Chappetts Copse and Old Winchester Hill

Waterside Natural History Society visit Chappetts Copse and Old Winchester Hill.

The village of West Meon lies in the beautiful Meon Valley at the heart of the South Downs about thirty miles east of the Waterside. The contrast between this area and the New Forest could not be more striking from a natural history point of view so provided an interesting diversion for the Natural History Society.

Chappetts Copse is a woodland reserve to the east of West Meon managed by Hampshire Wildlife Trust and was visited during the morning. White flowers of Cow Parsley lined the narrow lanes but gave way to the white of Woodruff and Sanicle on entering the wood. The Beech wood itself is carefully managed to encourage the growth of Narrow Leaved Helleborine and other members of the orchid family amongst the trees. These plants cannot thrive without the Beech Trees but neither can they thrive in dense undergrowth. Each year the small saplings of Beech are identified and marked with a stick so that they are not cut down when the undergrowth is trimmed later in the year. The result is a carpet of white flowers from this rare Helleborine which fails to establish elsewhere. Helleborines are members of the orchid family but are distinguished by the flower stalk emerging directly from the ground and not through a rosette of leaves.  The Narrow Leaved Helleborine is almost identical to the White Helleborine but on looking down from above has radiating leaves compared to the opposing leaves of the White Helleborine.

There were also a few Fly Orchids in flower. These are small black orchids with petals and sepals in the form of a fly which although of a striking colour are very difficult to spot on the ground and even more difficult to photograph. Fortunately their position was marked with a few sticks which not only indicated their location but prevented them being trodden down. Birds Nest Orchid was also seen in one area. This orchid is saprophytic which means that it lives off dead and decaying organic matter so has no green pigment leaving it entirely honey coloured.

Chappetts Copse as its name suggests is a small wood and did not take long to walk round. A Beech wood in spring is quintessentially English and it was a delight to wander through the trees with sunlight filtering through the fresh green leaves.

Old Winchester Hill was visited during the afternoon which involved a short drive towards Warnford. The reserve is largely open grassland but the big difference from Chappetts Copse is the views. Old Winchester Hill is the site of an Iron Age hill fort with Bronze Age Barrows built on a promontory jutting out from a ridge that is now occupied by Old Winchester Hill road. Spectacular views can be observed on all sides with a scooped valley on one side and the plains on the other looking over to Southampton and the Isle of Wight. Unfortunately the visit was too early in the year to see the many orchids but the hillsides were painted yellow by a carpet of Cowslips. A meadow of Cowslips is a rare sight these days and brought back many memories of childhood.

Several birds were heard in Chappetts Copse but few were seen because of the dense vegetation. The more open countryside of Old Winchester Hill enabled birds such as Linnet, Yellow Hammer, and Chaffinch to be seen. Warblers such as Whitethroat and Blackcap were also heard. The most amazing sight was provided by Kestrel hunting over the edge of the escarpment on the way back to the car park. It was first noticed hovering over the path but repositioned itself between the branches of a low shrub growing on the edge of the escarpment. The bird was less than fifty metres away but held a stationary position in mid-air as if held by invisible strings. The impression given was of time standing still until with a flick of its wing feathers it swooped down over the skyline. Although the bird was probably helped by the up draught its ability to stay still without apparently moving a muscle provided an incredible sight.

The indoor meeting for May was an illustrated talk on ‘Dragonflies of the New Forest’ by Peter Allen. The subject proved to be of great interest to the members and visitors attending and the well informed speaker provided spot on details of how to identify these fascinating insects. Many of the dragonflies and damselflies found in this country can be found in the New Forest or surrounding area so there is plenty of opportunity to witness their antics at first hand.

Peter Allen has spent many hours studying dragonflies in both this country and abroad. Although the talk was aimed at the New Forest he was able to speak of rare visitors to the area and also of unusual specimens in other countries.

 The audience left with a better knowledge of how to identify dragonflies and a better appreciation of their life styles. . The great advantage of looking for these insects is that they appear in warm sunny weather so can be enjoyed on a pleasant walk; that is always assuming that summer arrives this year.

