Gaywood valley - Sustainable URBAN FRINGES (SURF)

Transcription

Gaywood Valley:
discover
explore
take action
foreword
Through outdoor exploration, nature allows for unstructured
adventure, generating a sense of freedom, independence and
inner strength. Furthermore, people’s relationship with nature is
a fundamental part of their development, allowing opportunities
for self-discovery and natural environmental experience.
Research shows quite clearly that nature in both rural and urban
areas is vital for people’s well-being. Being in green places
improves self-esteem and mood, and reduces blood pressure.
Equally importantly, it also reconnects people to both wildlife
and local landscapes, giving opportunities for young and old to
create common experiences as well as improve their health.
We should think of green places as being part of a national
health system, as well as playing a critical role in conservation.
Professor Jules Pretty OBE
University of Essex
Author of The Earth Only Endures (2007)
and This Luminous Coast (2011)
Gaywood Valley:
discover
explore
take action
Acknowledgements
contents
Introduction
A wide range of organisations and individuals
have contributed to this publication.
We thank them all and apologise if you have
helped and have not been named. To create a
Living Landscape demands a partnership of local
individuals, landowners, community groups,
statutory bodies and voluntary organisations all
working together. The range of organisations
whose logos indicate they have contributed to this
guide is a positive indication of how many people
care about the Gaywood Valley, its environment,
landscape and wildlife. We would also like to
thank you the reader: your ideas and energy are
equally important and we hope this guide will
help you learn about, explore and contribute to
protecting your amazing Gaywood Valley.
First published in Great Britain in 2012 by Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Copyright © 2012 Norfolk Wildlife Trust
All rights reserved
discover
77
11
woods
15
heathland
21
rivers and lakes
25
farmland
31
urban areas
35
explore
39
Countryside code
41
Bawsey Country Park
43
St James’ Church, Bawsey Ruins
44
Illustrations : Steve Cale, Ugly Studios
NWT Grimston Warren
46
Main photographic contributors : Karl Charters, Gemma Clark, David Colk, Tim Holt-Wilson, Chris Knights,
Mike McFarlane, Barry Madden, Nicola Marray-Woods, David North,
Richard Osbourne, Kevin Simmonds, Robin Stevenson, David Tipling,
Kirsty Webber-Walton, Wildstock.
NWT Roydon Common
48
Reffley Wood
51
The Walks, King’s Lynn
53
Harding’s Pits
55
Additional green gems
56
Walk maps
58
Main contributors : Nick Acheson, David North
Contributors : Nicola Marray-Woods, James Sugrue, Mike Toms
Design : Paul Westley – www.paulwestley.net
Photographs : Nigel Adams (Hedgelink), Badu, Brian Becket, Richard Burkmarr, Elizabeth Dack, Discovery Quest,
Chris Durdin, Maurice Funnell, David Gittens, iStock, Helen Kramer, Sandy Lockwood,
Brian McFarlane, Peter Mallett, Ralph Neale, Thea Nicholls, Dominic North, Mike Page, Alan Price,
Mrs V Pritchard, Craig Shaw, Mel Slote, Matthew Tebbutt, Julian Thomas, Gemma Walker, Bob Ward,
Paul Waterhouse, Paul Westley, Darren Williams, Woodland Trust, Neville Yardy.
Maps : Ugly Studios, Paul Westley
Acknowledgements : P
aul Lefever / Discovery Quest for permission to reproduce text originally published as
Explore Natural Norfolk 2011
NBIS – for permission to use information from
The Gaywood Valley, State of the Environment Report 2012
Holly Meadows School for permission to include case study.
This publication has been funded through the Gaywood Valley Project, one of a number of projects receiving funding
through the Intereg North Sea programme as part of an international initiative called SURF (Sustainable Urban
Fringes). This project involves 15 partners from across the North Sea Region who are working together to test ideas
to improve the social, economic and environmental quality of urban fringe areas.
take action
63
Take action in your garden
66
Take action in your community
70
Take action with schools and young people
76
Further Information
78
Species Checklist
81
Something Extra
83
introduction
When was the last time
you were outdoors?
Suleiman-bin-Daoud was wise. He
understood what the beasts said, what the
birds said, what the fishes said, and what the
insects said. He understood what the rocks
said deep under the earth when they bowed
in towards each other and groaned; and he
understood what the trees said when they
rustled in the middle of the morning.
Rudyard Kipling
The Just So Stories
in human history – we’ve become even more
distanced from the wildlife and wild places around
us by flat-screen televisions, our mobile phones,
the internet and our iPods.
Because of these very modern developments
many of us are suffering from what Richard Louv,
in his brilliant book Last Child in the Woods, calls
nature-deficit disorder. It’s the condition of not
having enough nature in our lives and the scientific
evidence that it’s a real problem for our mental
and physical wellbeing is mounting every day.
So what do we do about it?
Not outdoors in a just-on-my-way-to-the-shops
sort of way but really outdoors in a wow-itfeels-good-to-be-breathing-fresh-air sort of way.
Of course, the two can be the same thing but
you see what we mean: there’s a difference in
quality of experience and it’s that difference that’s
highlighted in Gaywood Valley: Discover,
Explore, Take Action.
This guide is all about engaging you with the
landscape and wildlife of the Gaywood Valley.
The Discover section provides you with an
introduction to the different habitats and some
of the wildlife that make up this very special
Living Landscape. The Explore section gives
you details of walks and some amazing features
and places for you to visit. The Take Action
section will guide you towards things you can do
to help nature. But why should you bother?
It’s simple: nature and wild places are
fundamentally important to our health and
wellbeing. For as long as humans have been
humans we’ve needed to understand nature’s
rhythms and moods in order to find food and
shelter and to stay out of danger. It’s only very
recently in the history of our species that we’ve
lived largely indoors and it’s only in the last
moments of human existence that we’ve bought
our food, clothes, furniture and medicines from
shops and supermarkets rather than growing,
gathering, weaving and hunting them ourselves.
In just the last few years – a momentary flash
Simple! Get outside and start engaging with
nature and wild landscapes again. The good news
is that, when we start looking, there’s wildlife all
around us. We may no longer need to harvest
wild food (though it’s fun when done in a safe,
sustainable way) and we may no longer need to
worry about wolves and bears in the bushes (at
least not if we live in Norfolk) but our bodies and
minds still benefit hugely from getting out and
learning the ways of the woods.
So put down your mobiles and your iPods for
a moment, come with us on a journey through
the amazing Gaywood Valley Living Landscape,
and let your bodies, your minds and your hearts
relate to the beauties of nature all around. There is
much to discover and explore: even in the heart of
urban King’s Lynn there is wild nature to be found.
Connect to the nature around you and your life will
be forever richer.
7
introduction
Living Landscapes
~ Landscapes for Life
Most of our countryside is much less friendly
to wildlife today than in the past. Many oncecommon and familiar countryside species –
wildflowers, butterflies, farmland birds, bees,
moths, bats – have declined enormously.
This is because of the way the habitats which
wildlife depends on have become fragmented
into smaller and smaller areas as farmland has
become more intensive and settlements have
grown. The Wildlife Trusts have a vision, known
as A Living Landscape, to bring nature back to
the wider countryside by restoring, reconnecting
and recreating habitats to benefit both people and
wildlife. The Gaywood Valley Living Landscape is
just one special area where Norfolk Wildlife Trust
is working with local communities, landowners
and other organisations to protect and enhance
wildlife on a landscape scale.
A Living Landscape is a recovery plan for nature
aiming to restore damaged wildlife habitats,
recreate wildlife habitats where they have been
destroyed and reconnect natural areas, enabling
wildlife to move freely and adapt to changing
conditions. The Living Landscape vision is also
crucially about creating wild areas for people
close to where they live: bringing people to
nature, but more importantly bringing nature to
people. Our vision is to bring back a wildlife-rich
landscape where both people and wildlife benefit
from green spaces in both town and countryside.
We hope this guide will inspire you to learn about
and explore the amazing Gaywood Valley and take
action to make this vision of a Gaywood Valley
Living Landscape a reality.
9
discover
It’s our nature!
For most of human history our lives have
been shaped by the local landscape: our
survival depended on knowing it well.
Knowledge of the wildlife and the habitats
around us was second nature when most
of us worked on the land and walked to
our work places. Today, you might think
we no longer need nature but the more
you think about your connections with
nature – and we hope this guide will
inspire you to think about them – the
more you see them everywhere. What’s
the paper in this book made from? What
are you breathing, without even noticing,
while you read this?
Do I really need healthy ecosystems
and a wildlife rich landscape?
Even if you are sitting indoors while you read
this, the life-giving oxygen in the next breath
you take will have been provided by green
plants and the carbon dioxide you breathe out
will be taken from the air by those same green
plants. This is a big part of what regulates our
climate and makes it habitable, and it’s done all
the time, for nothing, and with nobody noticing,
by nature. It’s what we call an ecosystem
service. The balance of gases in our atmosphere
is maintained by living creatures, in their
habitats, functioning in ecosystems.
It’s happening all around you! Natural habitats
in the Gaywood Valley and the wild species
that live in them help reduce man-made climate
change: the peat-forming mire at Roydon
Common takes carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and locks it away in buried layers
of wet peat. Trees everywhere in our Gaywood
woodlands, parks and streets also lock away
atmospheric carbon in their timber.
And what did you eat for breakfast? Many of our
food crops still depend on wild bees and other
What’s more nature makes us feel good.
Close your eyes and think of somewhere
really beautiful. The chances are your
beautiful place was outdoors. Perhaps
there was a river nearby (water makes
us feel really good), maybe the sun was
shining through the fresh leaves of a tree,
and there’s a good chance birds were
singing in the background or a butterfly
was chasing around.
