Into the Badlands

The "Badlands" is the stretch of land between Clay Lane and Beacon Hill estate. It is in fact a privately owned area of ground that the public have always used for walking their dogs, and sledging down the steep path in snowy winters.

The family now seem to use it for grazing their cob horses as well now in summer.

It isn't bad at all, although kids seem to build campfires at night sometimes, but you know how I like to give names for everything! Buzzards and kestrels haunt the stands of trees, and in summer great thickets of thistle support a large population of butterflies.

This spring it has been carpeted in lesser celandine, and has looked particularly cheery. Sadly, that's now past its best, and no longer surrounds what I call the sacred tree - a tree with a lovely clearing under its boughs. It's still a lovely spot though.

Unlike the weather, which went from snow, to drizzle, to hail, then snow in the space of fifteen minutes.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 26.04.16

Periwinkle looking good

Boggy Clay Lane

Entrance to the badlands

Stand of trees where raptors hang out

The Sacred Tree

The Clearing

Looking back

Pretty, but no idea

Looking down the sledging slope

Bad weather incoming

Beacon Hill Reserve woods

Kids BMX on these paths. Fair enough

Violet

Big red tailed queen on cowslip

Five minutes off a drenching