WNHS visit Warsash

Waterside Natural History Society visit Warsash

 

The weather appeared to be our greatest challenge on the day of our visit to Warsash. Rain showers of a frequency that would confuse the Met office supercomputer posed the question of whether we should postpone our visit for another day. As the supercomputer has not yet been built we had to rely on the old adage ‘Keep a weather eye open’. Even this was of little help as we stood in the rain trying to decide if we might get wet sometime during the day. In the end we decided to trust to luck and set out but still spent some time looking at the cloudy skies trying to decide if we should keep going or return to the car. Eventually we came to the conclusion that predicting the weather was a waste of time and we should carry on regardless.

Warsash is not regarded in the same league for bird watching as for instance Farlington Marsh or Keyhaven but it does form a microcosm of both with the added advantage of splendid views and a varied walk. There is a choice of directions from the car park. We could have turned north to walk inland along the River Hamble but decided to turn south towards the mouth of the river overlooking Southampton Water and the Isle of Wight.

The path, which is part of the Solent Way, is trapped between the tidal estuary on one side and a play area called ‘Strawberry Fields ‘on the other. It remains trapped by the high walls of the Maritime College before opening out on to a shingle spit protecting low lying reed beds and ponds. The path has suffered from undermining by high tides in places and also extensive pools of water after the recent rains.

Luckily the tide was ebbing at the start of our walk and fell to low tide on our return which provided ideal conditions for observing the bird life. Black Bellied Brent Geese were the most obvious of the birds on the mud flats with Herring and Black Headed Gulls for a white contrast. Taking a closer look through binoculars we could see hundreds of Dunlin feeding near the water’s edge. Redshank and Curlew made their own solitary way with the occasional Oystercatcher. Pintail and Gadwall swam on the ponds behind the shingle banks alongside Mallard and Wigeon.

 On our return journey past the mudflats a loud high pitched alarm call of an Oystercatcher attracted our attention to a group of five trying to dispute an area of mud with a similar sized group of Brent Geese. The Geese lowered their heads horizontally to the ground, raised their wings, and retaliated with their short hooting sounds. The dispute was eventually resolved when both groups passed each other further along the sea line.

Bird behaviour forms an interesting subject in itself. For instance we came across a group of Grey Plovers on the mud flats which were difficult to identify at first because they were all sleeping with their heads tucked into their back feathers. This seems strange behaviour from the human point of view but with a long neck and hefty bill it makes sense to support the head and relax the neck muscles on a warm pillow. Many other types of bird relax in the same way but those with a short neck such as Owls and some Raptors obviously do not.

We also came across a Little Egret with a pronounced limp. Every time it put weight on its right foot its whole body dipped to one side and it had to open its wings to regain its balance which gave it a rather comical walk. This did not seem to affect the birds ability to feed and hopefully it will recover the use of its leg before a greater challenge comes along. At one point a Kingfisher landed near the water’s edge. Most birds tend to merge into the background but Kingfishers are strikingly visible with their luminous blue bodies. Nevertheless they are easily missed and we were lucky to have had such a good view.

A low sea wall overlooking Southampton Water provided a perfect spot for our lunch. We were able to see heavy black rain clouds to the south over the Isle of Wight, rain clouds to the west over the Waterside and rain clouds to the north over the Hamble River. Fortunately we were able to stay in our island of sunshine until we completed the walk back to the car park. The rain returned with a vengeance as we drove back home but we were fortunate not to have cancelled what proved to be a very pleasant and interesting stroll.

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Garston Wood

The winter of 2013/2014 proved to be one of the wettest on record and the relatively dry spell in March served only to lower the flood levels. April showers up until the time of our visit only served to wet the ground and make the pathways muddy. The wet weather and mild temperatures have given ideal growing conditions for spring flowers and bulbs in particular but we were still unprepared for the glorious display in Garston Wood.