The Discover section of this guide
introduces you to some of the important
habitats that are found in the Gaywood
Valley Living Landscape and tells you
about the wildlife you can discover here.
wild insects to pollinate them and of course all of
our food plants depend on the ecosystems that
maintain healthy soils. The majority of land in the
Gaywood Valley is farmland. All of this farmland,
whether producing crops or livestock, depends
of supplies of fresh water. The wetland habitats
in the Gaywood Valley help prevent flooding
after heavy rains and hold water like sponges
when it’s plentiful, releasing it slowly during the
summer months and helping make sure the river
doesn’t run dry. Nature’s doing all this, and much,
much more, all the time, and for nothing!
We may take it for granted, but the natural
beauty of our local landscape – its woods,
heaths, lakes, river and green spaces – helps
keep us happy healthy and sane! Scientists call
this function of the landscape a cultural service.
From the first cave paintings to 21st century art,
nature has been the single greatest source of
human inspiration. So read on: we hope this
guide to the Gaywood Valley Living Landscape
will inspire you. This Living Landscape is a source
of food, clean water, clean air, healthy soils,
amazing wildlife and stunning natural beauty. If
you live in it or visit it, you are part of it and it in
turn plays a huge part in your quality of life.
11
discover
The Wash
Discover the
Gaywood
Valley
Explore
St James’ Church
(Bawsey Ruins)
p44
NWT Roydon Common p48
WT Reffley Wood p51
A Living
Landscape
North Wootton
South Wootton
Roydon
Grimston
Pott Row
King’s Lynn
Clenchwarton
Gaywood
Congham Heath Woods p56
Fairstead
Bawsey
Key to map
Gaywood Valley
Living Landscape
Leziate
Gaywood River
NWT Grimston Warren p46
Nature reserves
/ sites to visit
Urban
/ built-up areas
Major roads
Harding’s Pits p55
The Walks p53
Gaywood
Plantation p57
Bawsey Country Park p42
13
discover – woods
Woods in the Gaywood Valley
Woods have been part of the Gaywood Valley for thousands of years. Today there are
woods of several kinds in the valley including birch woods and ancient oak woods.
There are also recent plantations of conifers, grown for timber, and very small areas
of wet woodland dominated by alder and willow. Overall the area of woodland in the
Gaywood Valley is very small and each wood is a precious island for woodland wildlife,
usually isolated from the next by farmland, roads or housing. In total the Gaywood
Valley holds 256 hectares of deciduous woodland, 178 hectares of conifer plantation
and 133 hectares of mixed woodland.
How have people used them?
orange birch bolete
How were they formed?
Thousands of years ago, after the retreat of the last
Ice Age, the Gaywood Valley, like most of Norfolk,
would have been colonised by birch woodland,
followed in time by richer deciduous woodland.
From the Bronze Age onward, prehistoric people
deforested this vast wildwood creating the open
landscape we associate with West Norfolk today.
Since then, woodland has only covered a small
area of the Gaywood Valley. In some places,
often on former heaths and commons, there are
conifer plantations, most of them planted since
the Second World War. Even natural woodland can
spring up remarkably quickly and areas of birch
woodland on former heathland have developed
very recently. Today there is increased interest in
planting native deciduous trees in Norfolk but the
area of woodland in the Gaywood Valley remains
small and very fragmented.
Humans have depended on woodland for
countless resources for centuries. Traditional
products included timber for construction of
houses, ships and furniture, wood for burning or
making charcoal, stakes for wattle, wicker and
poles, bark for tanning leather, and pannage of
acorns for pigs. Many other natural resources
such as fruit, nuts, wild medicines, meat from
game and grazing for domestic livestock have
also traditionally come from woods. In recent
decades we have largely lost our interest in the
management of woods for this wide range of
natural resources, though the trend towards
heating homes with wood fuels is reason to hope
this may yet change.
spotted flycatcher
15
discover – woods
These are just a few of the species you could
see in your local Gaywood Valley woods:
primrose
red campion
herb robert
wood anemone
Reeves’ muntjac
ivy
honeysuckle
What are their
special habitats?
What special wildlife
lives there?
Every wood provides a great range of habitats.
Within a wood there are generally several
structurally distinct habitats including the topsoil
and leaf-litter, the ground flora, low scrub and
growing trees, and the canopy of older trees. Each
layer is inhabited by different wildlife species.
Dead wood is also important for invertebrates and
fungi but is often largely absent from managed
woodland. Ancient woods support the greatest
diversity of wildlife and in general large woods will
support a greater range of species than smaller
woodlands. The largest area of ancient woodland in
the Gaywood Valley is Reffley Wood, a Woodland
Trust nature reserve. Though most of the ancient
woodland in the Gaywood Valley has been greatly
modified by human activity, including the planting
of conifers and introduction of other non-native
species, the Woodland Trust is managing areas
such as Reffley Wood and Gaywood Plantation to
restore them to a more natural state.
Woods are hugely diverse and are home to an
enormous number of species. Plants which
indicate a site is an ancient wood include bluebell,
wood anemone, wood sorrel, yellow archangel,
yellow pimpernel and goldilocks buttercup. Woods
are typically more diverse than other habitats in
insects such as moths and as a result are rich in
birdlife and mammals.
bluebell
wood anemone
wood sorrel
yellow archangel
great spotted
woodpecker
grey squirrel
comma butterfly
jay
badger
red admiral
hedgehog
speckled wood
sparrowhawk
long-tailed tit
blue tit
great tit
coal tit
wood mouse
Reeves’ muntjac
roe deer
robin
wren
Speckled wood
Herb robert
What conservation challenges
are there?
jay
se of
In the woods, there is a strong sen
play
dow
immersion in the dancing sha
and fall
of the leafy depths, and the rise
sons
of the sap that proclaims the sea
less
no
and
,
tide
is nothing less than a
influenced by the moon.
Roger Deakin
s
Wildwood, A Journey Through Tree
wren
bank vole
The chief conservation challenge in woodland
in the Gaywood Valley is to restore connectivity
between isolated sites to allow populations
of woodland wildlife to move through the
farmed landscape and the built environment. In
commercial woods, the challenge is to maintain
productivity while encouraging both biodiversity
and recreational use. A priority in King’s Lynn is
to protect the few remaining ancient woods and
to ensure that as the town grows new woods
are developed in urban areas and the urban
fringe. This will benefit both people and wildlife,
forming green links which enable wildlife to move
between rural and urban areas.
bluebell
17
discover – woods
I went to the woods because I wished
to see if I could not learn what life had
to teach – and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived.
It’s all in the timing
In spring, broadleaved woodlands are alive with
sights and sounds and it can be hard to see the
wood for the trees! Among the most complex
and fascinating relationships is between
green plants (the producers), herbivores (the
consumers) and predators : for example trees,
moth caterpillars and birds such as blue tits.
As soon as oak leaves start to unfurl in April,
many species of night-flying moth emerge and
lay their eggs on the new leaves. These very
soon hatch as tiny, well-camouflaged, bright
green caterpillars which feast on the unrivalled
source of food represented by these countless
fresh leaves. Amazingly, birds such as blue tits
have timed the laying and incubation of their
eggs so that their chicks will hatch just when
the billions of tiny caterpillars are starting to
feed on the leaves. It’s therefore possible for
the parents to find the food necessary for the
healthy growth of their chicks. The chicks’
growth is so perfectly tuned to their prey that
as the caterpillars grow larger so too does the
chicks’ appetite for bigger meals!
Henry David Thoreau
The Bluebird Carries the Sky on his Back
Meanwhile, predators such as sparrowhawks
will time the fledging of their chicks – a
dangerous time for the chicks which need
to learn to feed themselves – to coincide as
closely as possible with the fledging of the
tit chicks. When there are lots of dopey tit
chicks around, learning to fly and to fend for
themselves, it’s definitely the best time of
year for a sparrowhawk chick to be learning
to hunt them.
fly agaric
Woodland changes a landscape …
Woodland changes a landscape, shortening
horizons and softening vistas. Its verdant
summer growth casts a shade of deep green,
the air beneath the canopy still and heavy
with the sound of a thousand buzzing insect
wings. Come autumn and the liquid greens
are drained, as trees draw back nutrients and
seal off their leaves. The colour palette shifts
to dry browns and golden yellows before these
autumnal hues slip from the trees to make
a crisp carpet ripe for crunching footsteps.
Come winter and a wood opens itself to the
elements, the network of branches and twigs
stark against brooding sky. The trees linger in
a state of limbo until the first warming days of
spring, when tight buds burst forth to release
the new season’s growth.
The birds made the still ridings rinse and
ts
ring with their music. There were viole
ers,
flow
ty
pret
and many other small,
unknown to my dumb mind, all over the
floors of the woods. The grey squirrels
ran angrily between their nests. The
with
wise and charming rooks flew about
ales
ting
twigs in their mouths. The nigh
sang like angels.
T. H. White
The Goshawk
Woodland is part of me. Having grown up
within its tender folds I welcome its comforting
embrace and I feel exposed when I find
myself in a landscape without some patch of
woodland cover. For others, perhaps those
who have grown up not knowing the childhood
pleasures of a woodland playground, a wood
may seem threatening, its deep shadows the
haunt of unnamed creatures conjured from
folk tales handed down. There is nothing to
fear from our woodlands though. There are
no creatures of menace but, instead, a rich
biodiversity of animal and plant life, from the
spring flush of colour that appears before the
canopy closes through to the birds whose
songs resonate at dawn. Spending time in a
wood returns rich rewards.
grey squirr
el
sparrowhawk
You learn that if you sit down in the
s.
woods and wait, something happen
Henry David Thoreau
discover – woods
Birch woodland at
NWT Roydon Common
Woodland Trust Reffley Wood
Woodland Trust Gaywood Plantation
Urban trees in The Walks
Congham Heath Woods
19
discover – heathland
Heathland in the Gaywood Valley
At one time extensive heaths existed on the sandy soils to the east of King’s Lynn.
