Have you visited Balderton Lake?
We hear so much in the media about stress in our lives and the need to find ways to protect our mental health, especially aft fter t spending the last two years in a pandemic, but could some of the help that we need, already be right here – in Baldert rton? t
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n an ever-growing sea of concrete, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of every ryday y life, lies the tranquility of Baldert rton t Lake. This was a gravel pit, then used as a rubbish dump (a tip) until eventually, in the 1980’s, it was abandoned and left for nature to heal the scars on the landscape and ultimately to flourish into the ‘gem’ that it is now. Walking around the Baldert rton t Lake at a leisurely pace only takes around 20 minutes, but throughout the year, this walk is never the same. In Autumn, you can marv rvel v at the changing colours of the trees, hear the leaves crunching under foot and feel the power of the wind blowing in your face. In Winter, wrap up warmly and enjoy a brisk walk through the echoey landscape – the skeletal trees hanging with icicles and the Jack
Frost decorated spider’s webs, glistening in the light. Every rywhere y around, frost is lying and the mirrored surf rface f of the lake, only broken occasionally, by the movement of the water birds. In Spring, stop to admire the delicate petals and the scent of the Spring flowers, as they emerge from their Winter’s sleep. Stand still and listen to the calls of the many diff fferent f birds, which have made the lake environment their home and watch the magical court rtship t dances of the Great Crested Grebes and the Mute Swans as they prepare to nest. Finally, Summer arrives and with it the feel of the sun’s warmth as you stroll along the lakeside path. Look at all the vibrant colours of the lake’s landscape and listen as the young water birds fill the air with their calls. If you are lucky and tread quietly, you may catch
a fleeting glimpse of the elusive kingfisher, as it flies swiftly over the rippling water. Baldert rton t Lake is a place to relax and to just enjoy all that nature has provided for us. This is a place where families can have fun together, to explore and to educate. Baldert rton t Lake is a beautiful area and is accessible to every ryone y – all ages, on your own or in family groups, there is something here for you and hopefully being in this wonderf rful, f unspoilt environment, in the peace and quiet, our mental health will be support rted. t All that the flora and fauna around Baldert rton t Lake ask of us, is to allow them to live their lives undisturbed, both on land and in the water and they in turn will give us an abundance of pleasure and help us to rest our busy minds - and to just be!