Spots of rain fell as we set out on our 30 mile car journey and our mood changed from optimism every time the sun appeared to disappointment whenever a dark cloud covered the sky. On arrival at Garston Wood the sky was overcast and we were more or less resigned to a wasted journey. The rain held off however and we stepped through the gate to a rich display of spring flowers.

One of the first flowers that we saw near the car park was a cultivated specimen of Dusky Cranesbill or Geranium Phaeum Samobor which probably arrived with a visitor from someone’s garden. This was however the only example of a garden escape that we came across and every subsequent flower was of the wild variety. When trying to identify a wild flower in a wood it is often a good idea to precede a guess with the word ‘wood’ for instance ‘wood anemone’ or ‘wood spurge’ of which we came across a great many.

Wood Dog Violet with its purple spur and pointed sepals grew alongside ‘Wood Speedwell’ identified by having hairs all round its stem but the occasional ‘Bugle’ had no reference to wood whatever. Primroses had been in flower for some time and only a few specimens remained amongst the Dogs Mercury. Fewer still examples of Sanicles were present but they had only just come into flower. Stitchwort and Yellow Archangel were dotted about along the path sides with a few Crosswort although they are more common on chalk Downland. The underlying soil must have been chalky since we also came across Twayblade orchids. ‘Early purple’ orchids, identified because they were both early and purple, stood out like beacons at the side of the paths throughout the wood.

Identifying the names of wild flowers with such a variety along the path sides took some time so our walk round the reserve was leisurely to say the least. Walking slowly in warm sunshine is always a pleasure but when spots of rain start to fall our pace increased almost immediately. The main purpose of our visit however was to see the Bluebells and in this we were not disappointed. It so happened that our visit coincided with the flowers in their peak condition in a particularly good year. Bluebells are not the only bulb to flower at this time of year and Garston Wood has a particularly large display of white Ransoms or Broad Leaved Garlic. Seeing Bluebells and Ransoms together always reminds one of the colours in the Scottish flag. The Scottish Bluebell however is known in England as the Harebell but the so called English Bluebell also grows prolifically north of the border. To make things even more confusing the Spanish Bluebell is grown widely in gardens throughout the country.

English bluebells can be distinguished from Spanish bluebells, particularly when seen together, as the Spanish variety are more vigorous with larger more fleshy leaves. The English bluebell flower head also droops whereas the Spanish one grows upright. English bluebells always have white pistils but Spanish bluebell pistils take on the colour of the bell. This means that Spanish bluebells have blue pistils on blue flowers but have a reddish tinge on pink specimens and obviously white on white flowers.

Bluebells can be found throughout the wood but, as can be seen from the car, are particularly abundant alongside the road. We also found several examples of Solomon’s Seal and a small group of Toothwort. The latter plant has no green parts and is parasitic on Hazel which has been widely coppiced in the wood. A patch of the dainty grass Wood Melick could be picked out alongside the path back to the car park.

There were very few butterflies on the wing because of the cloudy conditions but we did see an Orange Tip during one short spell of sunshine. A Song Thrush serenaded us for part of the walk and a male Cuckoo gave a few calls before moving on to brighter pastures.

The walk round Garston Wood did not take long even at our leisurely pace so in the afternoon we took the opportunity of visiting the wooded area opposite to Martin Down.

Our indoor meeting for April was a talk on Badgers by Martin Noble of the ‘New Forest Badger Group’. Martin has been looking after Badgers in the New Forest for a number of years and we were treated to a talk about their habits and population growth during this time. The recent controversial badger cull was also discussed but there was no doubt as to what Martin thought about it. Several arguments were put forward to support the badgers cause but the most remembered was that Bovine TB by its very name is a disease of cattle and the cure should lie with them and not the badgers. There was a great deal of sympathy for the badgers from the audience by the end of the talk and hopefully they will live to enjoy their part in the countryside together with all the other animals. 