Faden’s map of 1797 shows heathland around Leziate, Grimston, Roydon and
Massingham. Today the best remaining heath in the Gaywood Valley, and one of the
best in Norfolk, is NWT Roydon Common. There are also small heathy grasslands within
Bawsey Country Park on the sandy soils exposed by mineral extraction. Heathland
occupies around 150 hectares of the Gaywood Valley but significant additional areas of
former heathland are being restored by Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
How was it formed?
What are its special habitats?
Heaths are the product of a combination of natural
and human factors. They occur where woodland
on sandy, often acidic soils has been felled and
the subsequent open land has been impoverished
further by centuries of grazing. The result is a
low scrubby habitat which is baked by the sun
in summer and is consequently home to hotterclimate wildlife than would occur in our shady,
native woodlands. The chief domestic animals that
would have grazed heaths in West Norfolk were
geese, sheep, cows, donkeys and ponies. It is
likely that areas of heathland have existed in the
Gaywood Valley since the Bronze Age when early
people first settled, cleared and grazed the valley.
The most widespread heathland habitat is
heather heath. However, there are also several
other associated habitats including acid
wetlands, known as bogs, and woods, often
dominated by birch.
How have people used it?
Heaths would traditionally have been of great
importance for grazing and for the gathering of
natural materials, such as bracken for animal
bedding, and gorse for burning in bread ovens and
grinding to feed to livestock. The wetter areas,
such as the mire at Roydon Common, were dug
for peat for use as fuel to heat homes and for
cooking. Heathland was often common land over
which local people had rights and it played a vital
part in the local economy.
lives there?
Heathland in the Gaywood Valley is
dominated by heather, also known
as common ling, and,where there
is water, cross-leaved heath.
European gorse and bracken are
also common, along with
low-growing species such
as sheep’s sorrel, mosses
and lichens. Among the key
animal species to be found on
Gaywood heaths are adders and
their prey including common
lizards and slow-worms.
Several rare or scarce
birds nest here including
nightjars, woodlarks and
stonechats. Rare insect
specialists include the
black darter dragonfly,
green tiger and
minotaur beetles,
and butterflies such
as grayling, small
copper and green
hairstreak.
adder
grass snake
minotaur beetle
21
What conservation challenges
are there?
The chief threat facing the Gaywood Valley’s
remaining heaths today is regeneration of woodland
as a result of the discontinuation of traditional
grazing. On nature reserves, such as Roydon
Common, Norfolk Wildlife Trust grazes livestock
including Dartmoor ponies to help stop scrub and
trees encroaching. However cutting by hand and
machine and control of bracken are also needed,
making maintaining the heathland an expensive and
never-ending task. The other key challenge in the
Living Landscape is to restore or recreate heathland
areas which have been damaged or destroyed.
Work underway at NWT Grimston Warren is
one of the largest and most important heathland
restoration projects in the country.
There’s a wind on the heath, brother;
if I could only feel that, I would gladly
live for ever.
The Gaywood Valley heathland is packed full of wildlife,
just look at what you could see:
George Borrow
Lavengro
Certain is it that a man who knows
and loves the heathland always has
with him the memory of its
spaciousness, of its peaceful solitudes,
of its heather and bracken and lichens
and wood sage, of the calls of its birds,
and the scent of its air.
W. G. Clarke
In Breckland Wilds
When the bees’ feet shake the bells
of the heather, and the ruddy strings
of the sap-stealing dodder are twined
about the green spikes of the furze,
it is summertime on the commons.
common heather
skylark
brown hare
minotaur beetle
sheep’s sorrel
stonechat
rabbit
bracken
kestrel
adder
black darter
dragonfly
mosses and lichens
buzzard
common lizard
sundews
magpie
fox
wood sage
meadow pipit
roe deer
silver birch
linnet
Reeves’ muntjac
tormentil
Henry Williamson
Tarka the Otter
Traditional heathland management
On many of its heathland nature reserves,
Norfolk Wildlife Trust keeps tough, traditional
breeds of sheep and pony which are at home
year-round in these unimproved habitats.
These animals include Shetland sheep
and Dartmoor ponies; they are critical to
heathland conservation as they eat the woody
plants which would otherwise take over to
create habitats unsuitable for the sun-loving
specialists found on heaths.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Flying Flock includes
over 1,000 sheep and 100 ponies, all of tough,
traditional breeds. These help create just the
right conditions needed by rare heathland
wildlife species. Please do not feed any
livestock – this will discourage them from doing
their vital job maintaining the heathland habitat.
red deer
slow worm
small copper
green hairstreak
Woodlark
slow worm
Heaths only came about because of human
management of the landscape. They are
the product of ancient forest clearance and
subsequent grazing on sandy, acidic soils. In
the twentieth century huge areas of heathland
have been lost. Conservation organisations
now spend large sums on preserving the
remaining areas of heathland and who better to
recruit to do the job than the traditional breeds
of livestock which helped create the heathland
landscape in the first place?
goldfinch
green woodpecker
green tiger beetle
Green tiger beetle
Woodlark
Be honest: have you ever heard
of the woodlark? If you haven’t,
part of the reason will be that
it’s really rare in Norfolk. Being a
heathland specialist, the woodlark
has suffered greatly from the
change of traditionally-managed
heaths to scrub and woodland
in the twentieth century. This
has been caused by the loss of
traditional grazing and by the
introduction of myxomatosis
which almost wiped out the
rabbits that previously kept the
heaths short and sun-baked.
The decline of this lovely bird is
typical of many species which
have become much rarer with
the loss of traditional ways of
managing the landscape.
The woodlark’s simple, plaintive
song is among the most beautiful
of all British birds’. It may
still be heard in spring in the
upper reaches of the Gaywood
catchment, on heathland at NWT
Roydon Common and Grimston
Warren.
NWT Roydon Common
NWT Grimston Warren
Bawsey Country Park
23
discover – rivers and lakes
Rivers and lakes in the
Gaywood Valley
The Gaywood is a short chalk river some 13km in length that rises from springs
near Derby Fen and flows westwards to the historic town of King’s Lynn. The river
discharges into the Great Ouse at King’s Lynn, and then into the North Sea through
the Wash estuary. The river’s course is not prominent in the landscape and even people
who live in the valley are often unaware of it. The catchment of the River Gaywood
is approximately 5,700 ha and includes much of urban King’s Lynn. The river used to
meander across a wide floodplain, but today is channelled into a series of deep, straight
drains. In urban King’s Lynn parts have even been piped underground making its course
impossible to follow. The largest lakes in the Gaywood Valley are man-made and are
found in the Bawsey and Leziate areas. There are still some small ponds in the valley but
their number is much reduced, many having been drained as farming has intensified and
land has been developed over the past fifty years. Today 149 ponds and lakes are found
in the Valley.
the result that soil types can vary hugely in just a
small area of the valley. Changes in relative sealevel have also had a big impact on the Gaywood
Valley and in Roman times present day villages
including Castle Rising and Bawsey were on the
edge of a much larger tidal estuary. The Gaywood
probably once flowed into the Great Ouse estuary
at North Lynn but in mediaeval times it was
diverted to form part of a moat for the town’s
defences. Since then the river’s course has been
extensively modified to prevent flooding and to
enable both drainage and irrigation.
white water-lily
How was the Gaywood
River formed?
The Gaywood River is a feature of the landscape
with a long history. Half a million years ago the
Gaywood River was a stream draining westward
from high chalk hills in the Grimston area. Then
450,000 years ago the whole landscape was in the
grip of ice. Ice sheets up to 1km deep advanced
up the Gaywood Valley eroding the chalk by up
to 65 metres, broadening the valley, and pushing
the crest of the chalk escarpment back to its
present day position at Great Massingham. It was
this Anglian ice advance that exposed some of
the rocks lying beneath the chalk, including the
sandstones and Jurassic clays which are seen
in parts of the valley today. When the ice sheets
retreated they also left behind a complex mix of
glacial deposits – sands, clays and gravels – with
kingfisher
25
lives there?
Key species in the River Gaywood include many
species of fish, such as brown trout, bullhead
and the highly endangered European eel. Otter,
water vole, kingfisher and the banded demoiselle
damselfly are also typical. The Gaywood River
itself, and the various ditches feeding into it,
provide habitat for water-loving plants such as
wood club-rush, which was thought to be extinct
in the county until found recently on Derby Fen.
Other attractive water plants in the Valley include
water forget-me-not, purple loosestrife, flowering
rush and water primrose.
How have people used water
in the Gaywood Valley?
Rivers have traditionally been of great importance
in the provision of food (principally fish), energy
(water mills), water and transport. Parts of the
Gaywood Valley have also been exploited for
minerals for many centuries, especially silica-rich
sands used in glassmaking and foundry work. The
large lakes in the Bawsey and Leziate area were
created by sand-extraction for the glass industry
and today the Leziate quarries extract some
450,000 tonnes of silica sand each year.
What are the special habitats
along the Gaywood River?
The River Gaywood once meandered through
large natural wetlands. Faden’s map of 1797
shows extensive valley wetlands and fens along
the river. Much of this wetland has been lost over
the last 200 years as the river has been tamed
and its fertile peaty wetlands drained for farming.
