More than ten years ago, in 2015, the Corbenic community gathered together to celebrate and enjoy the grounds that comprise their estate. During this celebration they were asked what they would like to see from the Estate Team responsible for those grounds. ‘More paths to river!’; ‘More paths to the hills!’; More paths through the woods!’ came the replies. And so the Estate Workshop Leaders set about making more paths throughout the estate with the help of the residents who were part of the workshop. It just so happened that one of the Estate Workshop Leaders was a poet, and the other, a stone carver. And so the poetry path began. 

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Ten years on, the Corbenic Poetry Path is now a meandering 3.5km path around the grounds of Corbenic Camphill Community. The path was built with the help of many of the residents of Corbenic as well as staff and volunteers, including groups of corporate volunteers. Some of Scotland’s finest contemporary poets have given their words to the path and many of these have been complimented by sculptures, some of which have been created by students from Budapest School of Fine Art who have come over numerous years and spent the month of August in Corbenic.

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In addition to poetry and sculptures the path is now also home to a number of young specimen trees. Over the past ten years Giant Sequoias, Silver Firs, Bristlecone Pines and many other exciting species have been planted, adding to the diversity of what were already diverse woodlands. These trees will hopefully be long-lived giants complimenting the existing young oak woods, mature oak and birch woods and wide areas of beautiful hazel coppice.

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The path, the sculptures and the poems have been captured by photographer James Millar and are now presented in a beautiful book available from The Corbenic Shop.

Regardless of levels of interest in poetry, the path itself is worth a visit, meandering as it does through a diverse range of landscapes from riverbanks and woods to open moorland. A number of comments from visitors have confirmed what we who live or work here have known for a long time – that our little pocket of this planet is a hidden gem, and one that most people will want to return to time and time again.

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