  

Pondhead Inclosure

Waterside Natural History Society visit Pondhead inclosure Following our recent presentation on the history of the New Forest we were able to expand our knowledge with a visit to Pondhead inclosure near Lyndhurst. The link with history was not intended when our programme was arranged and it was also a coincidence that we met Dave Dibden shortly after our arrival. Dave has been appointed by the Forestry Commision to look after Pondhead inclosure and he was happy to go through the history and management of the area. Pondhead inclosure includes a large part of the ‘Lyndhurst Old Park’. This was formed by the Plantaganet King Edward 1in 1291 and became to be regarded as the first park in a forest. The Plantaganets had war in their genes. They fought against the French King, went on the Crusades and bashed the Barons in this country. The Queen and Princes each had their own armies and in the periods between wars they fought each other. In spite of this, or maybe because of it, they managed to introduce common law to the country by publishing the Magna Carta. In this area they also produced the ‘Charter of the Forest’ which specified the land ownership and gave commoners the right to live off the land instead of being hung on it. The name Plantaganet derives from ‘planta genista’ referring to the sprig of Broom that supporters wore in their hats. We came across a plaque at the side of the path which was erected in 1979 when a stand of Oak trees was planted to commemorate the nine hundredth anniversary of the formation of the New Forest. The forest was created as a Royal Hunting Ground by William 1 in 1079 . Other historical evidence of Lyndhurst Old Park is the Park Pale. This consisted of two man made embankments with a wooden pale fence on the top that gradually came together in a narrow neck. Deer were chased into the wide opening and shot for sport by huntsmen waiting at the neck. The wooden fence has long since rotted away but the embankment remains and can be seen running along the road side of Matley Ridge before it turns to cross the road opposite Pondhead Farm. The earthworks have deteriorated over the years and are dwarfed by the ridge but thousands of people must have walked along the ridge path without realising that history runs a few yards away. The intention of the Forestry Commision at the moment is to return Pondhead inclosure to a working forest and to be commercially sustainable. Charcoal is to be produced and woodland products such as besoms and clothes pegs manufactured and sold. This is a commendable project and Dave Dibden deserves all the support he can get. The woodland in Pondhead inclosure is a mixture of Oak, Beech and coppiced Hazel. The Hazel is allowed to grow for about seven years before being chopped back to the ground and the sticks used for charcoal or garden supports. The Hazel then regrows and the cycle continues. We were fortunate to enjoy warm sunny spring weather for our visit in March but we had difficulty finding a parking spot near Boltons Bench and when we returned in the middle of the afternoon cars had parked all along the access roads. Nevertheless we did not have to walk far into the forest before the only noise was that of the church bells in Lyndhurst. There are few signs of spring in the forest at the moment. Celandines are the only ground flowers but in the tree canopy Blackthorn blossom and Pussy Willow cover the bushes. Pussy Willow is used instead of palm on Palm Sunday as this is not available in northern Europe. Many of the tree leaf buds are swelling and the Beech buds are turning pink. Bluebells are not yet in flower but the green pointed leaf shoots cover the ground in parts of Pondhead inclosure. The recent wet weather has been good news for mosses and the ditches and embankments at the side of paths are covered in a variety of green shades of moss. There are many varieties of moss but there are basically three types. These are the branched and unbranched types found in the woodland together with the Sphagnum mosses found in bogs and water courses. Bracken dies back in the winter but other ferns remain green and can be seen among the mosses. Polypody fern can also be found above head height on the branches of trees such as Oak. Our walk started at the cemetery car park near Boltons Bench and we entered Pondhead inclosure at the north eastern corner. At Clayhill we took a left turn to walk along Beechen Lane and followed the wide path almost to Denny Lodge. Turning left again we eventually reached the Beaulieu road which we crossed and turned left to walk along Matley Ridge back to the car park. A distance of about five miles took us at least four hours which gives some indication of the leisurely pace of our walk. The warm sunny weather with no wind made it a pleasure to be outdoors. Our indoor meeting for March was an illustrated sound recording of ‘Spring Birdsong’ by Brian Harrison. The format was in the form of a light-hearted quiz in which the recording of a bird call was played and we were invited to guess the identity of the bird. If it was guessed correctly the image of the bird was shown on the screen. Brian has spent many years perfecting the recording of different bird calls in the New Forest and Gordon Small who provided the pictures specialises in photography to a very high standard. The evening turned out to be both informative and entertaining. It was interesting to learn for instance that the longest continuous recording by Brian of birdsong was forty five minutes by a Skylark whilst on the wing. The member of the audience who guessed ‘Robin’ for every birdsong was delighted to get one answer correct.

