Hidden in a corner of Soulton Wood, with views on open countryside, Keeper’s Cottage provides a peaceful retreat for up to 6 people. The woods turn particularly magical between April and May, when the bluebells spread among the trees like blue mist. Soulton Wood is located about 10 miles north of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and 2 miles from Wem railway station. More info
The Guardian has put together this interesting article on some of the best hotels for walkers and hikers in Britain. Lots of cosy old converted farmhouses to warm you after a long day on the fells… More here
Working dairy farm and our accommodation offers two secluded 4 star self-catering log cabins. Near Dovedale, Chatsworth and Carsington Water, this is an idyllic base for outdoor pursuits and sightseeing. The owners “try to be eco friendly and our cabins are run as sustainably as possible”
Situated by grazing marsh and long stretches of sand dunes on the north Norfolk coast, the National Trust’s Horsey Barns are an ideal place to escape the madding crowds. Wide-open horizons and bracing sea air clear the head, with somewhere cosy to come back to at night and a village pub not far. The famous Horsey Windpump is within walking distance. An added winter attraction is the chance to see Grey Seal pups, born in December and January, on the beach between Horsey and Winterton on Sea. More information
High on the cliffs in the Lizard Peninsula, overlooking Housel Bay and less then a mile to Britain’s most southern point, stands Wireless Cottage. Originally built by Marconi for his radio experiments and now owned by the National Trust, the building is part of radio history and there’s a small wireless museum next door. Wireless Cottage offers comfortable accommodation for two with splendid sea-views from its windows and the coastal path at its door. More information
The Old House is one of the B&Bs singled out by the Guardian in a top-ten compilation of places that offer a touch of luxury yet are under £100 for two. A carefully restored 14th century building tucked away near St Catherine’s Down in the south of the island, it offers simple rustic decoration, Persian rugs, huge antique baths and an open fire place for relaxing by if the evenings are chill. Guests are particularly enthusiastic about the delicious breakfasts made from local organic produce. More information
Otter’s Holt is a riverside cottage on farmland in Devon’s Exe valley. The owners of the smallholding have been awarded for their conservation work and there are plenty of farm animals to enjoy as well as the beautiful countryside. Very close to Exmoor national park, the cottage is located on the Exe Valley Way, a 45-mile walk across Devon between the Exe Estuary and the heights of Exmoor. Information here
Positioned next to the sea, this house has a history to tell, having been used as an inn, coastguard lookout and marine life study centre. Now owned by the National Trust, it provides an opportunity to stay in Robin Hood’s Bay, a small coastal village in Yorkshire, resonant with legends of smugglers, pirates, and heroic shipwreck rescue. This stretch of the green and rugged Yorkshire coast has a fabulous variety of habitats: meadows and woodland reach the coastal heath and grassland, ensuring a diversity of birds and flowers. You can enjoy great cliff-top views walking the Cleveland Trail. More information
The Portland Bird Observatory offers comfortable, hostel-style accommodation with shared facilities for up to 24 guests in the lighthouse and adjacent annexe.
The adjoining self-contained lighthouse-keepers cottage sleeps four and is particularly suitable for a family or small group that require a little more privacy.
The accommodation is primarily aimed at visitors wishing to enjoy the natural environment of Portland and is popular with, for example, birdwatchers, naturalists, walkers/ramblers, artists/stone-carvers, climbers and water sports enthusiasts; we can also accommodate school/college or other groups on residential field-trips and study visits.
These holiday cottages in Devon offer a comfortable and peaceful retreat for anyone with a love of wildlife. Otter Cottage sleeps 4, Beech Lodge sleeps 6-8, Nuthatch and Honeysuckle Lodges sleep 4-6 each. Guests can enjoy own nature reserve designated a SSSI by English Nature.
The farm, including our private but nationally-recognised nature reserve, is home to scarce animals and plants including barn owls, dormice and orchids, as well as swallows, deer, foxes, badgers, occasional otters, and many hedgerow birds. We make our accommodation as sustainable as possible, and manage the farm for wildlife, with help and advice from Natural England and the Devon Wildlife Trust. We gained a Gold approval from the Devon Wildlife Trust for our commitment to wildlife conservation.
Bed and breakfast accommodation in Gilsland, Cumbria in old farmhouse and beautifully converted byre on a working farm. The land contains a stretch of Hadrian’s Wall, as well as 2 turrets and a Roman Bridge. Home-cooked evening meals, placing a strong emphasis on using good quality and local ingredient. Right on Hadrian’s Wall National Trail.
We are in the process of converting the farm to organic status and are hoping to enter the Higher Level and Organic Entry Level Stewardship schemes, which will commit us to protecting and encouraging wildlife on the farm, preserving the historic features and extending public access around the land.
