Beat the winter blues with this Winter Wildlife, Plants and Trees walk around your local rewilding site at Heal Somerset. 

February may be chilly but it is a beautiful time of the year for connecting with nature. Bare trees make it even easier to spot some of our resident and migrant birds visiting for winter and the inevitable muddy conditions allows us to track footprints of some of the more elusive wildlife around us. 

This weekend is also Imbolc, a pagan festival celebrating the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox so is the perfect time to join expert wildlife guide Nick Patel who will help you identify some of the sights and sounds of the winter wildlife plus guide you through some of the very early signs of spring including new leaves, buds and flowers. You will also learn more about the different habitats which are evolving at Heal Somerset through rewilding and what they mean for the winter wildlife in the area.

You will meet Nick at 10am at our visitors parking and after the tour, you can warm up with Nick and your group in our farmhouse where we will have light refreshments and you can talk more about what you have seen on the walk.

What you might see: siskin, chiffchaff, treecreeper, long-tailed tit, kestrel, alder tree, english oak, goat willow, hazel, grassland vegetation during winter and some hope inducing early signs of Spring!

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: approximately 12pm

Refreshments: From 12pm

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.

It is very likely to be wet underfoot at this time of year so we recommend that you wear wellingtons or sturdy waterproof shoes or walking boots suitable for rough, uneven ground. If the forecast is wet, bring a waterproof jacket and a hat and dress warmly.

[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, please let us know ahead of the event.

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 and babies

Children over 12 are welcome on the tour as are babies in slings (the site is not pushchair-friendly in a lot of areas). Please contact events@healrewilding.org.uk for more information about bringing children.

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.

Photo credit for main image: Alex Sams, Providence Ecological