Holbury Manor Park & Warren Copse

Holbury Manor Park & Warren Copse On the evening of 15th May we had a walk round Holbury Manor Park and Warren Copse. Our first challenge was to find the car park situated off Holbury Drove. We eventually located this small car park tucked away opposite Depedene Close and entered Manor Park on foot. Manor Park is the site of a medieval monastic grange granted to Beaulieu Abbey in 1312 which existed until dissolution. This was replaced by post medieval houses the latest of which was destroyed by fire in 1976. The site now holds a house divided into flats built in the late 1980’s. A moat and fish ponds are the only remnants of the ancient monastic grange. The parkland is now maintained as a recreational area and wildlife reserve for the surrounding area. Entry from the car park is into a grassland area with mown paths to encourage wild flowers on the uncut meadow. We turned left to enter the wooded area of Warren Copse. This ancient woodland has been cleared of debris and opened out to reveal the forest floor. At the time of our walk bluebells were in flower and covered many of the cleared areas of woodland; a living testimony of conservation work. Many of the old beech trees had recently come into leaf with their pristine lime green and unset leaves. Large oak trees towered above the forest floor already well into leaf compared to the just opening leaves of the ash. Oak before Ash and we will have a splash being the better option to a soak. We occasionally came across small trees covered in blossom with some doubt as to their identity but on reflection they were probably Crab Apple since the blossom had a slight pink tinge and are known to grow in the area. We eventually came out of Warren Copse on to the Rollestone road and turned right to walk along the road into the New Forest National Park. Shortly after passing under electricity wires we turned off the road into a wood and walked alongside a field. The wood eventually changed to open moorland and we followed a feint path across in the same direction. This path eventually took us into Green Rollestone Copse and the path continued along ever more muddy and trampled stretches until we came across a pound used for gathering ponies during the annual drift. Although this was part of a public right of way the gates were locked shut but we were able to untie a metal section in order to walk through. We entered a rough track called appropriately Roughdown lane which we followed round to the left and into a small hamlet called Roughdown. Some of the houses were obviously very old as they were single story very small dwellings with small windows and corrugated iron roofs but one or two had been replaced by modern out of town buildings. At the end of the houses we turned left and walked along a tree lined path at the edge of Rollestone Copse until we emerged from the wood at the entrance to a private estate and turned right to walk down a small country lane. The verges of this lane were covered in bluebells and white stitchwort which must have gladdened the heart of any passing Scotsman. On a warm still evening as the sun was dipping below the horizon the walk along this country lane proved very pleasant indeed. We recognised the field on our left as the one we had walked along the other side on our outward journey: not least because of the large electricity pylon in the middle. At the end of the lane we crossed over Rollestone road and re-entered Warren Copse. We took a more westerly path through the copse almost alongside Park Lane and eventually came to the small fishing lakes of Holbury Manor Park. Our path then took us across the meadow back to the car park from which we had started. This walk turned out to be interesting and varied and could be so at any time of the year but probably well worth another visit in June.

