A childhood in Norfolk

by Jess French
A childhood in Norfolk is, I suppose, much like any other. The components are all the same. Soil, grass, trees, water, friends, long evenings of making mischief… The magic of being a child is that the whole world is your playground. And what greater inspiration for imaginative play than mother nature herself? The natural world offers an endless supply of games and adventure. But I think ours were extra special. We were the luckiest of all child explorers. Because the backdrop for our stories was a mystical wood in the centre of the city. Mousehold Heath. 88 hectares of woodland, steeped in history and intrigue.

When I was a kid, ‘playing out’ was the ultimate way to spend my evenings. Escaping the monotony of homework and television to explore a playground of heathland and forest. My friends and I would head out of our respective doors in synchrony as our mothers’ cries of ‘BE BACK IN TIME FOR TEA’ fell on deaf and indifferent ears. As we snaked our way through the avenues and cul-de-sacs of our modest Sprowston homes, our paths would eventually converge on the wrong side of the ring road. Our broad-leaf forest adventure lay just one dangerous crossing away, calling us to lose ourselves in her hills and caves, fields and bridalways, ponds and trees. We never crossed at the lights of course. We’d run and weave our way across, often to the sound of blaring horns and skidding tyres. Dangerous and irresponsible, we thought the world was ours, not considering for a second that our reckless actions could have any effect on anyone’s lives but our own. I have since wondered how my childhood dog, Monty, ever managed to cross this road alone. For we had often found him here, having escaped the garden for the hundredth time and navigated that snaking labyrinth of cul-de-sacs, just as we did daily. I like to think that, just like us, Monty had been unable to resist the call of this mysterious nature reserve and its entrancing sounds and smells – particularly exciting for a scent hound.

There is something about a nature reserve in the centre of a city that brings the generations together

Jess French
What a marvellous gift to the imagination a wild space such as Mousehold is. Such varied landscapes, dense woodland and winding trails that you can be convinced that you are lost within only minutes of entering. The forest was our castle, our kitchen, our hiding place, our spaceship, our stage and our inspiration. It also taught us about sharing, social interaction and resourcefulness. We were not the only group of children to make use of her abundant natural resources for our dens and tree houses. Frequently we would arrive at favoured spots to find our shelters modified and expanded. In response we would add to (and sometimes take from!) theirs. There was something primal about this unspoken communication with our fellow explorers. Something delightful about our playful interactions with our peers and the natural world.

I often worry that these connections are being lost. That children now are simply not aware of the pure pleasure that can be extracted from a close encounter with nature. And then I visit a school group. I take them on a Minibeast Adventure or a nature walk. And I realise that we are all the same - it is inherent in our nature that we are fascinated by the plants and creatures that populate our planet. All any of us need is the opportunity to ignite this passion and the fire will naturally take its hold.

Mousehold Heath, photo by Will Stewart

In Norfolk we are inordinately fortunate to have some of the most enthralling and beautiful wild spaces in the whole of the country. In Mousehold Heath alone it is possible to spot green and purple hairstreaks, small copper butterflies, cuckoo bees, slow worms, common lizards, sparrowhawks, tawny owls and – in early spring – huge congregations of frogs, mating in the vinegar ponds. A nature walk in Mousehold is a glimpse into another world, where unimaginable creatures play out unbelievable lives. It is a world away from the streets that surround it, yet it is right in the middle of bustling, cosmopolitan city. It is free to enter and changes daily with the weather and the season, yet is consistently and repeatedly neglected for the ever-brighter glare of luminescent screens.

And yet I am sure that I am not alone in admitting that I often don’t make time to appreciate this incredible resource. I am often too tired, too busy, too full of excuses to force myself to indulge my imagination in the way I did as a child. To make myself open my glazed city eyes and observe the marvels of nature that are right there on my doorstep. Luckily for me, I have recently acquired a puppy. The weather, my busy schedule and my desire to collapse on the sofa at the end of a long day do not detract from Baxter’s basic daily doggy requirements. He is forcing me to re-connect with the natural world - and my heritage.

Small Copper, photo by David North

When I walk Baxter through the heath and past the vinegar ponds, I am reminded of old adventures, lost friends and family members past. Of grandparents’ laughter, of tales of their own childhoods on the heath, of sledging exploits with cousins that have dispersed far across the globe, of walks with dogs that have touched and changed our lives forever. There is something about a nature reserve in the centre of a city that brings the generations together. Like many Norfolk families, we have been here for what seems like forever. Stories of my ancestors’ exploits in Norfolk extend back to the time of Nelson himself. Nelson’s county has been our home for as long as the records go back, and I’ve no doubt that our feet have been muddied by the paths of Mousehold Heath for just as long.

My travels have taken me far and wide and I’ve enjoyed many an adventure across the globe. But I’m rooted nowhere as deeply as the flat expanses of Norfolk. I could not summarise it better than this man on returning from the Battle of the Nile in 1800: ‘I am myself a Norfolk [gal] and glory in being so!’

Jess French, Presenter of Minibeast Adventure on Children’s BBC and a children’s author.