Glingbobs & Tootflits

Location: Pressmennan Woods, Stenton, nr Dunbar, East Lothian
Exploration time required: 1-2 hours

It’s not everyday one could meet a Glingbob or Tootflit, but if you choose to take a stroll in the woods at Pressmennan you might be lucky enough to spot one of these tiny creatures.

Tucked away in the countryside, south east of Edinburgh, Pressmennan Woods are maintained by The Woodland Trust Scotland. With a variety of trails through 210 acres of ancient oak trees and mixed woodland, you can enjoy the tranquility of Pressmennan Lake (one of three lakes in Scotland), discover some unexpected views across to Bass rock, read the ‘positive message’ tree and explore the circular sculpture trail, the latter being key to your discovery of a Glingbob…..

Designed and installed by sculptor, Robin Wood, in 2008/9, the main trail begins with a beautiful information board in the car park. Study this carefully for clues about the tiny inhabitants of Pressmennan Woods before setting off to seek out these wonderful mythical creatures who have made the woodland their home.

Make sure to look high and low as it is well known that Glingbobs and Tootflits enjoy both the forest floor and the higher branches, a trait similar to many woodland insects. Although they rarely reveal themselves to their human visitors, keep your eyes peeled for signs of their existence. They like to use the natural materials from their environment to build their houses so you need to study the trees closely to find their front doors. Between wooden carvings, hidden meeting places and tiny houses, you will find yourself marching on, eager to discover the next signs of the hidden world beneath the trees.

For a longer walk, you can choose to temporarily leave the sculpture trail and climb higher. Rewarded with views back to the coastline and Bass Rock, the extended route also passes a ‘message tree’. Decorated with positive sayings, a kind soul has suspended beautiful quotes from branches with more tags appearing from every angle you look. The tree holds a wonderful sense of community, created by others extending their offerings as they add good luck tokens and other gestures of goodwill to this happy tree. It feels special to contemplate these inspirational thoughts in the calmness of nature and provides an element of fun should you choose to leave your own message for others to read as they stumble across the magic in the middle of the forest!

Dropping back down to the path, you have a chance to uncover the final pieces of evidence which suggests the woods are home to the Glingbobs and Tootflits. We chose to leave an offering by their door as a thank you for their hospitality and kindness in letting us explore their world!

You can find out more about the Glingbobs and Tootflits by reading the Woodland Trust leaflet.

On a side note: while this video is unfortunately not a sighting of a Glingbob or a Tootflit, my friend and I did enjoy watching this little fellow climbing up one of the sculptures during our visit to Pressmennan Woods.