I start with a definition.

Scowle: a topographical feature particularly (and perhaps uniquely) associated with the Forest of Dean.

I imagine a scowle to be a kind of dell or hollow with high mossy and fern-laden banks, dripping and dark, earthy and verdant. I have never been to the Forest of Dean, and I have never seen a scowle, but I have experienced dark and disquieting woodland corners, and I think they may describe what I hope this blog to be: an exploration of landscape and ecology.

Much has been, and will continue to be, written about landscape. It forms a large sub-discipline of cultural geography, is studied in art history, literature, and geology. This blog won't be academic. I'm not sure what it will be, but I can see the path ahead, just about.