Who else finds forests a little creepy?

Stacksofwacks

Especially at night, the other night was walking through a nearby forest when something moved in the trees it nearly scared the bejaysus outta me!

jimbobaloobob

I find them very relaxing. Just today i stopped on the side of the road and walked into one for mins. Then sat in the silence. Walking back out on what route I believed I took brought me back onto the road but about 1km from my car. That's what I find creepy is their disorientating ability.

WhiteMemento9

During the day is fine but at night creepy. I could walk through a Cemetary at night and wouldn't bother me but a forest would have me on complete edge. I think it is the lack of vision of the surrounding area. Things could be lurking anywhere

WoollyRedHat

Yep. Ever since I saw The Blair Witch Project, I've never liked them, also the trees look like they are always watching and the owls are not what they seem.

padd b1975

I hate being on a beach or a shoreline at night.
The sound of the waves always freaks me out for some reason.

Eircom_Sucks

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara

That’s one scary place

Was there last year , fook me

wakka12

padd b1975 wrote: »

I hate being on a beach or a shoreline at night.
The sound of the waves always freaks me out for some reason.

I always think of the start of jaws

artanevilla

I get what you mean, whenever I see a small group of tree together I feel like calling the copse.

z6vm1dobfnca3x

A forest to me is a beautiful place of relaxation. But at night time, I can definitely see how you might a forest uncomfortable!

Horses!

Horses find forests super creepy. A horse that isn't used to forestry will often spook when passing through woodland.

Of course, that's just because their eyes and ears are struggling to take-in all the possible dangers around them.

But when I was young and a horse spooked in the woods, I was told "Only horses can see the fairies". And I still choose to believe that over any more rational explanation tbqh.

Stormington

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

Especially at night, the other night was walking through a nearby forest when something moved in the trees it nearly scared the bejaysus outta me!

Have a read of The Secret Lives of Trees.

The author posits that the eerie feeling you get from certain forests is when they are damaged/dying and need help. Often they are being destroyed internally by fungi or insects. Part of the feeling is that the trees emit distressed noises at low frequencies (50hz iirc) and we can pick up on it.

The opposite is true for healthy forests and it is the reason your mood improves after a walk in one.

Stacksofwacks

Stormington wrote: »

Have a read of The Secret Lives of Trees.

The author posits that the eerie feeling you get from certain forests is when they are damaged/dying and need help. Often they are being destroyed internally by fungi or insects. Part of the feeling is that the trees emit distressed noises at low frequencies (50hz iirc) and we can pick up on it.

The opposite is true for healthy forests and it is the reason your mood improves after a walk in one.

I know there are people who believe that trees have feelings and emotions like humans and feel pain etc.. what I find unsettling is the sound of wind blowing through trees, something unnerving about it I dunno why

backspin.

It has to be hardwired into us.

Stacksofwacks

backspin. wrote: »

It has to be hardwired into us.

Aha! We are all originally monkeys who evolved out of the forest so we are hardwired to sense danger/attack coming from behind the trees. Something like that..

Emme

Forests are OK during the day but not a place I would go at night. Having said that, there is a place nearby where I walk my dog. One part of it is fine, full of people at weekends but the other part is practically deserted. It has a horrible creepy feel to it. Maybe it's not healthy like the poster above said. It's also muddier and boggier which would be a more logical explanation.

Here's a dark song about a forest by Danish band Heilung:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z82BepcRXhg

bodhrandude

Forests can be fun, go to the Body & Soul festival and see what I mean.

Church on Tuesday

There is a stillness about forests that is both comforting and unnerving at the same time.

s7ryf3925pivug

I like forests, during day and night. I used to spend time in them every day. I think not liking them at night probably stems from fear of being attacked.

_Brian

I get to spend a fair bit of time in forests and love them, particularly mixed deciduous, very calming, interesting with all the wildlife and variances of light and colour.