Ash trees and fungus

Ash Trees and Fungus Fungal spores are all around us. We live in a world of fungal spores. Some are good and some are bad. Some we have learned to live with and some are still being modified. Although we can kill fungal spores in enclosed spaces we cannot eliminate them from the world around us. Plants and trees growing in our countryside are affected by fungi just as much as ourselves. Trees have developed a symbiotic relationship with fungi such that fungi help tree roots to take up nutrients from the soil. Different types of tree use fungi in this way to a greater or lesser extent and it so happens that Ash trees are one of the few that do not rely on fungi to take up nutrients. Mature trees are much admired in the countryside and great weight is given to the largest or the oldest tree but apart from looking good do they provide a useful function? To put it to the Darwinian test do mature trees meet the survival of the fittest criteria? When walking in the countryside we are as likely to see a mature tree blown down by the wind as a young sapling eaten by a deer. The point is should we be trying to save our mature Ash trees or let them be killed by fungus disease. My own opinion is that we should let the fungus disease take its own course. We cannot hope to stop the fungal spores spreading even over a small area. Even if we did manage to contain a small area it is still susceptible to be reinfected from another place perhaps hundreds of miles away. The best course of action would be to identify those trees that are resistant to this particular fungus and develop saplings from its seed for future colonisation of infected areas. Ash trees are naturally vigorous and could reach a good height in less than ten years.