However there are still remnants of fenland: the
wetlands at Leziate Fen, Derby Fen and Sugar
Fen are parts of this once-extensive river valley
landscape. In its upper reaches the Gaywood is a
chalk stream and its valley sides would have once
been mainly heathland; this type of landscape can
still be seen at Roydon Common.
common darter
A hundred rivers in one valley
Everyone knows what a river is, right? It’s a
beautiful feature of the landscape, it’s great
for wildlife and it’s a wonderful place to take
the children for a walk. All that’s true but a
river, indeed any feature of the landscape, is
also a complex expression of the prehistory,
natural history, human history, mythology and
daily bustle that have formed it and surround
it still. A river such as the Gaywood filters first
through chalk laid down a hundred million
years ago in a warm ocean. A river’s course
is dictated in part by the slow but inexorable
movement of glaciers across our landscape
during the hundreds of thousands of years
of the Ice Age. A river slices through its
landscape and is shaped in turn by humans
with designs on its water, its fish, its rich soils,
and its inherent energy, or by humans fearful
of its impacts on their homes and streets. A
river is shaped by beavers too, though we have
long since banished these from Norfolk. A river
is a long walk and solace on a sad day. A river
is a child’s playground, a canoeist’s life away
from land, a poet’s wordstream, a fisherman’s
fish and, more importantly, his time to think. A
river is the whole wide world to a water vole.
kingfisher
A river, the Gaywood, is the heart of Norfolk
Wildlife Trust’s vision for a Living Landscape
in West Norfolk and weaves its way, at times
unseen, through every page of this guide.
What conservation
challenges are there?
Throughout human history Norfolk’s rivers
have been dredged, canalised and moved to
suit people’s designs on the landscape. This
has led to a loss of natural processes such as
seasonal flooding, a loss of habitat diversity, and
consequently a great loss of wildlife. In recent
decades rivers have suffered hugely through runoff from agricultural land polluting the water with
nitrates. Rivers are also threatened by abstraction
of water, reducing flow and by invasion by nonnative plants and alien animals such as North
American mink. Over-deepening and straightening
of the river have disconnected it from its
floodplain and pollution in the lower reaches is
also a significant problem. The major challenge
in the Gaywood Valley is to restore the natural
functioning of the river by reconnecting it to the
floodplain and to recreate areas of wetland and
heathland that once bordered it.
He thought his happiness was complete
when, as he ambled aimlessly along,
suddenly he stood by the edge of a fullfed river. Never in his life had he seen a
river before – this sleek, sinuous, fullbodied animal, chasing and chuckling,
gripping things with a gurgle and leaving
them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh
playmates that shook themselves free,
and were caught and held again. All was
a-shake and a-shiver – glints and gleams
and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter
and bubble. The Mole was bewitched,
entranced, fascinated.
Kenneth Grahame
The Wind in the Willows
water vole
27
Get down to the water’s edge, see what you can find:
Rivers living things that we must care for
If you could see a natural river from above over
a period of many decades you would see a
river that is alive, its course shifting over time
as it throws out new meanders, splits into
multiple channels and reforms. Today of course
much of the Gaywood river is controlled,
forced into channels that meet our needs:
piped underground in parts of Kings Lynn, or
in the countryside flowing along straightened,
deepened channels into which the drains feed
to keep the low-lying land dry.
My local river forms part of my own natural
rhythms. It is my guide as I walk to work; it
is my companion when I seek somewhere
quiet to pause. In summer it is clear, the green
of countless waterweeds gently moving in
the current but come winter it turns dark and
brooding. The river annotates the seasons,
catching the blossoms of spring and the spent
leaves of autumn. At times it is tranquil, its
surface a flat reflection of bright skies and
white clouds. On other occasions it is fierce
with rushing waters.
yellow flag iris
lapwing
water vole
marsh marigold
curlew
otter
hemp agrimony
black-headed gull
brown trout
great hairy
willowherb
mallard
European eel
common reed
banded demoiselle
damselfly
common blue
damselfly
grey heron
blue-tailed
damselfly
cormorant
large red damselfly
kingfisher
It is the wildlife that brings the river to life, the
other creatures with which I share its watery
environs. The electric blue of a kingfisher as
it rushes upstream piping alarm, or the rare
glimpse of an otter as it slips gently into the
water.
pied wagtail
little grebe
mute swan
Canada goose
greylag goose
It is a corridor that connects many different
habitats, providing linkages that would not
otherwise exist. There is a flip side to this
connectivity, however, in that damage done
in one place may be felt elsewhere along
the river’s length. The plastic bag carelessly
discarded here may choke a creature many
miles downstream. The river is not just a water
channel it is the totality of the whole valley; it
is connected and we must understand that if
we are to care for it.
Grey heron
Yellow flag iris
Common blue
damselfly
What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.
Lapwing
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Inversnaid
There are kingfishers by the millrace,
the fastest blue on Earth.
Ronald Blythe
A Year at Bottengoms Farm
mute swan
Hemp agrimony
Bawsey Country Park
The River Gaywood at Church Farm, Bawsey
The Walks · Lynnsport and Leisure Park
29
discover – farmland
Farmland in the Gaywood Valley
Farmland is the dominant land-use of the Gaywood Valley. There are over 2,900 hectares
of arable farmland and 800 hectares of grazing land. Outside urban King’s Lynn most of
the Gaywood Valley countryside is farmed; the majority is arable with smaller areas of
grazing land in fields along the river valley.
How was it formed?
Farmland is clearly a human-dominated landscape
and yet it can provide many valuable habitats
for wildlife from hedgerows and field margins to
cropland and grazing meadows. The agricultural
landscape which occupies the great majority of
the Gaywood Valley is the product of vast-scale
deforestation thousands of years ago, followed
by centuries of grazing and agriculture. The
countryside we see today is almost entirely a
product of human intentions and can change
rapidly with shifting economic conditions, making
some crops more profitable than others. Soil
types in the Gaywood Valley are very variable
from peat soils in the valley bottom, to acid sandy
soils, base-rich chalky soils and glacial clays.
Farming, because it depends so heavily on soil
type, is varied too, with crops including wheat,
barley, sugar beet and strawberries, and livestock
including outdoor pigs, cattle and sheep.
Arable land is surprisingly important for wildlife,
though many species such as yellowhammer, grey
partridge, skylark and tree sparrow have suffered
gravely as a result of recent changes in land
management. There are very rare plant species
which can only survive on land which is ploughed
annually. The Gaywood Valley is an important
area for a number of these rare arable weeds.
Boundary hedges are hugely important for wildlife
too, providing nest sites for birds and corridors
for animals and their genes to flow through the
landscape. Some hedges in the Gaywood Valley,
such as those marking parish boundaries or
fringing green lanes, are thought to have existed –
and supported wildlife – for hundreds of years.
How have people used it?
The light sandy soils of much of the Gaywood
Valley made good light grazing for sheep and in
mediaeval times were also much used for rabbitwarrening. In the 19th and 20th centuries extensive
peaty wetlands along the Gaywood River were
drained. The 20th century also saw the decline of
the traditional, wildlife-rich, mixed farm on which
both livestock and arable crops were produced. In
the 21st century, encouraged by payments under
the Higher Level Stewardship scheme, some
Gaywood Valley farmers are farming commercially
using methods which also allow wildlife to thrive.
473 hectares of farmland in the valley are entered
into schemes to benefit wildlife on farmland.
common poppy
31
discover – farmland
lives there?
Farmland in the Gaywood Valley supports groundnesting birds, brown hares and harvest mice.
Recent studies have highlighted several areas in
the Gaywood Valley that are particularly important
for arable plants. Some species of arable weed
are among the most threatened plants in the UK.
Many farmland birds have declined nationally but
you can still find grey partridges, yellowhammers
and skylarks in good numbers in the valley, all species which are now of high conservation importance. Farm woods and old hedges are important
for many butterfly and moth species as well as
nesting birds. At the top of the food chain, barn
owls, kestrels, sparrowhawks and buzzards can all
be seen on farmland in the Gaywood Valley.
harvest mice
yellowhammer
What conservation
The expansion of King’s Lynn has developed areas
that were previously farmed. Some habitats, such
as commercial orchards, have entirely vanished.
The post-war shift to intensive, mechanised
agriculture has of course affected farms in the
Gaywood Valley and has had an immense impact
on insects, wildflowers and birds in arable land. The
very nature of our countryside, and our relationship
with it, has changed in just a few decades. Much
has been lost and we are still at risk of losing many
more species if we do not find ways to produce
enough food while allowing species other than
ourselves to thrive. Today new challenges include
providing enough food in the face of climate
change, growing organic food, and producing green
fuels to reduce fossil fuel use. Every farm has the
potential to be a nature reserve and if properly
managed to allow wildlife to flourish. Many farmers
in the Gaywood Valley are working hard to bring
back wildlife to their farmland.
When is a weed
not a weed?
Weeds: nasty little blighters that pop up
in the flowerbeds as soon as you turn
your back. Spray them, dig them up, get
rid of them! Well no: a weed is just a
plant, like any other plant. The problem
is that we humans have a loopy need to
classify everything around us, according
to what we think we can get from it.
Crops, therefore, are good plants; but
weeds, obviously, are bad plants. They’re
plants growing in the wrong place and,
what’s more, they’re plants that have the
temerity to grow where we want to grow
crops. How dare they?
Don’t ignore farmland – there’s plenty of wildlife there too:
common poppy
skylark
brown hare
brimstone
common fumitory
grey partridge
rabbit
orange-tip
hogweed
lapwing
stoat
common blue
cow parsley
yellowhammer
weasel
holly blue
scarlet pimpernel
chaffinch
field vole
large white
common toadflax
barn owl
bank vole
meadow brown
scentless
mayweed
kestrel
common
pipistrelle
sparrowhawk
buzzard
Cow parsley
But think again. Think of a field of
poppies. Everybody loves poppies. Well,
poppies are the ultimate in arable weeds.
