Bring your family for a fun and engaging wander around your local rewilding site, Heal Somerset. 

Expert wildlife guide Nick Patel, will take you and your family on a gentle stroll around the mown paths of our fields, helping you to identify the sights and sounds of some of the special nature that is present on site in November. 

As well as some fun and interesting facts about nature and wildlife around you, Nick will give you and your family tips on spotting and identifying some of the key species of wildlife you can expect to see at this time of year.

This walk will be a lovely chance to encourage your little ones to engage with and care about the nature world and to connect with other nature-loving families in the area.

You will meet Nick at 10am at our visitors parking and after the walk, you can join Nick and your group to warm up in our cosy events space where we will have light refreshments and art materials for young children to capture on paper what they have seen.

What you might see: fieldfare, skylark, bullfinch, peregrine falcon, jay, spindle berries, roe deer, brown hare, turkey tail fungi, candlesnuff fungi

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: 9.55am

Walk departs: 10am

Walk ends: 11.30am

Refreshments and creative session: From 11.30am

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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

The site is not yet wheelchair-accessible, but we do have one all-terrain mobility scooter available. If you would like to use this, or find out more, please email events@healrewilding.org.uk. 

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

If you have any additional questions about accessibility please email events@healrewilding.org.uk.

OTHER THINGS

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.

Please note, tickets are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled.

Children 

Children are welcome although the site is not pushchair-accessible for all areas of the tour. Please contact events@healrewilding.org.uk for more information about bringing children and babies.

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.

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. If you are doing a group booking for 4-8 people, we may be able to organise a pick-up from a local train station (Castle Cary, Bruton or Frome) so please email events@healrewilding.org.uk to discuss arranging that.

Covid-19

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