A Cottage in Norfolk

A cottage in Norfolk Travelled from home on Saturday 02/06/12. Unfortunately this happened to coincide with a) half term, b) Queens Jubilee and c) A double bank holiday. Fortunately most people were going in the opposite direction to ourselves but it was still quite busy. We passed an ancient campervan going up the M3 with a ‘for sale’ sign in the back window. Shortly after our clever satnav detected a hold up where the M3 joins the M25 and directed us off the M3 at junction 3 and back on to the M25 just before Heathrow. We had just got on the M25 again when we overtook the same campervan in the inside lane. Perhaps the satnav was not so clever after all. It also detected a holdup from the M25 on to the M11 and directed us up the A1. This time we ignored it because we wanted to stop at South Mimms for a break and by the time we had finished the satnav had changed its mind and directed us up the M11. After that we had no more trouble until near our destination as we passed RAF Leconheath. There were queues going through Brandon and Swaffham that added another hour on to our journey. We arrived at our cottage at about 16.30. First impressions were good. The place is quiet and clean so we should have a peaceful weekend. We decided to have our dinner indoors with a glass of wine rather than going out. A bottle of wine was provided together with bacon and eggs and lots of little extras. Sunday 3rd June Did not sleep too well, never do in a strange bed although it was comfortable enough? The headboard creaked whenever we moved. It rained during the night. It rained when we were having breakfast and it rained when we left the cottage to go to Titchwell reserve. The satnav took us there alright although it stopped a bit short of the actual reserve entrance. It was raining when we got changed to go round the reserve and we stopped in the visitor centre to see if anything was occurring. Joan bought a waterproof hat. It was raining when we walked along to the hides and we got quite wet with the wind blowing near the seashore. We were able to see a Spoonbill and two black swans. There was also a group of Little Gulls which looked quite stunning in their black and white plumage. Two of the newest hides were built to a modern design which enabled good views over the scrapes but the rain still got in when the windows were opened. I also saw a Bearded Tit when we were walking back to the car park for our lunch. It was still raining after we had eaten our egg sandwiches but we did go out again to the Fen hide. We did not see anything from this hide but we did see a Willow Warbler on the way back. We called in to the visitor centre before leaving and bought a couple of fact sheets on moths and bees. It was still raining when we travelled back but we were luckier than the caravan owners whose caravan was involved in an accident and ended up in the hedge. We went to the Bell Inn in Brisley for our evening meal. The bar meals were filling enough and it was not too busy. It was still raining when we got back to the cottage. Monday 4th June Sunshine was flooding through our bedroom window when we woke up. After breakfast we went in to Fakenham to do a bit of shopping. We had selected Budgens on our satnav but ended up in a Tescos. After we had brought the stuff back to our cottage we set out again to go to Holkham Hall. When we got there and bought our tickets at £12 each plus £2.50 for a car parking ticket we decided to have lunch before going round the house. We had tomato soup followed by a slice of cake which made quite a nice meal. Luckily we got there before the rush as there was a long queue when we went out of the restaurant. When we entered the house through the main doors in to the marble hall there was a crowd of people waiting on the balcony to welcome us in. Actually as we found out they were waiting for a display of 50’s clothing and we also went up on the balcony to watch it. After the first couple of displays we got bored and started our walk round the house. The dining area had a display of Jubilee tea things such as a red white and blue cake and other fancy fairy cakes. This prompted me to ask the question ‘What is the Jubilee celebrating’ of one of the guides. After some discussion with one of her colleagues we came to the conclusion it was her accession to the throne but we did not know if there would be another Jubilee next year to celebrate her coronation. Further on I spotted a display of coronet and robes for one of the Earls and asked the question ‘What do the strawberry leaves on the coronet signify’. They were a bit stumped by this question although they admitted it was not the first time it had been asked. I did not ask any other questions but it was quite a nice stroll through the rooms including the library and state bedrooms. We also went in to the kitchen area where there was a display of 1950’s cooking on a long dining table with nibbles on the way out. After our tour round the house we went out the back to take a photograph which had been recommended at the ticket office and then continued on to the walled garden. The walled garden was some way from the house but its size was impressive and as it sheltered us from the wind was very pleasant. Unfortunately the garden itself was in a poor state but it is gradually being restored to its original condition. It looks however that this may take some time. The weather was dry all day but a cold northerly wind put us off walking any distance. Tuesday 5th June After stopping for a paper in Fakenham we went on to Pensthorpe nature reserve. This is a privately owned nature reserve so we had to pay to get in and we also paid for an escorted tour of the estate. The reserve is owned by the Jordons of natures biscuit fame who have a house on site. We had a quick look round the enclosed aviaries which was useful for photographing birds such as the ‘Bearded Tit’, the Avocet and the Ruff but we had to be back at the visitor centre for the tour to start at 11.10. The tour consisted of a short talk in the lecture theatre followed by a trip in a road train pulled by a landrover in a low gear. We had a running commentary by the driver which was quite informative but the seating was rather restrictive so we saw as much of the interior of the vehicle as the outside scenery. When we got back we returned to our car for our packed lunch then we walked round the reserve. Many of the ducks and geese are tame to varying degrees so it is quite interesting to see them close up but the smell of bird droppings is rather off putting. The walk alongside the river Wensum was very pleasant as we managed to catch a bit of sunshine and it was sheltered from the wind. We did not see any Otters or Voles or big fish in the river but we did see plenty of damselflies and one dragonfly. The walk through the wildflower meadow was also pleasant which was situated on a marshy low lying area near the river but it was full of buttercups, ragged robin, yellow rattle, water avens and plenty of orchids. The orchids were marsh orchids and heath spotted orchids or hybrids of these two. Unfortunately the sky grew darker as we went through the meadow and we thought