Two Guided Walks Return to Hillhouse Wood
After a gap of three years, guided walks return with two great walks to enjoy with Steve Hallam in the next few weeks.
- Spring Flower Walk on 23rd April, and
- Dawn Chorus Walk on 7th May.
Spring Flower Walk
The last Spring Flower walk took place in 2019 in the company of Storm Hannah! Despite the weather, 22 folks assembled for the walk and thoroughly enjoyed themselves; the comic highlight possibly being when Steve was pretty much blown over by the force of the wind! The walk is normally conducted at a gentle pace (storms permitting).
In a typical year you are likely to see the following flowers:
- Purple Orchids,
- Lesser Celandine,
- Wood Anemones,
- Greater Stitchwort,
- Lady’s Smock,
- Yellow Archangel,
- Wild Garlic,
- Wood Sorrel,
- Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage (great name but quite boring apparently), and, of course
- Vistas of Bluebells.
There are also numerous birds, butterflies and other species you may be lucky to see including the melodious Nightingales that inhabit the woods.
How to join the walk
The walk starts from the Old Church at 2 pm on Saturday 23rd April. Don’t forget to collect a map, nature trail and guide from the Friends of Hillhouse Wood information point by the church. For those wanting to walk at their own pace, or maybe just miss the rush, the Information Point will remain open until around 3:30 pm.
Dawn Chorus Walk
Once again, the last of these walks took place in 2019 and, according to Steve Hallam’s report, was one of the best on record; this was largely due to a stunning, and prolonged solo from a Nightingale.
Previous years’ walks have seen and/or heard over 20 species, for example:
- Tawny Owl.
- Whitethroat.
- Robin.
- Nightingale.
- Blackbird.
- Wren.
- Pheasant.
- Rook.
- Wood Pigeon.
- Blackcap.
- Blue Tit.
- Chaffinch.
- Canada Goose.
- Chiffchaff.
- Goldcrest.
- Mallard.
- Jackdaw.
- Great Tit.
- Buzzard.
- Green Woodpecker.
- Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
How to join the walk
The walk will start from the Old Church at 3:45 am on Saturday 7th May. You should bring warm clothing, stout footwear, a flask of hot drink and a torch – please note that the walk will only go ahead weather permitting.