Lost In The Forest with Colin Heber-Percy

In his new book, Pewsey vicar & author Colin Heber writes about Savernake Forest & reflects on the joy of not belonging

A Confession About Belonging

Belonging in Savernake Forest isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. On the face of it, I’m the least qualified person in the world to write about not belonging. After all, I’m belonging personified: a privileged, straight, white man—and a vicar in the Church of England, for heaven’s sake. If that doesn’t scream belonging, I don’t know what does.

Two Lives: Freelance Screenwriter vs. Vicar

Before ordination, I worked as a freelance screenwriter. My shoulder bag served as my office—filled with a laptop, screenplay drafts, a toothbrush, and a packet of fags. Now, that bag holds a prayer book, palm cross, pencils, holy oil, and vapes. This change has been a profound blessing (well, maybe not the vapes), but blessings often take on a cost.

From Outsider to Insider

Previously, I never belonged anywhere. I jumped from contract to contract and town to town. If I felt like an outsider, it was because I was. Now, I live and work within an ancient institution—I’m in holy orders. I have colleagues, congregations, and a calling. They call me to belong here, but how? I’m an old dog learning a new trick.

The Mystery of Belonging

I’ve tried to master belonging, and I’ve seen some success. Yet the more I try, the more mysterious belonging becomes. I gnaw on the bone of belonging and begin to question its true meaning. Is belonging just “fitting in”? Is it always a good thing?

Wandering Through Savernake Forest

Savernake Forest once spanned 150 square miles of Wiltshire downland, full of wild boar, bears, and deer. Local villages would have sat deep in its dense woods. You could easily get lost.

These days, roads and Capability Brown’s avenues hem in the forest. Forestry Commission maintains it. However, we still find cool conifer plantations, moss-covered ruins, tussocky fields with Hereford cattle, winding paths, and deer. The forest remains wild and untamed. And I still get lost there, all the time.

The Cultural Power of Forests

Forests shape our imagination: Shakespeare’s enchanted woods, Hansel and Gretel’s terrifying forest. They invite wonder and fear.

Letting the Forest Lead

My trips to Savernake lack supplies. Just a sausage roll and a pencil sharpener. I don’t explore the forest — I let the forest explore me. I leave the map behind and lose myself by design.

An Invitation to Wander

This book invites you to get lost with me. Each chapter bears the name of an oak in Savernake Forest—each helped me in my wandering. If we belong anywhere, perhaps we belong here.

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