Musician captures calming woodland sounds in song

Musician Paul Walker says walking in Wendover Woods makes a change from his busy life in Birmingham

The sounds of a woodland haven have inspired a musician to create soothing ambient songs.

Paul Walker, from Birmingham, said recordings he made while walking in Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire, "capture the essence of being immersed in nature".

His track, named after the woods, features birdsong he collected on portable recording equipment during a visit in May.

"I like the sound of nature and came up with an idea of trying to combine it with music to see if it fitted," he said.

Mr Walker uses portable recording equipment to collect the sounds of the woodland

Mr Walker said his music has "intricate soundscapes and delicate melody", regularly used in wellness activities to "evoke a sense of tranquillity".

"I've had a few people message me saying they put it on to go to sleep to, people use it to relax, meditate, maybe go to a spa, it's been added to yoga playlists," he said.

"I've always played music, guitar and keyboards for the past 30 years but I've recently got into field recordings such as birdsong, the rain and sea."

He said nature allowed people to "take a step back a bit" with "no distractions".

Walking and recording the sounds of nature was very "relaxing and calming", Mr Walker said

Wendover has been a location of choice as it is where his girlfriend, Erin Withers, grew up.

"Trying to record relaxing sounds in the city centre of Birmingham isn't always possible so Wendover is a good place to try to escape and enjoy those calming relaxing sounds," he said.

Mr Walker said he planned to return in the autumn to record the sounds of the season, such as crunching leaves and forest rain.