Like all the other arable weeds they have
tiny seeds which are easily dispersed and
can live, un-germinated, for decades or
even centuries. When soil is disturbed, by
a plough for example, these resourceful
seeds leap into action, grow fast, flower,
and set seeds which may themselves
spend decades in the soil before growing.
Thought about like that, these weeds
are amazing. For centuries they’ve taken
advantage of our methods of farming,
to grow in fields intended for our crops.
In the 20th century, however, we started
farming intensively and using selective
herbicides, with the result that arable
weeds have become one of the most
threatened groups of plants in the UK.
Brown hare
It was not all that long ago when the
highest we could ascend was a tower or a
mountain, a tree or a cliff. What was this
to the ascending lark? A poised collection
of these incessantly singing creatures
seems to be suspended by the intangible
nature of their song over the great field
leading down to the farm. Although clouds
are absent these birds are still too distant
to see but their voices are magnified by
space.
But they’re not just rare: they’re also
beautiful. Arable weeds in Norfolk include
such beauties as poppies, Venus’ lookingglass, corn marigold, and night-flowering
catchfly. If we hadn’t already decided they
were weeds, we’d love them.
The Gaywood Valley Living Landscape is
recognised as nationally significant for its
populations of rare arable weeds. People
of Gaywood, here’s something to be
proud of: rare weeds!
Ronald Blythe
A Year at Bottengoms Farm
red poll cattle
33
discover – urban areas
Urban areas in the Gaywood Valley
The mid to lower reaches of the Gaywood River flow through the outskirts and centre
of King’s Lynn. These areas are a mixture of housing developments with some industrial
activity and retail space. Some areas are still being developed. However green spaces,
including parks, playing fields, school grounds, wasteland, allotments, gardens and
grass verges provide a habitat for an amazing range of wildlife and are a green lung for
people. Even if you live in the centre of King’s Lynn there is wildlife to discover right on
your doorstep. The Gaywood Valley contains 117 hectares of urban green space.
How did King’s Lynn develop?
The town was originally named Bishop’s Lynn
and in the 12th century the town was part of
the manor of the Bishop of Norwich. In early
mediaeval times King’s Lynn was already an
important port: sea-water was boiled in huge
copper pans to make salt which, with wool and
grain, was a major export. By the 14th century, the
town ranked as the third port of England. In the
Middle Ages German and Baltic merchants from
the Hanseatic League traded with King’s Lynn and
in 1475 a Hanseatic warehouse was built. At this
time timber from the Baltic countries was a major
import as woodland in the surrounding landscape
was already scarce. When Henry VIII dissolved the
monasteries in 1538, the town and manor became
royal property. The name King’s Lynn reflects
this change. The town became very prosperous
from the 17th century through the export of grain.
However, it went into decline thereafter, and
was only rescued by the relatively late arrival of
the railway in 1847. After the Second World War
King’s Lynn was designated a London Expansion
Town and its population almost doubled.
In 2004, a multi-million pound
scheme began to regenerate the
entire town and its
population is set to
grow again, with
further development
planned for parts of the
Gaywood Valley.
red admiral
Kings Lynn has many wild secrets: hidden wild
spaces, often post-industrial or brownfield
sites, where fascinating wild plants and animals
may be found. Meanwhile remnants of more
natural habitats, such as ancient woodland and
unimproved grassland, may be found dotted
through the built environment. Green space within
King’s Lynn is valuable both for wildlife and people.
mistletoe
35
lives there?
Some wildlife species do best in urban areas
or are even restricted to them. These include
many plants which have been introduced here
from abroad, often by accident, and even some
invertebrates. Cities are often warmer than the
surrounding countryside so tender plants are able
to survive more readily. Patches of derelict ground
or disused railway lines are suitable habitats for
plants from stony or volcanic ground. A walk
round King’s Lynn will quickly reveal such plants
as Mexican fleabane, Canadian fleabane, Oxford
ragwort and red valerian growing from walls.
Surprisingly, the Walks is the Norfolk stronghold
for mistletoe with over 100 clumps known.
Meanwhile, urban foxes and grey squirrels may
be seen throughout the town, thousands of
people feed birds in their gardens, common seals
are a frequent sight in the Great Ouse, and rare
peregrines frequent King’s Lynn docks. Despite
the town’s long human history, wildlife, ever
resourceful and determined, still finds space to live.
fox
What conservation
Urban areas and their suburbs present great
conservation challenges as they are full of people,
all of whom have impacts on wildlife and the
landscape. In many ways the greatest threat
is to town people rather than to the resilient
wildlife which lives alongside them. People in
towns increasingly suffer by being isolated from
nature and, as they lose sight of nature, they
also lose sight of its importance and cease to
value its conservation. In the Gaywood Valley a
key challenge is to ensure that, as the town’s
population expands, parks and green spaces are
left to provide corridors for wildlife and outdoor
space for people to enjoy.
You’d be surprised just how much wildlife
there is in your local urban areas:
mistletoe
starling
grey squirrel
large white
daisy
jackdaw
fox
small white
buddleja
chaffinch
mole
small tortoiseshell
red valerian
robin
Reeves’ muntjac
rosebay
willowherb
swift
brown rat
seven-spot
ladybird
red deadnettle
black-headed gull
dunnock
common mallow
Starling
Rosebay willowherb
A survey of the flora
of King’s Lynn
Detailed surveys of King’s Lynn have
resulted in over 800 species of plant
being recorded. While this total includes
many aliens and garden escapes, it is
largely composed of native plants which
have survived in pockets of woodland and
on small patches of rough ground. Reffley
Wood, on the edge of the town, has good
populations of ancient woodland plants
such as bluebell, primrose and wild garlic,
while in small fragments of woodland
elsewhere wood anemone and goldilocks
buttercup may be found. Among the
interesting plants surviving on fragments
of wasteland are grass vetchling, bee
orchid and southern marsh orchid. The
main roads are salted in winter, allowing
salt-tolerant coastal plants such as sea
couch-grass, dittander and Danish scurvygrass to establish themselves. Why not
see how many plant species you can find
in your street today?
Robin
wren
bird’s-foot trefoil
Summer, for instance, is
black in colour. It weighs
about ten kilos. It screams
from dawn until dusk. It
lives in the middle and upper
airspace over our house. All
these are the attributes of
the swift colony (about two
hundred birds) that breeds in
this part of Norwich.
Mark Cocker
A Tiger in the Sand
Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what
you’ve got ‘till it’s gone? They’ve paved Paradise put up
a parking lot.
Joni Mitchell
The wild, overgrown garden was full of the whisper and
scurry of small lives.
Arundhati Roy The God of Small Things
The River Ouse · The Walks · Hardings Pits
Reffley Wood · Spring Wood
37
explore
How well do you know
your local landscape?
You have some amazing, very varied
and often very beautiful countryside
to explore in the Gaywood Valley: if
you live or work here it is literally on
your doorstep. The short length of the
Gaywood River runs through some of
the most diverse wildlife habitats in
Norfolk, from wild, windy open heaths
to sheltered and secluded ancient
woodland; from historic urban park to
farmland and rural village; from birch
and pine-fringed lakes to ancient ruins.
The wildlife is stunning too: mysterious
nightjars that churr strangely at sunset,
globally endangered species found in
the heart of King’s Lynn, spring flowers
carpeting ancient woodland and ghostlike barn owls drifting on silent wings
over riverside pastures.
Many of the most interesting parts of the
valley are freely open for you to explore
and enjoy: there are almost 50km of
public footpaths in the Gaywood Valley,
along with 12km of bridleways, 8.4km
of cycleways and 7.4km of restricted
byways (these allow access on foot,
horseback, cycling or any other nonmechanised vehicle). A 3km section of
the Peddars Way crosses the eastern end
of the Gaywood Valley near Great and
Little Massingham.
Norfolk is widely recognised as one of the
best counties for wildlife in England. But
how often do you get outside and explore
your local landscape? Despite being
surrounded by a landscape of fascinating
history, varied habitats and rich and
diverse wildlife, the amount of time most
of us spend in the outdoors is decreasing.
It’s no surprise therefore that many of us,
and most of our children, can no longer
recognise even very common wildflowers
and trees, have never heard a skylark
sing, and have never walked on a heath
turned purple with heather in flower, or
drifted through a carpet of bluebells in a
local wood. We seem to be losing touch
with nature. The aim of the Explore
section is to introduce you to just a few
of the natural gems of the Gaywood
Valley. They are all free to explore but
enjoying nature and wild places does
come with a health warning: getting to
know and love your local landscape can
be seriously addictive and may do long
term good to your health and wellbeing.
You have been warned! Now come with
us and explore.
In every walk with nature one
receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
39
explore
Staying safe and
protecting the countryside
Developing your
relationship with
the natural world
When going out in the countryside, it’s very
important to do so in a way which looks after
your own safety, ensures the wellbeing of the
wildlife and livestock around you, and respects the
integrity of the landscape.
This is about looking and listening and
knowing: the knowing of being able to
put names to the bird songs you hear
in your garden and the wildflowers you
walk past on your way to the local shop.
It’s not that the names matter; it’s about
those wild living beings becoming part of
your world, part of your consciousness,
part of your life. Once you know the call
of a woodpecker, or the song of a skylark,
suddenly woodpeckers and skylarks
become, if not everyday highlights, at least
more frequent ones. Once you know the
song of the chiffchaff you will know the
sound and one of the meanings of spring.
