Days out with nature

As the summer days stretch out ahead, why not visit one of our local wildlife sites to get that Swallows and Amazons vibe? George Cook of the Avon Wildlife Trust waxes lyrical about Folly Farm and Chew Valley Lake and those who live there...

Avon Wildlife Trust is your largest local charity protecting nature in the west of England. Our work involves caring for over 27 nature reserves across the region, including ancient woodlands that turn purple with bluebells in the spring, wildflower meadows that buzz with life each summer and nationally important wetlands.

These reserves are home to all sorts of wildlife and they also provide a valuable place for people to go explore, relax and connect with nature. Close to Bath, we have reserves such as Browne’s Folly. This old quarry of Bath Stone is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) home to many species of rare orchid and the abandoned mines are now safe havens for the threatened greater horseshoe bat.

Another local reserve is the magical Bathampton Meadows, a beautiful sanctuary for many species that was born out of the creation of the bypass. This clever flood defence is owned by the Highway Authority and flourishes peacefully without human visitors.

There are some great reserves that you can explore this summer all within day-tripping distance of Bath. Folly Farm and Chew Valley Lake are two reserves near each other and would make an excellent day out enjoying nature.

Folly Farm

Sitting on a bench at Folly Farm, looking out over the valley you can forget that you are so close to the cities of Bath and Bristol. Sunlight dances off Chew Valley lake in the distance, the Mendip hills rise away to the left, buzzards glide effortlessly overhead and the wildflower meadows around you hum with the steady buzz of insects. With stunning views like this, the variety of different habitats and the chance of seeing some incredible wildlife, Folly Farm is one of my favourite nature reserves.

This 250-acre site was historically a medieval deer park but is now home to Folly Farm Centre, an education centre, conference and wedding venue and beautiful nature reserve. A landscape survey revealed remains of a 1780s ferme ornée, a French term which means ‘ornamental farm’. This showed the site would have contained aesthetic features such as pools, cascades and gullies as well as traditional farm features. The restored 18thcentury farm buildings are now a beautiful venue for many weddings, conferences and provide accommodation for hundreds of visiting students each year.

The nature reserve surrounding the centre can be explored through different walking routes, including an accessible trail. These offer glimpses of many varied habitats including wildflower meadows, new and ancient woodlands and scrub. The ancient woodland, Dowling’s Wood, and some of the grasslands at Folly have been labelled as SSSI.

As you wander you might see some of the large ant hills, evidence the ground has not been ploughed for a very long time, many bird and bat boxes, badger sets and our herd of six Exmoor ponies. Exmoors are brilliant at navigating rough and uneven terrain and are hardy enough to handle the cold, wet winters. This native breed helps us manage the reserve and maintain its high biodiversity. By eating some of the rough foliage such as thistles and brambles, the horses create more space and let more light in for the wildflowers. The flowers support a wide variety of insects which in turn support the birds, mammals and other wildlife that call Folly Farm home.

Some of the most charismatic species that we have in the UK live here such as badgers, foxes, tawny owls and, my favourite, barn owls. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy these beautiful birds several times here, watching them gliding silently over the meadows hunting for voles and small mammals. Once, when guiding a corporate group around the reserve, we saw a barn owl sitting in a tree in the middle of the afternoon! Lots of the group had never seen a live owl before and it was great to share that moment with them. During another walk, a slender, brown, furry animal darted across our path. The black tip at the end of its tail gave away its identity – a stoat!

The meadows at this time of year are also a joy to walk through.