Are all benches equal?
Perhaps an obscure question.
There are benches in the Forest and I find many curious. Not through form, but place. Why there? I sit on these benches and there is nothing to see, no grand panorama, no sweeping vista. Unremarkable in position, no patency.
The one I paused on today, though, is a good bench. Perhaps you know it? Solid. It offers a fine sylvan view. A handy bin.
I look forwards to the start of the Drève des Puits across Lorraine. The valley is evident, water has passed this way yet the name also suggests contribution, usage. This path passes through the site identified by Sander Pierron and depicted on Stevens’ map from 120 years ago as the ‘Haras d’Antoine de Bourgogne’. You can take a horse to water, but…
To the right of this bench there are culled Beech. The Forest must earn its keep. Was this bench made from locally fallen, felled trees? Its rudeness suggests the possibility.
There are many places in the UK, often on the seafront, where memorial benches sit, looking out. They are inscribed with the names of people no longer, physically, with us. There are memorials too, in the Forest to people.
Perhaps the benches in our Forest with no patent setting are memorials of Beeches past, constructed close to their fallen rest. Is my wish transparent? I hope so, but I’m in no hurry.