Bird song, butterflies, wild flowers will
suddenly colour your life and add meaning
to your landscapes. It’s not knowing the
names, it’s opening a door to making them
part of your life: and a very joyful part too.
As you look, listen and gain the knowledge
first to notice then recognise the other
species around you, life becomes richer
and more meaningful. You become more
connected, more part of nature, more
aware of the changing seasons and the
lives of wild creatures. And the landscape,
whether rural or urban, becomes a Living
Landscape.
We suggest following the Countryside Code,
the full text of which can be found on Natural
England’s website. The responsibilities of
members of the public visiting the countryside are:
1. Be safe, plan ahead and follow any signs
• Refer to up-to-date maps or guide books.
• B
e prepared for changes in weather and
other events.
• C
heck weather conditions before you leave,
and don’t be afraid to turn back.
• L
et someone know where you are going and
when you expect to return.
• G
et to know the signs and symbols used in
the countryside.
2. Leave gates and property as you find them
• L
eave gates as you find them or follow
instructions on signs.
• In fields where crops are growing, follow
paths where possible.
• U
se gates, stiles or gaps in field boundaries
where provided.
3. Protect plants and animals and take your
litter home
• Dropping litter is a criminal offence.
• Do not remove rocks or plants.
• G
ive wild animals and farm animals plenty
of space.
• B
e careful not to drop smouldering
cigarettes or matches.
4. Keep dogs under close control
• K
eep your dog on a lead where the law
requires it, and always keep your dog
under control.
• T
ake special care not to allow your dog to
disturb wildlife or livestock.
• C
lear up after your dog and make sure
your dog is wormed regularly.
5. Consider other people
• W
here possible, cycle, share lifts or use
public transport.
• Don’t block gateways with your vehicle.
• B
e respectful of horses, walkers and
livestock whether you’re driving a car or
riding a bicycle.
• S
upport the rural economy – for example
by buying from local shops.
• Be careful not to disturb historic sites.
Using maps to explore the Gaywood Valley
You can buy Ordnance Survey maps for all
parts of Norfolk. These come in two different
scales. The Explorer maps provide the most
detail, with a scale of 4cm to the kilometre or
2.5 inches to the mile.
There is also a Landranger series, with a
scale of 2cm to the kilometre or 1.25 inches
to the mile.
You can look at Ordnance Survey maps online
at: www.shop.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk
Google Maps provides basic maps at:
www.google.co.uk/maps
• Leave machinery and livestock alone.
Alert the farmer if you see an animal in
distress but don’t interfere.
Google Earth can also be very useful as it
allows you to get an aerial view of the land.
You can download it from:
www.google.com/earth
You can take a bird’s-eye view tour of the
Gaywood Valley by visiting the virtual
fly-through at www.uea.ac.uk/env/
research/reshigh/gaywood
There is an excellent interactive map of
public footpaths on Norfolk County Council’s
Countryside Access website:
www.countrysideaccessmap.norfolk.gov.uk
41
explore
Bawsey Country Park
Find it
History
Map reference: TF 675196,
OS Land Ranger 132, OS Explorer 250.
The lakes here have been created by quarrying
silica-rich sands for use in glass-making and
ceramics.
Park at: The car park may be found at TF 676198.
Don’t be put off by the rutted approach track and
unwelcoming entrance signs. The car park itself is
large and does not get muddy.
Highlights and features
Wooded hillsides of birch and pine, lakeside
walks and sandy beaches form a very distinctive
landscape.
Notes for walkers
• Walk distances: From 1km to 4km.
• P
aths: Mainly sandy and steep in places.
Even in wet weather paths remain dry.
• Facilities: None on site.
What to look for
• P
ause at: The lakeside. Admire the almost
Scandinavian scenery of birch-covered hills
above extensive lakes.
Did you know?
Sands in the Leziate and Bawsey area have been
exploited for centuries by the glass-making and
foundry industries. The lakes and beaches at
Bawsey Country Park are part of this industrial
heritage and even today around 450,000 tonnes
of silica sand are extracted from nearby working
quarries each year. They provide more than 80%
of the sands used in the UK for glass production.
These silica-rich sands were deposited here in
the Cretaceous period when this area was a
shallow tropical sea in which ammonites and
huge plesiosaurs swam.
Find out more
Contact the Borough Council of King’s Lynn
and West Norfolk for more information:
www.west-norfolk.gov.uk
• S
ummer wildlife: Sand martin, swallow, swift,
blackcap, garden warbler, chiffchaff, willow
warbler, slow worm and common lizard.
Bats include noctule, common pipistrelle and
Daubenton’s. In late summer and autumn this
is a brilliant site for fungi: you will spot the
distinctive white-spotted red caps of fly agaric.
Don’t pick fungi as many species are highly
poisonous.
• W
inter wildlife: Cormorant, teal, tufted duck,
mallard, woodcock, fieldfare, redwing.
• Y
ear-round wildlife: Barn owl, tawny owl, great
spotted woodpecker, marsh tit, tree-creeper,
pheasant, rabbit, Reeves’ muntjac, roe deer,
grey squirrel, stoat, weasel.
fly agaric
43
explore
St James’ Church (Bawsey Ruins)
Find it
Leaving Gaywood on the B1145 towards Bawsey,
take the first left towards Church Farm.
The ruined church of St James, standing on a
low hill above the Gaywood Valley, can be seen
for miles around. It is a very atmospheric and
intriguing ruin and an excellent viewpoint. The
church was once the heart of a thriving fishing
village situated above marshland on the edge of
the Gaywood River estuary.
Map reference: TF 663207, OS Land Ranger 132,
OS Explorer 250, Postcode PE32 1EU.
Park at: There’s space to park just before the
main farm buildings at Church Farm TF 663203.
Historic Bawsey
Bawsey has a rich and fascinating history
covering many centuries. Finds of Iron Age
artefacts to the north of Bawsey Ruins indicates
that this area was an important location
during the Iron Age (800 BC to 42 AD) and the
evidence of finds continues into the Roman
period (43 AD to 410 AD) when it is possible
that there were settlements in the area.
The Saxons settled in the area and a large
village was located here in the Middle and Late
Saxon periods (650 AD to 1065 AD). In the
region of the ruins there would have been a
Saxon Church or possibly a minster, as indicated
by the evidence of rare writing implements.
Minsters are Royal or Episcopal foundations
associated with substantial estates.
The current church was constructed around
the 1130s. This is the Mediaeval period and the
parish church is unusual in that it has a centrallylocated tower. This position reflects the design
used in large abbey or Cathedral churches and
indicates that this church was special.
In the early mediaeval period the site would
have been an island that was possibly
connected by a causeway which may have
been cut off in periods of flood. Locations such
as this have often been the focus of rituals
and the evidence on the site from the Bronze
Age onwards would seem to show that there
was a focus of such activity here before it later
became a monastic site.
Notes for walkers
• W
alk distances: The walk from Church Farm
to Bawsey ruins and back is less than 1km.
However longer walks exploring the valley are
possible from here.
• P
aths: The farm track can be muddy and the
short climb up to the ruins is steep and over
rough grassland.
• Facilities: None on site.
What to look for
• P
ause at: The ruins. Look down across farmland
to the River Gaywood and the nature reserve
at Grimston Warren beyond. Can you spot the
distinctive red poll cattle that graze the riverside
fields at Church Farm? This land was once
arable but has been converted back to pasture.
• S
ummer wildlife: Skylark, swallow, cinnabar
moth, butterflies, wildflowers.
• W
inter wildlife: Curlew, lapwing, fieldfare,
redwing.
• Y
ear-round wildlife: Brown hare, kestrel,
buzzard, green woodpecker.
History
The ruins of St James’ Church date from the
1100s and are a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Only sections of the tower, nave and chancel
survive. The village here was destroyed in the
16th century by the landowner, Thomas Thoresby,
who wanted the land for sheep pasture. See
Historic Bawsey on page 44 for more information.
The settlement was cleared in the 16th Century
when the landowner moved the tenants,
removing their houses in order to create pasture
for sheep farming. Although the church was
not demolished its condition gradually declined.
Records of baptisms and burials show that the
church was still in use until the 1770s. There is
also evidence of burials at the church continuing
until the 19th century.
Did you know?
skylark
Excavations on the hillside around the church
revealed a skeleton whose skull had sustained
a powerful blow from a swordsman. These
ruins may well be on the site of a much earlier
settlement that pre-dated the Normans, and one
that was raided by Viking Norsemen.
Find out more
There is an English Heritage panel near the ruin:
www.heritage-explorer.co.uk
orange-tip
45
explore
NWT Grimston Warren
Find it
NWT Grimston Warren is east of King’s Lynn.
Leave King’s Lynn on the A149 to Fakenham and
take the A148 to Fakenham at the Rising Lodge
(Knights Hill Hotel) roundabout. After 300 metres
turn right, signposted Roydon. To explore NWT
Grimston Warren park at the Roydon Common
west car park, which is on your right after 1km.
Access to Grimston Warren is on foot, following
the waymarked pathway across Roydon Common.
One of the best viewpoints is the military
observation tower. From here you have
spectacular views over the Gaywood Valley
to Bawsey ruins and west to King’s Lynn. A
viewpoint panel points out features to look for.
Notes for walkers
History
• W
alk distances: To walk to the military
observation tower and back to the Roydon
Common car park is roughly 4km. You can of
course explore Grimston Warren further and
there are several kms of pathways to enjoy.
Archaeological finds have revealed that this
landscape has been used from the prehistoric
period onwards. The landscape is likely to have
been managed since the Bronze Age (2500 BC
to 800 BC) and round barrows show that the area
was used for burials. The southern boundary of
Grimston Warren is marked by a mediaeval (1066
AD to 1539 AD) field boundary that is still visible
and shows how the landscape was divided in
this period. The name Grimston Warren almost
certainly indicates that rabbit-warrening was
practised here in mediaeval times. Perhaps the
most obvious historic features date from the
Second World War: the pair of artillery observation
towers, one of which is accessible on the NWT
nature reserve.
