Out & About July 2017

57 / 60

57
Shake off the Christmas tinsel. It’s time for a breath of fresh air,
says Wendy Tobitt from the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
for all Wildlife Trust nature reserves
to read Heathland Wildlife blog and download the
wildlife crayon-rubbing trail information sheet.
It’s time to pull on your boots,
woolly gloves and scarf, and
get outdoors to explore the
wild countryside – there’s so
much just around the corner.
The trust looks after many of the most
popular wildlife places in West Berkshire.
The sign-posted trails make it so easy for
the whole family to explore, especially if
you have a pushchair or bicycles.
Snelsmore Common, off the B4494
north of Newbury, now has three
waymarked trails, one of them fully
accessible to wheelchairs, and a
heathland wildlife crayon-rubbing trail
for children to have lots of fun with.
The trust has made access to Snelsmore
for horse-riders easier by removing the
car park height barrier so horseboxes
can park there. There are defined tracks,
as well as a longer circular ride along
public rights of way and the waymarked
BHS Three Downs Link.
Who had a new bicycle for Christmas?
If you’re keen to get everyone cycling
safely off-road, then Greenham and
Crookham Common is the perfect place.
More than 10km km of flat gravel track is
tempting for any speedy off-road fanatics.
There are car-free routes to the common
from Thatcham and Newbury railway
stations via the Kennet & Avon Canal
towpath and bridleways.
New year, new routes
If you’re a regular dog walker or jogger
on Greenham and Crookham Common
why not take a look at the map boards
and choose a new route? You may be
surprised by new encounters with wildlife.
Photographers will love the atmospheric
winter skies across the commons.
Brilliant sunrises highlighting heather
and gorse coated in frozen cobwebs, and
glowing sunsets are a rich resource.
The wildlife trust has installed new
trail signs at Paices Wood Country
Parkland, including map boards,
helping more people enjoy the
easy-walking surfaces without fear of
getting lost. You can extend your walk
using public rights of way.
The trust manages several local nature
reserves on behalf of West Berkshire
Council, including Snelsmore Common,
Greenham and Crookham Commons,
Paices Wood Country Parkland and
Wokefield Common.
The work to improve access to these
nature reserves was funded by Grundon
Waste Management Ltd and West
Berkshire Council, and Greenham
Common Trust after a successful Pitch to
the Panel in 2015.
Contributions to improving access are
helping so many more people enjoy
being outdoors and discovering wildlife
this winter.
Imogen Johnson-Hughes follows the heathland
wildlife crayon-rubbing trail at Snelsmore Common
Frosted cobwebs on gorse
Great spotted woodpecker, one of the seven species on the wildlife
crayon-rubbing trail
Pictures: Sorrel Johnson-Hughes
and AndrewWard