600-year-old country house near the Malvern Hills in Herefordshire, where you can relax in the big organic garden or walk in the pastures, orchards and woodland, enjoying the peace and the wildlife.
The whole farm is managed sustainibly for the benefit of wildlife and landscape.
One traveller noted: “We were only on holiday for four days so it would be an exaggeration to rate this as a holiday of a life-time however the accommodation is definitely **** and I have already recommended it to family and friends.”
Set in the foothills of the Quantocks, this is a 15th century farmhouse with breathtaking views across open organic farmland. The different options are: camping, bed & breakfast or one of 3 self catering cottages which sleep 3-4 persons.Wonderful views and self-directed farm walks leading to natural, spring-fed ponds, through the forestry and to our own stone circle. Activities on the farm and nearby can include walking, cycling, fishing, falconry (1:1 private tuition can be arranged), Wwoofing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), and a Farm School. We also run courses in bread making, falconry and organic farming, and run art weekends
This is a beautiful period barn converted to provide a tasteful and unique holiday home. It has retained many original features and has high quality furniture, kitchens and bathrooms in keeping with the age of the property. Set in a wonderful riverside setting with 20 acres of lush fields, woods and parkland where you are free to roam along with the abundant wildlife.
Fictional countryside
March 17, 2010
Interesting article by Jonathan Meades in The Guardian.
No longer a place of work, the English countryside has been tidied up and made picturesque, based on a mythical rural idyll…Read
Reminds me of DH Auden comment in the 1940s on the Lake District.
“Am I to see in the Lake District, then….Another bourgeois invention like the piano?”
Swift survey
March 17, 2010
The RSPB is gathering extensive information about exactly where swifts are nesting in the UK. It is suspected that their rapid decline in recent years is linked with a drop in suitable nesting sites, as buildings are modernised.
The first year’s survey reveals that of the houses where swifts are nesting:
New Forest conservation
March 17, 2010
A new generation of commoners will receive financial support to ensure animals continue to graze in the New Forest and so conserve its rich biodiversity.
Commoning has shaped the New Forest over hundreds of years. It is because of it that we have this beautiful landscape, a mosaic of pasture, heath and lawn. And it needs to be encouraged - Lyndsey Stride, commoner.Guardian
Urban bee project
March 1, 2010
The Co-op is further expanding its Plan Bee campaign by providing aspiring urban bee-keepers with free training and equipment. Life in the city can be better for bees than in the countryside, points out Chris Shearlock, the Co-op’s Environment Manager:
They can find flowers in city parks and gardens, and they are away from some of the pesticides that are threatening them on farmland. It’s a misconception to think that they won’t thrive in cities and towns. I’ve heard of honey being sold from apiaries around King’s Cross station in London.In the end, what’s going to save the British honeybee, whose population has dropped sharply in the last 25 years, is its value to the economy: as fruit-tree pollinators and annual producers of 5,000 tonnes of honey, they’re worth 165m a year. Independent
Landscape blogs
February 24, 2010
There are now some excellent landscape blogs covering Britain. Here are a few:
British birds in the news in February
February 17, 2010
Here is a quick round-up of latest British bird news:
Archive of nature articles
February 11, 2010
We’ve put together this monthly archive of the articles on Britain nature.
Allotment fever
February 10, 2010
With more and more people wanting to grow their own fruit and vegetables, the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners have over 100,000 people on their waiting lists. The National Trust have responded to this demand by allocating land for “super allotments” or community farms. In return for a monthly fee, members will decide what should be grown, and have the opportunity to work on the farms, receiving a share of the produce. Daily Telegraph
The 87 mile-long Ridgeway National Trail is remarkable in being the oldest road in Britain and because you can still walk it, following the same route used since prehistoric times by travellers and, herdsmen. The route connects the Dorset and Norfolk coasts, passing over rolling, open downland to the west of the River Thames, and through secluded valleys and woods in The Chilterns to the east. It is littered with historical sites dating back to the iron age. Lots of details from the National Trail website here.
A trip to a children's farm is a great idea in the lambing season. The Guardian has a list of recommended places in their half-term holiday special, including Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, where they are expecting no less than 300 lambs and 50 piglets to be born in February, with more expected for Easter. They have other attractions such a baby Alpaca called Snowy.
