The Golden Years – Oil on Linen Painting by Janice Lightowler

This magical forest is addictive. Tollymore Forest, at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland has been my family’s favourite since I was a child.

One of our most picturesque bridges in Northern Ireland is Foley’s Bridge in Tollymore. Built in 1787, it spans the Shimna River and its quaint and mystical appearance gives it a fairy-tale ambience.

When I volunteered as a Guider I planned many winter Guide camps near the forest. Many happy days were spent trying to get as wet and mucky as we possibly could. When I visit now I sense laughter still echoing around the trees.

Foley’s Bridge features classical architectural elements and is surrounded by a serene forest. Its timeless elegance and tranquil setting make it a delightful focal point, blending seamlessly with natures beauty.

The sound of the Shimna River draws you down from the upper pond where the elephant dwells (but that’s another story); just getting to the river bank is never enough. It entices people and dogs into its crystal waters, or you can fully immerse in its wonder to think that it has flowed for millennia.

We could learn so much from this simple piece of architecture, unaffected by the ravishes of time or turmoil. Its foundations are built on the bedrock and its existence seems effortless, enhancing and working with the world around it. People marvelled at my attention to detail as I painted in public with my little brush, but when I visit a place with such magic, I could never forget the wonder of its detail.

This place holds memories that last a lifetime for the people who visit and these can be recalled vividly at any time throughout your life. No matter how long it has been it will wait patiently, unchanged, for you to come for an autumn ramble and it will have stored the magic like a precious album. Autumn moves through the forest slowly like people growing into their golden years and time is gently swept away but the memories remain. It is fascinating to experience nature like a true lifelong friend who doesn’t see the ravishes of time but instead the opposite, the beauty of the Golden Years.