Distance: 5 miles
Parking: free carparking, with 2 car parks
Family Friendly: Yes
Pushchair/ wheelchair access: Yes, if you start at the lower carpark
Facilities: Yes, but currently closed
This is a lovely place to visit if you enjoy the water. The routes do have paths, but lead to nowhere and you have to turn back. Other lead to narrow paths that are quite overgrown and would not be accessible for anyone with mobility issues.
I found walking the ponds was beautiful, but the largest body of water is inaccessible I believe. I think I need to go back here and explore a little further, as I am not certain I did 5 miles! I could not find a consistent route option either to walk in a circuit.
I have been once before, but this time seemed really different. It might be that due to covid the site is not being as well managed as it would normally be and so many the paths that would have been accessible before have over grown.
Species Identified
Alder – Alnus glutinosa
This is a lovely tree with waxy, almost sticky simple leaves. The leave are deeply ridged and have a toothed edge all the way around. They are sometimes pointed at the tip, or blunt, like this one. Their catkins are long and woody in appearance. The bark is a grey colour, especially at the twig leading to the leaves.
Coal Tit – Periparus ater
I was so exciting when I saw this bird! It was singing happily in the tree right near where I was standing. It was beautiful. It is just a shame I did not have my camera on this walk! This is a small bird, with a black head and chin strap. The black markings go down the sides neck with the neck and cheeks being white. The bird has a white chest and belly and light brown sides. The back is grey or grey/ brown with black and white markings. It has a small black beak.
Dog Rose – Rosa canina
A wild member of the rose family. This is a beautiful flower and can have a pleasant scent. The flowers are either pink or white or a bit of both. Flowers have 5 large petals with divots or flat tops. They have many visible yellow stamen. The dog rose has red spines along the green stem. The leaves are pinnate with 7 leaflets forming along the stem, in opposite pairs and one leaflet at the top. Leaflets are serrated along the edge. In the winter these have hard red berries.
Dog Wood – Cornus
This is a beautiful small deciduous tree, meaning it will loose all of its leaves in autumn. The leaves are round or ovate and simple, and arranged in pairs on the stem, or groups of 4 on the end. The ridges are deep and the edge is straight with no serrations. The flowers are gorgeous, they.re white with 4 pointed petals that curve back slightly. The flower head is a cluster of small flowers. The stamen are visible and protruding as is the sigma.
Germander Speedwell – Veronica chamaedrys
This is a gorgeous member of the plantain family. It has tiny purple or blue flowers, it is zygomorphic with veins visible on the petals. It has 4 petals, one large petal on the top, and 3 smaller petals below. There are 2 clear stamen protruding. The stem has downy hairs. The leaves look almost nettle like, arranged in opposite pairs of light green toothed leaves with clear ridges.
Hazel – Corylus avellana
Another lovely small deciduous tree. The leaves on the hazel tree are simple and round, with a serrated edge. To tough they are lightly furry and the tips are pointed. The stem and twigs are lined with hairs. This tree was not in seed, but the seeds are small brown woody nuts inside a green (later brown) leaved case which has pointed edges.
Osier – aka Basket Willow Salix viminalis
The leaves are narrow and ovate in shape, a simple leaf that tapers at both ends, with the centre being slightly wider than the edges. Leave are alternate in orientation on the branches and toothed along the edge. The catkins (flowering part) are downy and long.
Oxeye Daisy – Leucanthemum vulare
This is a large daisy, with a large yellow centre and white petals around the this. The flower head stands singularly on a thin and delicate stem. The leaves are deeply toothed towards the base. There are hairs along the stems.
Red Clover – Trifolium pratense
A member of the pea family. This plant has 3 leaflets that are elliptical to ovate in shape, forming the typical 3 leafed clover appearance. However; this clover has a white to light green almost crescent shape running across the leaflets. The long hairless stem runs up to a domed or globous pink flowering head with no stem. There are often leaflets on the underside of the flowering head.
Ribwort Plantain – Plantago lanceolata
A member of the plantain family. This has a brown corolla on top of a long downy stem. The downy hair is white. And there are visible white stamens protruding from the corolla. The leaves are deeply ridged ovulates which are at the base of the long stem.
Teasel – Dipsacus
These picture are probably the most recognisable of the teasel, but this is when the flower has died. This is a tall plant, when living, it is green and has purple flowers around the conical head. When it has died back, the plant is brown, with a spiney conical head, with spiny leaves surround the top.
There are spikes up the stem. Stems are tall.
White Clover – Trifolium repens
This is very similar to the red clover, but when in flower the flowers are a lovely white to off white colour and form the same globous head of tiny flowers. The leaves of the white clover are more familiar, producing the three rounded leaves together in a palmate orientation. Sometimes they have a lighter colour band on the leaves, this is not as prominent as the red clover. The stems for the flowers are thin and terminates in one flower head per stem.
If you are interested in watching my vlog of the this walk, you can watch it here
Overall this is a lovely short walk and is accessible, especially if you park in the lower car park.