November 2011

Puzzlewood: World's Most Magical Forest

And home to the "Puzzlewood Treasure"
If Aokigahara is the world's most frightening forest, then Puzzlewood must be its most wonderful. This forest is classified as an "ancient woodland," and lies near Coleford in Gloucestershire, England. The 14 acre site is a tourist attraction now, but in addition to serving as inspiration for J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien, it also has a history that stretches back to the Iron Age and probably earlier.
 
One of Puzzlewood's most remarkable geological features is its impressive collection of scowles. These are a feature which is found almost exclusively in and around Gloucestershire, due to its unusual geology. Scowles are a form of erosion which creates craggy small cliffs, caves, and trenches in the ground.

Aokigahara: Japan's Suicide Forest

Possibly the world's spookiest location

 

Aokigahara is the undisputed top of the list of the World's Creepiest Forests. Not just because the dense tree growth makes it claustrophobic, dark even at the height of the day, and eerily silent. Nor is it due to the surprising lack of common wildlife like small birds and squirrels, which gives the forest an abandoned feeling. Or the fact that navigation is almost impossible, because the overhead tree canopy makes it hard to get a GPS signal, and the forest floor's rich deposits of magnetic ore make traditional compasses almost useless.
 
No, it's mostly because Aokigahara has earned its nickname of "the Suicide Forest."

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