Tim's Tales: Hamish Darrah and hazel trees at Ravensheugh Copse

We had arranged to meet at Ravensheugh Copse, a small hazel wood just beyond the car park for Tyninghame Beach, at the end of Limetree Walk.

Hamish is an archaeologist but not just any archaeologist; he is a specialist in wood archaeology, which means he’s the man to call when ancient timbers or wooden-made objects are found.

He’s also well-known for his incredible woodworking skills. But right now, he is working hard on a restoration project at Ravensheugh Copse.

At first glance, it doesn’t look like a restoration of the wood, as Hamish seems to have cut down a large section of the trees. But despite first impressions, he hasn’t destroyed the trees, he’s coppiced them.

Ravensheugh Copse

Coppicing is an ancient practice which goes all the way back into human prehistory.

Our ancient ancestors discovered that if you carefully cut a tree to its base, new shoots of multiple stems will grow quickly. Hazel is a wood used for many purposes and it’s perfect for coppicing.

A hazel tree usually has more than one trunk in its natural state anyway and once they are coppiced it takes only seven years until the regrown stems are ready to be harvested. Then the process can begin again, creating a coppice cycle.

But wait for this: a hazel tree normally has a lifespan of around 80 years; but if it’s continuously coppiced, it can live for hundreds, possibly even a thousand years.

So a coppiced hazel tree could give a harvest of rods every seven years for many generations! It’s a great example of a sustainable resource, used since neolithic times.

But the benefits are not just in timber for human use because a well-maintained coppiced wood helps a variety of wildlife and woodland flowers to flourish.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the wood was the profusion of primrose, but coppiced woods also encourage bluebells and wood anemone.

Some of the coppiced trees

Yet, despite all the benefits of coppicing, this ancient and environmentally friendly method of wood management has almost died out in Scotland over the last few decades.

Ravensheugh Copse is an example of this decline, as it used to be coppiced, but around 70 years ago the practice at the wood ceased.

But now, Hamish is restoring it back to its original state.

He took me on a tour of the wood and explained how it worked. You coppice a section of the trees, not all the wood at the same time.

This means there is diversity, with different ages of growth and shade. The coppiced area is called a coup and the area is then left to regrow.

But he is unsure about the history of this wood and would love to speak to someone who knows about it.

He told me: “It seems the site was planted with hazel trees sometime between 1893 and 1906, with the specific intention of creating a coppiced woodland, and it was actively coppiced for some decades.

“The problem is I don’t know exactly who worked it and for what purpose.

Some of the coppiced trees

“There were lots of potential uses for coppiced wood in days gone by. . . be it basket-making, fencing or the making of charcoal.

“It seems coppicing was taking place here, possibly up until the 1930s, or even 1940s, but then stopped, but I don’t know exactly when.

“I’d love to hear from anyone who has any information on this wood, perhaps handed down memories of when it was actively coppiced.”

As we talked, Hamish stood by a huge pile of hazel rods he had recently harvested and bundled, and explained they were being taken to Dalerb, on the northern shore of Loch Tay.

This is another part of Hamish’s story: the wood grown and harvested here will be used to build one of the first structures at the newly established Scottish Crannog Centre at Loch Tay.

After the tragic burning down of the original crannog in 2021, a new site at Dalerb has been established and the plan is to construct a replica Iron Age village with roundhouses and a crannog, using traditional materials and craft skills.

Hamish himself will be up there later this year, using his skills and knowledge to weave the hazel rods to make a replica roundhouse, which he said would look a bit like an upside-down giant basket. I just cannae wait to go there in summer and see the progress!

The Scottish Crannog Centre’s longer-term plan is to use more local coppiced wood, but current needs mean wood from this quiet corner of East Lothian will be woven into the first structures of what will become a world-famous site of Iron Age reconstruction, set on the beautiful shores of Loch Tay.

In the meantime, if you happen to be walking by Ravensheugh Copse on your way to Tyninghame beach, please stop for a moment to take in just what Hamish is doing there; not just his restoration of coppicing but the hedge he’s laid, of living blackthorn, which he hopes will deter deer from entering and grazing.

He’s busy but always happy to chat, and Ludo is very friendly.

I wished I could have talked with Hamish for longer but my kids were nagging me to get to the beach and, besides, Hamish needed to get back to work. He has a lot to do!

In fact, if you fancy helping him out occasionally, he’d be happy to hear from you too! Contact him at eastlothiancoppice@gmail.com