it might rain so we changed our route to go nearer the visitor centred. The clouds passed over however and we went along by the pond dipping pool to see the red squirrels. The red squirrels are part of a breeding programme to reintroduce them to the area but are in cages at the moment with wire runs connecting all the cages. When we were there one of the squirrels was running furiously backwards and forwards in the wire run seemingly in great distress. Although keeping wild creatures in captivity protects them from predators the restrictions must pose extreme mental cruelty on the animals and this was one extreme example of many that all of the creatures must feel. When we got back to the centre we called in for a piece of cake and a coffee and it was whilst we were eating it that it started to rain so we were quite pleased with our timing. Wednesday 6th June We decided to go to Wroxham for a day on the Broads. The satnav took us towards Norwich, around a bit of the ring road and out again to Wroxham. The traffic was quite heavy round Norwich but otherwise we made good time and the car park was easy to find. We bought our tickets with about half an hour to spare so we walked over the bridge into Wroxham centre and bought a newspaper in a small newsagents. I also bought a few apples from Roy’s which is a local supermarket and then we went back to catch our boat. There was about twenty or so people in front of us in the queue but we only just managed to get a seat on the open part of the top deck. A girl took our photo as we sat down but we had no intention of buying it. As we moved off it started to rain quite heavily and people started to pull down the plastic curtains which did not please me at all. If you are going to sit outside you should be prepared for the weather and it was difficult to see anything through the plastic. Fortunately it stopped raining within a few minutes and they rolled them back up again. The commentary was quite slow and deliberate but the trip was very pleasant in the sunshine with the greenery and water splashing around the boat. We went out of Wroxham with the expensive houses bordering the river and into a couple of Broads before turning back and returning to our mooring. When we got back we had our packed lunch in the car then walked into the town centre to pay a visit to the tourist office. I asked about any local nature reserves and he mentioned Barton Broad but a leaflet he gave us had a mention of Foxley wood which I knew was on the way back so we decided to go there. We got to Foxley wood about three o’clock so we did not have a great deal of time to look around so we went round the shorter of the two routes available. The weather at this time was hot and sunny with very little wind in the woods so we had a very pleasant hours walk. We saw several orchids including a greater butterfly orchid. It did rain slightly on the later stages and as we got near the end we had to hurry because it started to thunder. Fortunately we got back to the car before it started to rain. The satnav took us back to the cottage on a roundabout route through narrow winding lanes but it did get there. We went down to the pub for a meal in the evening. It is pretty basic fare but it fills us up and doesn’t cost much. Thursday 7th June The weather forecast was not too good for today so we decided to go into Norwich. I eventually found the airport park & ride on the satnav and it eventually got us there but it was a few miles from the main road and we had trouble understanding the parking restrictions. Some of them were for RBS personnel cars only and we were not the only ones confused. The bus no 603 was full when we got on so I had to stand all the way. We got off in the city centre and after a bit of orientation found our way to the market and then on to the information office in the new Forum building. Here we got a copy of a self-guided walking tour and set off to walk the walk. The walk took us up to the castle on a mound overlooking the city although it was not high enough to get a bird’s eye view. No doubt we would have a better view if we had paid to get in the castle and climbed to the top but it would have cost us £12 so we declined the offer and walked round the outside instead. The next part of our walk took us to the cathedral where we also declined to pay the recommended donation but we were still able to look round. The tour was quite pleasant but not as informative as some cathedrals we have visited. A male voice choir was practicing whilst we were there and they sounded very powerful due to the cathedral acoustics. Continuing our walk we went to an old part of the city called Elm Hill with old houses and cobbled streets but we had trouble finding our route from there and gave up the walk. Fortunately it was near the end anyway and past our lunchtime. We went back to the centre and quickly found a Costa coffee café where we had lunch. After lunch we walked back to the market area and decided to get the bus back from the bus station. On our route we passed a Pret a Manger and a large Marks & Spencer. We eventually found the bus station and this time we managed to get a seat at the front and top of a double decker bus so we had a good view on our way back to the Airport Park & ride. The car journey back took us on the same back road journey as yesterday but when we got on the back roads I decided to go back on the satnav and it eventually got us on a sensible route. When we got back to the cottage in the afternoon it started raining and rained hard and persistently for some time into the evening. Fortunately we had decided to have our dinner in doors. Friday 8th June Today started off wet and windy and only got worse. This was not altogether a waste of time since we were able to relax in the cottage. The location of our cottage was down a narrow dead end road some distance outside the village of Brisley. It was very remote from habitation and you would be hard pushed to even know it was there. So much so that we were told we need not bother locking our door which we did on the first day and took our key with us but afterwards we just left the key in the door and thought no more about it. The only people we saw besides the owners was a couple of birdwatchers walking down the road as we came back in the car. Unfortunately because of the weather we were unable to explore in the near vicinity of the cottage but we did see a deer on our way out one day. The birds coming to the bird table included a number of Tree Sparrows which are quite a rarity in most parts of the country and once we heard the call of a Turtle Dove. The cottage itself was quite old but the only complaint we had was that the shower was very feeble. Everything was provided including a complimentary bottle of wine and bacon and eggs in the fridge. It was just a pity about the weather. We did go out in the morning to Morrisons in Fakenham in order to fill up with petrol and in the evening we went for a meal at the Bell Inn in Brisley. This was the third visit for a meal during our stay. The food was basic but we never had cause to complain so long as we watched were we sat as the seats were a bit over used.