Kingley Vale is a nature reserve, which sits in the South Downs National Park. Managed by Natural England, it boasts one of the oldest yew tree forests in the UK, with some of the trees being over 2000 years old. The trees climb up Bow Hill, where four iron-age barrows rest on the top, also called The Devil’s Humps. There is a legend that the barrows contain important Viking leaders. However, the barrows are much older than the time of the Vikings. Also, local folklore says a battle against the Vikings took place in the forest (circa 894), defeating the Viking invaders. Some say that the ghosts of the fallen Vikings still haunt the forest.
In more recent history, the army used the area as a practice site in World War II. Today, you can still find unexploded shells. The police still receive regular calls to babysit these shells until Bomb Disposal can come along and blow them up.
The site now is of scientific interest, with a wide range of fauna and flora, insects, and small animals. If you are keen on butterflies, then it has a diverse mix of native species.
The Forest in the Story – Kingley Vale
In Chasing Shadows, DI Angelis frequently takes time to walk among the trees.
From Chapter 1:
Ancient yews surround me, and it’s silent here, like the hushed reverence of a cathedral. I see the ghosts of a thousand journeys made through these trees, criss-crossing the ancient pathways, their impressions etched into this other-worldly forest.
He describes one of the ancient yews as:
I walk further along a narrow pathway that leads me to the oldest yew of them all. He’s a wrinkled man with a hollowed trunk as his gaping mouth and his red, flaking beard of snaking roots.
Chasing shadows
The twisting, curving trunks and branches look very sinuous and give the feeling of muscular creatures.
The story mentions a police drone used to search the forest. Drones are a great resource to the police when searching for missing people. The image below is an actual police drone being used in a local search near Chichester.
The forest is also a pivotal scene later in the story when Angelis remembers something he saw in the forest.
It is likely Kingly Vale and its yew trees will appear in other stories in the future, as it’s always a source of inspiration to me.