• P
aths: Paths are mainly sandy but there are
some wetter areas on Grimston Warren so
walking boots are recommended. Not suitable
for wheelchair access.
• F
acilities: None on site. Nearest refreshments
and toilets at Knights Hill Hotel at Rising Lodge
roundabout.
Map Reference: TF 679216,
What to look for
• P
ause at: The site of the tramline which once
took sand from a quarry here. The sand was
used for glassmaking.
Park at: Roydon Common west car park
TF 680229.
• S
ummer wildlife: Skylark, meadow pipit, green
woodpecker, nightjar, adder.
NWT Grimston Warren: the story of a heath reborn
Restoring lost heathland is expensive and
difficult. At Grimston Warren first a huge
conifer plantation had to be felled then the tree
stumps were ground up and removed along
with the accumulated leaf litter. This work
has transformed the landscape and opened
up views not seen for decades. Nightjars and
wood larks now nest among heathers which
germinated from long dormant seeds once the
conifers were
removed and
light let in.
The work to restore, recreate and reconnect
heathland in the Gaywood Valley is part of
a national programme of Living Landscape
projects aimed at benefiting wildlife and people.
Grimston Warren provides an excellent example
with new access for local people created and
populations of rare wildlife enhanced. Many
species have benefited including endangered
natterjack toads which have been introduced
here. Look for the hardy Dartmoor ponies
which NWT is using to graze Grimston Warren.
The ponies are a vital part of managing and
maintaining this developing heathland.
Did you know?
• W
inter wildlife: Hen harrier, merlin, fieldfare,
redwing.
Most of this area was planted with conifers in
the 1960s but today you can explore one of the
largest heathland restoration projects in England.
See text box for further details.
• Y
ear-round wildlife: Brown hare, roe deer,
Reeves’ muntjac, grey partridge.
Find out more
To learn more about Grimston Warren visit:
www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/grimston
adder
brown hare
woodlark
green woodpecker
47
explore
NWT Roydon Common
Find it
NWT Roydon Common is east of King’s Lynn.
Leave King’s Lynn on the A149 to Fakenham and
take the A148 to Fakenham at the Rising Lodge
(Knights Hill Hotel) roundabout. After 300 metres
turn right, signposted Roydon. The west car park
is on your right 1km from the A148, the east car
park is at 2.7km.
Amazing open
heathland landscape
with a wilderness
atmosphere. Heather
flowers in August and
September turning the
landscape purple. Look
out for the Dartmoor
ponies which graze
this nature reserve.
Stunning views.
OS Land Ranger 132, OS Explorer 250
Park at: West car park TF 680229,
east car park TF 698229
Notes for walkers
• T
here are interpretation panels with trail maps
at both car parks. This is an exposed site so
it is often windy. Stick to pathways to avoid
disturbing wildlife and to avoid hidden wet
boggy areas.
• W
alk distances: There are several trails. A
shorter more sheltered route leads partly
through birch woodland from the east car park
(1km to 2km) and longer trails lead to Grimston
Warren from the west car park (2km to 4km).
• P
aths: Uneven terrain, often sandy, some
wetter areas. Not accessible for wheelchairs.
honey bee on heather
• F
acilities: None on site. Nearest refreshments
and toilets at Knights Hill Hotel at Rising Lodge
roundabout.
What to look for
NWT Roydon Common National Nature Reserve
Rare and special wildlife:
The sweeping views across open heatherclad heath and primeval looking bogs can at
first seem largely devoid of wildlife. However
the rich mix of wet and dry habitats hides
an astonishing diversity of birds, plants and
animals, including many which are nationally
rare. Uncommon plants include black bog-rush,
marsh fern, cranberry, bog asphodel, common
cotton-grass, carpets of sphagnum moss and
all three species of sundew. Look out for the
rare black darter dragonfly only known at a
handful of sites in East Anglia. It may be seen
on the wing between July and October and
frequents the wettest areas of heath where
bog asphodel grows. Rare breeding birds
include nightjar and woodlark. Small pools are
home to the very rare raft spider. This nature
reserve also supports many less obvious
groups of wildlife such as bees, dragonflies,
beetles, reptiles, amphibians, moths and
butterflies. The reserve is a stronghold for
adders, common lizards and minotaur beetles
to name just a few heathland ‘specials’.
• Pause at: Viewpoints over the heath.
• S
ummer wildlife: Heathers in flower, butterflies,
dragonflies, woodlark, nightjar, adder, slow
worm, common lizard.
• W
inter wildlife: Hen harrier, merlin, fieldfare,
redwing.
• Y
ear-round wildlife: Rare mosses and lichens,
skylark, green woodpecker, yellowhammer,
kestrel, buzzard,
stonechat, wren.
common lizard
History
Heathland is ancient. It’s possible that West
Norfolk heaths, such as Roydon Common, have
their origins with the first farmers who in the
Neolithic and Bronze Ages cleared woodlands
and grazed livestock creating the conditions for
heathland to develop. In medieval times many
heathlands in Norfolk were valued as commons.
At Roydon common land was used by local
communities for grazing horses and livestock,
gathering heather and bracken for fuel and animal
bedding, digging peat for fuel from the wet areas,
excavating sand, trapping rabbits and foraging for
wild foods. In 1808 in Norfolk there were 143,346
acres of commons (the medieval acreage was
even greater). Today there remain around 8,000
acres of common. Fortunately Roydon Common
is one which survived both the 19th century
enclosures and the twentieth century conversion
of heathland to forestry or agriculture.
Did you know?
Roydon Common is not only one of the finest
heaths in Norfolk. Its wet peaty mire is one of the
rarest habitats in the UK and Roydon’s is probably
the best example of this habitat in England.
stonechat
Find out more
sundew
minotaur beetle
Further details and a downloadable reserve leaflet
may be found at:
www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/roydon
49
explore
Reffley Wood
Find it
History
From the Knights Hill Hotel (Rising Lodge)
roundabout head towards King’s Lynn along
Grimston Road. Take a left turning onto Sandy
Lane and the entrance to Reffley Wood is clearly
signed on your right after about 200 metres.
This 130 acre (52ha) ancient wood suffered
damage in the 1950s and 1960s when native trees
were felled and conifers (Scots pine, Corsican
pine and Douglas fir) were planted in their place.
Today the wood is owned by the Woodland Trust
and is gradually returning to its ancient roots as
broadleaved woodland. This wood appears on old
maps and is known to have been here for more
than 400 years.
Map Reference: TF 655218, OS Landranger
132, OS Explorer 250, Postcode PE30 3NY
Park at: There’s free car parking for two cars
outside the entrance to the wood. Please do not
park on Sandy Lane.
One of King’s Lynn’s hidden gems. Look for
magnificent veteran oaks which once marked the
parish boundary in the north east corner of the
wood. Discover bluebells and ancient woodland
flowers such as primrose and wild garlic in spring.
Notes for walkers
• W
alk distances: You can walk a circular trail of
about 1km or explore further along woodland
pathways stretching 3kms.
Did you know?
You can help the Woodland Trust manage Reffley
Wood by joining their volunteer team or you can
attend their family events.
Find out more
To learn more about Reffley Wood visit the
Woodland Trust website:
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
See also our case study of Reffley Wood
volunteers on page 74.
• P
aths: Generally a flat site. Some paths stay dry
throughout the year while others can become
wet and muddy in winter. There are sections of
boardwalk. Parts of the wood may be closed for
management work on occasions.
• F
acilities: None on site. The nearest
refreshments and toilets are at Knights Hill
Hotel, in King’s Lynn town centre, or at the Asda
supermarket and local café off Grimston Road.
What to look for
• P
ause at: Ancient oak trees, remnants of the
ancient wood.
• S
ummer wildlife: Woodland flowers in spring
including bluebell, wild garlic and primrose.
Migratory birds which breed include blackcap,
garden warbler, chiffchaff and willow warbler.
• Winter
wildlife: Foraging parties of small birds
include blue tit, great tit, long-tailed tit and
goldcrest. Woodcock are difficult to spot but
visit the wetter parts of the wood.
primrose
• Y
ear-round wildlife: Great spotted woodpecker,
long-tailed tit, nuthatch, treecreeper, jay. Tree
and shrub species include hawthorn, hazel, oak,
ash and guelder rose.
51
explore
The Walks, King’s Lynn
Find it
History
The Walks is situated in the centre of the town of
King’s Lynn, close to the police station and library.
There are access points from Tennyson Road and
St. James’ Road.
The Walks was created as a promenade for
the populace of King’s Lynn, away from the
noise, grime and bustle of the town centre. The
highest point of The Walks is the Red Mount. In
the late 15th Century Red Mount Chapel acted
as a wayside stop for pilgrims on their way to
the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Now a
Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade One
Listed Building, the chapel is open to visitors from
April to September. It offers excellent views of
the surrounding landscape. The area also used to
form part of the King’s Lynn town defences. The
historic earthworks in the centre of the park are
described by experts as part of one of the most
complete systems of earthwork town defences in
Eastern England.
Park at: There are several entrances to
The Walks, with nearby parking in King’s Lynn.
The Walks is the only surviving 18th century
town walk in Norfolk. This 17 hectare green space
in the heart of King’s Lynn has been restored
with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Gaywood River flows through this attractive,
wildlife-filled urban park.
Notes for walkers
• W
alk distances: A circular walk around The
Walks is around 1km. The total area is 17
hectares, nearly all of which is easily accessible.
