This month’s walk will be about more nature spotting –  join us for a bluebell walk on the evening of Endangered Species Day –  Friday, 15th May at 18:30. 

Meet at Prior’s Coppice Nature Reserve car park, Oakham LE15 8DB.

We will endeavour to car share so please let Debra know if you intend to come.

Prior Coppice Nature Reserve is a woodland reserve teeming with wildlife and ancient atmosphere, Prior’s Coppice is a relic of the wildwood that once covered all of Leicestershire and Rutland. When you step beneath the trees, you can feel how old this remnant of woodland is. Some of the trees are several hundred years old and centuries of management have led to an ideal habitat for birds, beasts and butterflies (and botanists!).

I have met with blank faces when I have used the word “smeuse” so thought I was the only person who still used it (possibly a West of England “thing”) but it appears in the delightful book  “The Running Hare – the Secret Life of Farmland” by John Lewis-Stempel, a well respected nature writer and farmer.  The book records his year-long experiment to farm a four acre field using traditional, non-chemical methods and he beautifully describes his encounters with the abundant wildlife that join him in his field.  A delightful book which I recommend to you.

Another firm recommendation is the well written “Washington Black” by Esi Edugyan – historical fiction, short-listed for the Man Booker prize in 2018 covering slavery and the true meaning of freedom.

The final volume of the “Down to Earth” series by Faith Addis, “Taking the Biscuit” is also available – a light, amusing read as the Addis family continue to experiment with different ways of earning a living and recount stories of their eccentric neighbours like the poaching granny.