries.
This is the rutting season, where the roar of a stag can be heard from afar, and free-roaming red and fallow deer in parks across the area may be exhibiting some unusual behaviour, as well as physical changes.
In the grounds of Windsor’s Great Park the autumn rutting season may have an extra resonance for visitors following the deaths of the Queen and Prince Philip.
After all, the current herd are all descendants of 40 hinds and two stags introduced in 1979 by the Duke of Edinburgh, and visitors today may be only too keenly aware of the late monarch’s absence from her beloved castle.
It’s a month of eager foraging for humans and rich pickings for birds, insects and mammals alike, with trees and bushes bursting with tasty treats.
In kitchens across the Chilterns, pots and pans have been bubbling with jams and jellies, crumbles and preserves. Windows have been steamed up as cooks have dusted off their recipes for rosehip syrup, sweet chestnut stuffing or crab apple jelly.
The rich, rapidly-changing colours and glorious textures of October make it a favourite with photographers, especially deep in the woods where the green, yellow and russet hues contrast so beautifully with the rugged outlines of ancient trees and when the sky can contain so many surprises, especially at dawn and dusk.
Years after the pandemic, there may not be quite as many families exploring the local woods, but the natural world still provides a lifeline to millions, an escape from the stresses and strains of frantic modern living and the all-pervasive hubbub of social media.
As Peak District photographer Suzanne Howard – better known as @peaklass on her social media feeds – posted: “Sometimes, when the world is too noisy and sad, it helps to walk into the kaleidoscope of an autumn country lane.
“To hear nothing but your footsteps and the leaves falling, and to feel the solidity of old trees arching their boughs over you. I hope everyone can find their lane.”
Nature writer Melissa Harrison picks up on the theme of sound in her book The Stubborn Light of Things. She writes: “Sound is such a vital part of our relationship with nature, and yet – apart from birdsong – it’s so easily overlooked.”
Marvelling at the silence surrounding her country cottage in rural Suffolk, she wrote: “For most of our history, total silence – and total darkness – would have been nothing unusual at all.
“This new quietness has made me more aware of sound , from the mysterious creature which processes across my roof each night to the rain gurgling relentlessly in the gutters and the noise the wind makes as it rushes through the last of the ash leaves, tattered and yellowing.”
As the end of the month approaches, houses bedecked with cobwebs, witches and carved pumpkin lanterns welcome the little parties of ghouls and ghosts trotting round to see neighbours, a prelude to the noisy parties of Bonfire Night.
Away from the welcoming lights and lanterns, from the banks of the Thames to Ivinghoe Beacon, the ancient trees sleep on undisturbed: a fascinating landscape with thousands of hidden pathways, Roman roads and drovers’ routes to explore.
We’re grateful, as always, to those hardy souls who are out and about in all weathers capturing the beauty of the local countryside and its wildlife in all its glory, some with inquisitive canine companions, others content to savour the opportunity for peace and quiet reflection.
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