For the first time in many years, the freezing conditions have been perfect for ice skating, allowing the inhabitants of the Cambridgeshire Fens to revel in a centuries-old tradition. The Guardian
The Fens of East Anglia, with their meres and washes, networks of drainage ditches, slow-flowing rivers and easily flooded meadows, form an ideal skating terrain. Skates were introduced into Britain from Holland or France in the seventeenth century. It is not known when the first skating matches were held, but by the early nineteenth century they had become a feature of cold winters in the Fens. The golden age of fen skating was the second half of the nineteenth century, when thousands of people turned out to watch the top skaters. Wikipedia
David Munt from Potter’s Bar, Hertfordshire braved the Arctic weather and sub-zero temperatures to spend a night in an igloo in his garden. He decided to sleep in his creation after spending the previous day making the igloo from snow and ice, with help from the children on his street. More here
Yowie snowshoes were designed, fittingly, in Australia. They look like beach sandals attached to rubber flippers with a deep hexagonal tread and metal cleats. Extremely versatile and user-friendly, once you're strapped in, with body weight nicely spread out to avoid sinking, you can enjoy snow walks on the flat or more challenging treks up and down mountains. The material reportedly offers better insulation from the cold than more conventional heavy-duty snowshoes. They are also lighter, cheaper and easier to stow in your ruck sack.
Another idea is to use ice grips - unobtrusive devices you can attach to your usual footwear to radically increase traction on slippery surfaces.
Meirion Owen is an expert sheep dog handler, who’s been working with Border Collies since he was nine. He now travels around Britain, showing the skills of this intelligent breed at fairs, private parties and, increasingly, corporate days out. The other stars of the Quack Pack are a troop of Indian Runner ducks, who love to charge around at a fast pace in a tight group (with the occasional lone rebel). First of all, Owen gives a demonstration of how it’s done, instructing his dogs with only four commands to herd the ducks through an obstacle course. Then the spectators have a go.
"We never try to embarrass anyone," he says. "I'll always try to help. With duck herding, there is a sense of the unexpected and seeing a manager lose control of his ducks is great entertainment for the staff."
A recent tendency among lowland livestock farmers is to replace Border Collies with quads, and Owen would like to turn this around by promoting the many qualities of this breed. More information
The Woodcraft School runs various courses for acquiring skills that pre-historical man needed for survival. Bark, Bone and Antler is a particularly interesting 2-day course that explores the materials available to our primitive ancestors. Those attending will be taught about the sustainable harvest of bark, weaving crafts to make knife sheaths, folding crafts to make baskets and containers, and the preparation of bone and antler.
This particular course will be held in May 2010 in West Sussex, with groups limited to 12, but there are many others to choose from.
Paragliders will use birds of prey to guide them to the best thermals. They often report that the birds are not afraid of them and will even approach out of curiosity. Parahawking takes this one step further. You're taken on a tandem paraglider and specially trained birds of prey will accompany you on your flight, rewarded by offerings of food. This unforgettable experience is available in Wales, organised by the Axis paragliding school
With Pesky Husky Trekking you can become a musher for a day. Instead of a sledge, you stand on a specially designed non-motorised scooter. And instead of snow-covered arctic lands, the Siberian huskies whisk you through the Yorkshire countryside. The experience is only available between October and March, after which it becomes too warm for an energetic husky. You can start off on a practice lap or do a more advanced trek of up to two hours.
Latest news The Guardian Country Diary Wild WorldA few good wildlife apps for iphone / itouch are starting to trickle onto the market. The best is probably the Collins British Wildlife Photoguide, priced at £5.99 which is an app version of a large book. The Guardian notes "Arranged by taxonomy – mammals, invertebrates, butterflies and moths, birds and so on – it features photos and brief descriptions of over 1,500 species. The navigation is a bit fiddly and there's no identification feature, so you need to know what you're looking at or be willing to scroll through several pages to get a match."
In the same article they recommend a guide to 24 of Britain's trees and a guide to European bird songs - but this only features 80 species. When are they going to produce an app for the Collins bird guide?
For those who don’t succumb to the charms of grey squirrels, keeping them off the bird feeder is a challenge. There are plenty of ideas on the forums, such as placing a table on top of a greased pole, or capitulating by scattering food on the ground to distract the squirrels and give the birds a chance. If unwanted rodents are consuming kilos of bird food, it might be worth investing in a specially designed squirrel-proof bird feeder. Those sold by the RSPB include conventional seed and nut dispensers caged within bars too narrow for a squirrel to pass through. Then there’s the robust–looking Squirrel Buster, which automatically closes down when something heavier than a small bird tries to access the food. It’s the most expensive option, but comes with a life-time guarantee. Not bad considering the fearless acrobatics and determined wire-chewing tendencies of squirrels.
View at the RSPB
Cute they may be, but this article in The Guardian thinks that it is not a good idea to keep a fox as a pet. Others agree. the US foxes.org list these reasons
Useful list of the best or at least most unusual bird feeders on the market put together by The Guardian here. I liked particularly the above mobile bird feeder. Meanwhile the RSPB's national Feed the birds weekend starts tomorrow.
Shopping trolleys have lost their social stigma, partly because of pleasingly designed trolleys like these. Using one will help avoid unnecessary use of plastic bags and also contribute to saving turtles in Sri Lanka where the Turtle Trolley was created. Turtle bags online shop
RSPB