The majority of our plantings at present are sika spruce. They are devoid of wildlife and when grown on are depressing enough places to be.

pleas advice

fits

I love forests. If I won the euromillions I’d plant a forest park with walks beside my village. I walk in the forest on my lunchtimes at UCD and always feel better afterwards. I don’t mind them at night either.

gozunda

Monoculture Pine forests are lightless dead zones and if you ever been in the middle of one miles from anywhere then they can be indeed very very creepy.

A mature deciduous forest full of wildlife and sound is a different thing entirely.

DEFTLEFTHAND

They remind me of the Cradle of Filth video for 'Her ghost in the fog'.

The Satanist

Great spot for an aul black mass

uck51js9zml2yt

I always found Forest......Gump creepy.

ArchXStanton

I find them a bit eerie when's it's snowing, they become uncomfortably silent

s4uv3

Thing about them is that they're wonderful, peaceful, soul-filling places until something gives you the heebies, then your brain goes into overdrive. An innocent noise, movement, shadow etc.
I was out walking in a local forest with my daughter last year. Having a lovely time, wandering along, then all of a sudden I spooked. Couldn't get back to the car fast enough!

timthumbni

Brantley Squeaking Leaf wrote: »

I like forests, during day and night. I used to spend time in them every day. I think not liking them at night probably stems from fear of being attacked.

Probably from watching too many Friday the 13th movies when younger. Jason always doing those poor sods hiding in the trees. He must have had a tracking device.

take everything

Surprised Twin Peaks hasn't been mentioned.
The forest is a strong symbol throughout.

And weren't they pines.

timthumbni

take everything wrote: »

Surprised Twin Peaks hasn't been mentioned.
The forest is a strong symbol throughout.

And weren't they pines.

It has been. And now that you mention it the forests in that show hid a 1000 evils. In saying that David Lynch can even make a phone call creepy. (You know the one where the guy at a party gets call from someone at his house)

bodhrandude

bodhrandude wrote: »

Forests can be fun, go to the Body & Soul festival and see what I mean.

people were taking poos in that wood.

"Oh look Emilia, I've just stepped in deer-droppings, how wild! '

vargoo

jimbobaloobob wrote: »

I find them very relaxing. Just today i stopped on the side of the road and walked into one for mins. Then sat in the silence. Walking back out on what route I believed I took brought me back onto the road but about 1km from my car. That's what I find creepy is their disorientating ability.

You must have went well into it! Shouldn't do that, to easy to get turned around.

Love them myself, yesterdays rain was just perfect for slow 4 mile run in forest. I don't mind them at night but I'm a guy, sometimes I wonder about some girls I meet well into some forests I run in.

I do try and make noise but end up frightening the sh1te out of people when they don't hear me coming til last second.

twignme

I spend many hours in forests and love the sense of calm they bring. I always go on my own with my dogs and very, very rarely see anyone else, which is a bonus. They are a wonderful way to observe the passage of the seasons, one day an antler that has been shed, another the appearance of the frog spawn, or the Buzzards being chased away from nests overhead. The bright red pinpoint of colour in the distance from a ring of fly agaric under the trees.
I'm female and never really worry about being there, even in the dark. But I can understand that it could be a spooky environment for some people.

BarryD2

twignme wrote: »

I'm female and never really worry about being there, even in the dark. But I can understand that it could be a spooky environment for some people.

That's the logical approach, the sort of sad fecker who might want to attack a woman is not going to hang around some obscure part of a forest for days on end waiting on the off chance that one comes along alone. Not practical.

I've always enjoyed trees and woods and rambling through them, one close to us I'd visit four or five times a week easily. But will admit to the odd doubt when feeling a way along a track at dusk, you can't help but look over your shoulder. Same for heavily tree lined rural roads at night time.

The Pheasant2

Love forests, even at night. Though I can understand how people would find them unsettling. Were I an eccentric billionaire I would buy up as much land in Ireland as possible and plant it with deciduous forest and then leave it to the state (provided they wouldn't just fell it).

Stacksofwacks

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

Yep. Ever since I saw The Blair Witch Project, I've never liked them, also the trees look like they are always watching and the owls are not what they seem.

