It had been a while since I had enjoyed the atmosphere, sights and sounds of a proper woodland and everything it has to offer. The part of Wiltshire I visited has quite a few lesser-known woodlands, tucked away from the more well-known areas.

That was exactly what I was looking for, so I headed to the largest one of them, Bentley Wood, for an evening walk and to explore the area.

I had no set route. After looking over the woodland on Google Maps and What3words.com beforehand, I could see a network of main tracks criss-crossing the woodland, along with smaller trails, open areas and fields around its edges.

I arrived on a Thursday evening with only a few hours of daylight left before sunset. I knew there wasn’t enough time to explore the whole woodland, so I simply headed in to enjoy whatever I could find.

I entered via the Park Lane entrance and followed one of the wide, well-maintained tracks into the woodland. It didn’t take long before the place made an impression on me. The sound of birds high in the canopy, mixed with those calling from the brambles and bracken below, filled the air.

The amount of birdlife was remarkable. Birds seemed to be everywhere. They flew in and out of the low brambles beside the paths, perched in the trees above and landed openly on the tracks ahead of me. I don’t think I’ve ever walked through a woodland with so much constant birdsong.

It wasn’t long before I was able to leave the main track and follow a narrower trail deeper into the trees. Mature native woodland standing on one side, while plantation trees lined the other, as I headed south.

I had read that Bentley Wood is well known for its butterflies, but I didn’t see many during my visit. Instead, it was the birds that turned out to be the highlight and the real stars. At one crossroads, I stopped simply to listen. I watched a robin ruffle its feathers and hopped between two thin twigs, just a few metres away.

The sun was dropping lower in the sky, the warm orange light penetrating through gaps in the canopy. The sound of bees moving busily from bramble flower to bramble flower collecting nectar, interrupted only by the sound of a helicopter passing overhead and a passing train somewhere in the far distance.

I came across several deer during my walk. For a few moments we simply stood looking at one another before they quietly bounded away, their white tails disappearing into the undergrowth.

Eventually I reached the edge of the woodland where it’s bordered by open fields. From there, I began looking for a suitable spot for the night.

Along the way I passed several tall wooden and metal platforms, some draped with camouflage netting. I wasn’t sure whether they were used for wildlife observation or something else, but I had seen similar structures before while walking the South Downs Way.

I also discovered several fenced-off areas. At first I thought they were protecting young trees from deer, but on closer inspection they turned out to be newly created ponds, complete with sandy banks and stagnant water. It looked as though new habitats were being created for wildlife.

There were quite a few of these ponds scattered throughout the woodland. Some already had reeds growing around the edges, while another looked as though they had only recently been dug.

Later, I came across a large, mature pond with a simple wooden bench beside it. This was possibly what the newer ponds might eventually look like in the future.

I was presently surprised the woodland stayed cool despite the ongoing summer heatwave. The trees made a world of difference in reducing the temperature, to a comfortable and cooler place in which to escape from the heat.

My complete packing list for this overnight trip is available here.

Eventually I found two suitable trees in a quieter part of the woodland among young fir and pine. The ground was covered with dry leaves with only a few patches of grasses, and no bracken or brambles around. It was free from any nesting birds, and an ideal place to set up the hammock without disturbing any wildlife.

Choosing a suitable place to camp is always about minimising your impact and avoiding unnecessary disturbance.

As darkness fell, the woodland remained full of life and full of noises. I watched an owl glide silently through the canopy and listened as deer barked somewhere deeper in the trees. Other noises, some unfamiliar approached closer to me, then moved away and then returned again. I never knew what was making them, but they certainly added to the creepiness of spending a night surrounded by the woodland.

By morning, the woodland felt even more beautiful. Light mist had settled over the clearings, while the dawn chorus echoed through the trees. It was one of those moments where you just have to stop and take everything in.

As I walked over to film the mist in a clearing, I heard branches snapping behind a line of bushes, followed by the deep bark of a mature stag. The sound echoed across the woodland. Even though I never saw the stag, I heard it bark several more times before everything gradually fell quiet again. This was a truly wonderful moment and joy to experience.

Bentley Wood turned out to be far more than I had expected. I had hoped for a quiet and peaceful evening surrounded by trees, but what stood out the most was the sheer amount of birdlife. From the moment I arrived until the moment I left the following morning, the woodland felt full of life.

I was hoping for a slow and quiet place where I could simply soak up the atmosphere and slow down, and Bentley Wood didn’t disappoint.

If you enjoy quieter woodland camps, you might also like my overnight trip into the New Forest.