Wildlife Walk at Heal Somerset

Join wildlife guide Nick Patel for an easy walk around our beautiful rewilding site at Heal Somerset where you will experience the wealth of nature present here. August is a lovely time in the calendar as nature starts to slow down and make its transition into the Autumn months. There will still be lots of beautiful colours across the fields and thanks to the long grasses, thistles and other sources there is an abundance of wild food in the form of seeds, berries and insects meaning you can expect to see plenty of birds alongside butterflies and bees and maybe even some reptiles. 

This will be an ideal opportunity to see what rewilding has already brought to nature in the first 18 months of the site and to connect with the nature around you.

You will meet Nick at 18:00 at our visitors parking and after the tour, you can join Nick and your group for light refreshments in our cosy events space to reflect on what you have seen on the tour.

What you might see: Nick will identify early signs of autumn including fruiting berries, birds on the move and late summer insects, and hopefully you may catch a glimpse of birds and wildlife including Hobby, Stonechat, Yellow wagtail and Gatekeepers, Small copper and Painted lady butterflies, as well as Bush crickets and Common Lizards.

About your guide, Nick Patel:

Nick is a tour guide, conservationist, naturalist and birder and is passionate about helping to protect, create and maintain British wildlife. A lifelong Birdwatcher, and former Nature reserve Warden, Nick has devoted his life to shouting about how amazing our native biodiversity is and just why we should care for it.

Nick says “I am really pleased and super excited to be working with Heal and looking forward to showcasing some of the amazing work they are doing at the Heal Somerset site. It’s truly inspiring and you can already feel an abundance of nature, which I am excited to share with people though my tours”.

TOUR LOCATION

Heal Somerset is in a very rural location, a few miles from Bruton, Frome, the A303 and the Wiltshire border, at Lower West Barn Farm, Bindon Lane, Witham Friary, BA11 5HH. Directions will be sent in a confirmation email.

TIMINGS

Arrive: 5.55pm

Walk departs: 6pm

Walk ends: approximately 8pm

Refreshments: From 8pm

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CLOTHING AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

We recommend you bring binoculars if you have them for this tour although there will be a couple of spare pairs available on the day.

We recommend that you wear sturdy shoes or walking boots suitable for rough, uneven ground and wellingtons  if the weather has been very wet in the days leading up to the tour. If the forecast is wet, bring a waterproof jacket and a hat. To reduce the chance of ticks finding their way inside clothing, we recommend long trousers tucked into socks. If the forecast is hot, it's best to wear layers including a light cotton shirt or t-shirt and please bring sun cream and potentially a hat. We also recommend bringing a water bottle, preferably a reusable one. You will be able to top it up at the site. Remember your antihistamine if you are a hay fever sufferer!

[We give this level of detail to encourage wider participation in our tours by people who may be unfamiliar with being out in nature and we hope this is useful for them as well as a reminder to those already aware.]

ACCESSIBILITY, SUPPORT AND BABIES/CHILDREN

The site is not yet wheelchair-accessible, but we do have one all-terrain mobility scooter available. If you would like to use this, please let us know ahead of the event.

If you use an assistance dog, your dog will be welcome.

If you have any additional accessibility questions, please email heal@healrewilding.org.uk.

OTHER THINGS

Dogs

We welcome assistance dogs but you can't bring a pet dog or any other pets to the site.

Supporting Heal

Please note, up to 50% of your ticket price will go towards supporting the work of Heal.

You'll also have the chance to become a Friend of Heal and to donate to support our work.

Special ticketing

If you are unwaged, a student or living on a very low income and the cost of attending is prohibitive, please email events@healrewilding.org.uk as we may be able to support your attendance. Please note this may not always be possible.

Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel this tour and either refund you or book you into an alternative date. This would be due to a very poor weather forecast or illness and will be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

LOCAL ACCOMMODATION

We can't offer accommodation yet at Heal Somerset. There are lots of places to stay in and around Frome and Bruton.

TRANSPORT

The remote rural location means that travelling here by car is the most practical option and there will be car parking available for all tour participants.

COVID-19

Please do not attend this talk if you are feeling unwell or have a temperature.