Bat winged demons when you shine the torch up they look down and laugh :eek:

vargoo

https://qz.com/1557308/psychoterratica-is-the-trauma-caused-by-distance-from-nature/

MonkieSocks

ILoveYourVibes

I love walking through them ....i only walk at night with someone else though.

LionelNashe

Does anyone know of deciduos forest accessible by public transport from Dublin city centre?

whisky_galore

There's no wildlife in any forest here that can do any harm, no bears, wolves, wild boars, nothing.

As for ghosties, you've more to fear from the living than the dead.

Bobblehats

The forest has summoned me, on many occasions, in various guises it has its own allure

Ush1

whisky_galore wrote: »

There's no wildlife in any forest here that can do any harm, no bears, wolves, wild boars, nothing.

As for ghosties, you've more to fear from the living than the dead.

Very little forest left either in Ireland tbh.

razorblunt

I live in Scotland so there are many to choose from.
I love them, there's one close by my gaff, its more of a woods really but there's a great 45-1hr loop walk which is great for the dog.
The difference in there in summer compare to winter is fantastic to see too.

seasidedub

I'm a bit of an all-swimming/sailing/climbing/outdoors freak, but, used to live in Finland, place covered with forests. Went for an after-work half-hour walk in
the local forest. Emerged about 3 hours later having been beyond lost and only got out when my phone navigator kicked in at a certain point near the edge of the forest - it hadnt worked deeper in. It was pitch black and really scary.

branie2

Not me

recedite

Forests seem to freak out city slickers.

I've seen a few movies recently where bunch of lads go off to Scotland or Scandinavia for a wilderness holiday, take a short cut into a forest, and then get hunted by horrible creatures and/or hillbillies.
A bit boring, but very cheap movies to make
Its definitely tapping into some deep fear alright.

Wibbs

Stacksofwacks wrote: »

Aha! We are all originally monkeys who evolved out of the forest so we are hardwired to sense danger/attack coming from behind the trees. Something like that..

Could be, though for the dwelling monkeys and apes forests would be far safer environments than open grassland. Walking upright really helps in the latter mind you, because you can spot danger quite a distance away. It's easy to forget that humans standing up are one of the tallest animals around as far as our eye line goes. Only a handful of animals are taller.

Another hypothesis is why modern humans have a wariness about forests is that when we left Africa around 100,000 years ago we weren't walking into uninhabited lands. There were already other, earlier people there and they lived in the forests and were more adapted to them. Look at people like Neandertals. Larger eyes better suited to low light, spears used as stabbing weapons rather than thrown; projectile weapons not being much use in thick forest as they're more likely to hit trees or bushes in the way, so more ambush predator as a method. A modern human used to grasslands would be at a serious disadvantage(one theory why neandertals were in decline was because of climate change and a turn towards more open grasslands that didn't suit them). On top of that you have other forest predators we wouldn't have been used to in Africa and fewer food sources that we could exploit too. If you look at the earliest modern human migration routes into Asia we skirt along the coasts and even reach Australia remarkably quickly. Our movements inland seem to have come later. It appears coastlines were safer and had more reliable food.

Duff

Good craic for a bit of Bigfoot hunting.

recedite

Wibbs wrote: »

Look at people like Neandertals. Larger eyes better suited to low light, spears used as stabbing weapons rather than thrown; projectile weapons not being much use in thick forest as they're more likely to hit trees or bushes in the way, so more ambush predator as a method.

Our innate fear of the neandertal, and that fear projected onto the hillbilly?
There could be something in it :pac:
Bears and wolves were there for a very long time too, although gone from our part of the world now.

sbsquarepants

LionelNashe wrote: »

Does anyone know of deciduos forest accessible by public transport from Dublin city centre?

Sure, go to Hueston station and catch the train to Killarney:D

Joking aside, it's actually well worth the trip if you can get down for a weekend. Killarney national park is one of the most beautiful places in the world as far as I'm concerned.

Deciduous forests are unfortunately quite rare in Ireland, mostly west coast I think? As far as I know Mullaghmeen in Westmeath is a beech forest but I've never been so I've no idea of the size or how accessible it is.