Ludwell Valley Park.
A Stitch in the Landscape
By Adèle Thomas, Textile Artist
Ludwell Valley Park sits quietly on the edge of Exeter. It is a place I return to again and again because it invites us to slow down and notice. Every season has something to offer if we are willing to look.
In June the buttercups dance in the breeze. Morning mist rests softly over the meadows. Skylarks rise into the sky in song while cattle graze peacefully in the fields. Ancient hawthorn hedges mark old boundaries and the orchards remind us that people have cared for this land for generations. It is a place that holds both memory and possibility.
There is something deeply restorative about walking here. The paths lead us gently through the valley and ask nothing of us except that we are present. We share them with dog walkers, runners and families discovering the changing seasons together. Life quietly unfolds all around us.
As a textile artist, I cannot help but see the world through cloth and thread. I notice the layers of colour in the landscape. The delicate embroidery of a spider’s web catching the morning dew. The rich tones of a Devon sunset. The muted greens of lichen growing slowly on trees and the deep shadows resting beneath an old oak tree.
Sometimes I photograph and sketch what I see, but more often I simply walk and pay attention. There is wisdom in the natural world if we are willing to listen. It reminds me that beauty does not have to be perfect or hurried. Some things are made slowly.
The valley finds its way into my work almost without invitation. A line of stitching may follow the curve of the Northbrook. Layers of cloth may echo the colours of late summer grasses or the gentle rise and fall of the surrounding hills. I do not try to capture Ludwell exactly. That would be impossible. Instead, I hope to honour something of its spirit.
For me, Ludwell Valley Park is a sanctuary, but quietly generous in its beauty. It is a place where wildness is welcome and where there is room for both reflection and belonging.
The land has its own stories to tell. I am simply learning, one stitch at a time, to listen.
Adèle Thomas Art 