• P
aths: Generally flat, plenty of hard-surfaced
paths which are fully accessible for wheelchair
users.
• F
acilities: A café and toilet are to be found
on the north side of The Walks near the wellequipped children’s play area. The park rangers
also run a programme of family events from
here.
Did you know?
The River Gaywood flows through The Walks and
the area is designed to hold water should the river
flood, thereby preventing damaging flooding to
more built-up areas. The Walks is a Grade Two
Historic Park.
Find out more
Click on the link to Leisure and Public Space at
www.west-norfolk.gov.uk
What to look for
• Pause
at: Red Mount Chapel; this unusual
building was a 15th century wayside chapel,
a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to
Walsingham.
• S
ummer wildlife: Blackcap, swift, moorhen and
mallard chicks, purple loosestrife, dandelion, red
deadnettle.
• W
inter wildlife: Mistletoe is more abundant
here than at any other site in Norfolk: look up at
the tree canopy to see numerous clumps.
• Y
ear-round wildlife: Grey squirrel, great spotted
woodpecker, nuthatch, mistle thrush, collared
dove, pied wagtail.
53
explore
Harding’s Pits
Find it
History
You can walk to Harding’s Pits from South
Quay along the riverbank path overlooking the
Great Ouse. There are several points of access
to Harding’s Pits with the residential areas of
Hillington Square to the north, the Friars to
the east, and South Lynn to the south, and the
western edge bounded by the river bank.
In the 12th to 14th centuries this area was part
of Whitefriars, land belonging to the Carmelite
Monks whose monastery gate can still be seen
close to the boundary of Harding’s Pits. In the
16th century the site formed part of the defences
of the walled town. During the 16th to 19th
centuries the area known as Blubber Creek was
home to the Lynn whaling industry. In more recent
times the area was used for industries ranging
from brick kilns to timber yards and market
gardens. During the First World War horses
requisitioned by the army from Norfolk farms were
grazed here before being taken by rail from Lynn
for use pulling artillery guns on the Western Front.
For a while in the 20th century it was used as a
rubbish dump. On falling into disuse it became a
wild area valued by locals for blackberries, sunsets
and quiet open space. Local opposition prevented
it being developed to build a supermarket in the
mid 1990s.
Park at: South Quay or Boal Quay
car parks.
Good views over the river Great Ouse. A small site
(2.2 hectares) but a wonderful, wild bit of green
space, well used by local people and wildlife. The
Great Whale sculpture, nearly 20 feet high and
weighing 3.5 tonnes makes a distinctive landmark.
The area is both a green lung for local people
and a habitat for many plants, insects, birds and
mammals.
Notes for walkers
• W
alk distances: A circular walk around the
whole site is less than 1km.
• Paths: Good, hard paths crisscross the site.
• F
acilities: None on site. Refreshments and
toilets may be found at The Green Quay on the
historic South Quay.
What to look for
• P
ause at: The whale statue, which includes
a seating area.
Did you know?
Harding’s Pits has been designated a Doorstep
Green to provide open space for wildlife and a
place for quiet recreation for local communities.
The Green was developed over a three-year period
from 2004 and is now managed by the Harding’s
Pits Community Association.
Find out more
To learn more visit the Harding’s Pits Community
Association website at
www.hardings-pits.org.uk
• S
ummer wildlife: Gather blackberries in late
summer. Look for butterflies including red
admiral, peacock, small tortoiseshell and
common blue. Breeding birds include linnet
and whitethroat. Wildflowers in the re-seeded
meadow include ladies’ bedstraw, greater
knapweed and meadow cranesbill. Common
seals from the Wash may often be seen in
the river.
• Winter wildlife: Redwing, fieldfare.
• Y
ear-round wildlife: Fox, stoat, song thrush,
wren, robin, blackbird, kestrel, black-headed
gull.
common blue
55
explore
Additional green gems
of the Gaywood Valley
Reffley Spring Wood
Congham Heath Woods
Ponds
Gaywood Plantation
This small area of semi-natural woodland may be
found off Reffley Lane, opposite the community
centre. It has a network of informal footpaths and
a rich and varied plantlife. The scarce fine-leaved
water-dropwort has been found in a pond on the
site. Reffley Spring Wood is so named because
of the mineral spring which used to rise in it,
producing water rich in iron.
This large wood (77.9ha) consists mainly of
conifers, grown commercially. It is owned by
a forestry company but there are several rides
waymarked for public access. The area used to
be heathland and some heath vegetation still
remains, particularly along the rides. Lily of the
valley may be seen along a ride in the southwest
of the site. The woods may be entered from a
track off Congham Road in Grimston.
Ponds are often overlooked but are vital habitat
for many species including rarities such as the
beautiful great crested newt. 149 ponds and other
standing water bodies have been identified in the
Gaywood Valley.
This small woodland adjacent to residential areas
lies between Gaywood Park and Fairstead and is
managed by the Woodland Trust. An active local
volunteers group helps to look after the wood and
runs regular public events. The range of woodland
flowers under the trees indicates that Plantation
Wood is probably a remnant fragment of ancient
woodland, though the wood today contains a mix
of native trees ,including mature oaks with a hazel
understorey and some exotic planted species such
as Turkey oak. There are two small ponds in the
wood and close by the area known as the Rookery
is a plantation of even-aged oaks over grass.
Churchyards
Springlines
Churchyards offer important pockets of habitat to
wildlife, often in otherwise built-up areas. Many
have not been treated with fertiliser or other
chemicals and are therefore home to a wonderful
variety of plants. They are also an oasis for birds
and invertebrates and represent a crucial green
space for people in the built environment. There
are fifteen churchyards in the Gaywood Valley,
covering an area of almost four hectares.
An important springline has developed at Grimston,
where water filtering down through the chalk
aquifer meets an impermeable layer of clay. Water
emerges in low-lying areas as chalk springs, for
example Sowshead which forms the headwater of
the Gaywood River. You can take a springline walk
between Grimston and Gayton, passing Sowshead
Spring and Well Hall.
A group known as the Reffley Society, dating
from 1650, was originally a royalist organisation
and was founded to oppose Cromwell. They met
at Reffley Spring and erected an obelisk and a
small temple nearby. A bigger temple was built in
1789 and enlarged further in 1851. Unfortunately
it was extensively vandalised in the 1970s and
demolished in 1982.
Lynnsport
Lynnsport is owned and managed by the
Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk.
Associated with the Leisure Centre are 70
acres of parkland including athletics tracks and
bowling greens. Though much of the area is
short, mown grassland there are also ornamental
trees including some fine willows. At the eastern
edge of the grounds enjoy a very pleasant walk
alongside the Gaywood river. Look for pied
wagtails, moorhens and even kingfishers or simply
enjoy sitting on the riverbank and the sounds of
wind, water and bird song.
Mill House Wood
This large area of woodland (90.2ha), lies mainly to
the north of the Gaywood Valley. Bog pondweed,
a scarce plant, is found in some of the drainage
ditches here. Entrance to the wood is off an
unnamed road linking the A148 and A149 near
Castle Rising. Please keep to public footpaths.
57
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Wild walks in the Gaywood Valley
There are countless corners of the Gaywood Valley to explore, each of which offers a different landscape
and a different range of wild creatures to see. To get you started on your journey through your local
landscape, here are four easy walks through some of the real gems of the Gaywood Valley. We hope you
enjoy them. Remember: stay safe and keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife.
CONGHAM
This walk takes you through Congham Wood and
along an old, dismantled railway line. South of this
walk is Congham Hall, a Georgian country house
built in the 1780s. Congham Hall is now a hotel set
in beautiful gardens and parkland.
What will I see?
While enjoying this walk you can discover the
wildlife of the Gaywood Valley, a Living Landscape.
Some animals and plants you may see include:
skylark, red admiral butterfly, common frog,
common toad and harebell.
GRIMSTON
Enjoy this walk around Grimston and discover some
of its history and wildlife. The village has a rich
history dating back to prehistoric times! There is
also lots of evidence from the Roman, Saxon, Tudor
and Georgian periods. A Roman villa was discovered
a hundred years ago near St.Botolphs Church. The
walk will also take you past Congham Hall Hotel, a
Georgian country house built in the 1780s.
What will I see?
While enjoying this walk you can discover the
wildlife of the Gaywood Valley, a Living Landscape.
Some animals and plants you may see include:
brown hare, skylark, common frog, grey partridge,
common toad and harebell.
Approximate Distance
Long 2.5 miles
Short 1.4 miles
Long 3.2 miles
Short 1.8 miles
Red Admiral Butterfly
These butterflies are unmistakable. They
have velvety black wings with striking red
bands. Numbers are highest between
August and early October. In summer look
for their caterpillars on Nettles. In autumn
these butterflies are attracted to rotten fruit
and the flowers on Ivy.
Brown Hare
Skylark
Skylarks are small, streaky,
brown birds, larger than
sparrows but smaller than
starlings. Listen out for the
wonderful song of the male.
He will sing constantly for two
or three minutes while flying at
a height of 50 to 100 metres.
Common Toad
Hares are much larger than rabbits with longer,
black-tipped ears and more powerful legs.
Can you spot one running across the
fields? Brown hares live on farmland
and heathland. They do not burrow
into the ground like rabbits, but
make shallow depressions in the
ground called ‘forms’.
Common toads breed in ponds in Spring, but for the
rest of the year will wander well away from water.
Their tadpoles are black and the toadlets emerge
in huge numbers in summer, after heavy rain.
They can live for 40 years! Look for them at night.
59
explore
POTT ROW
ROYDON COMMON
Enjoy this walk around Roydon Common and Pott
Row and discover the wildlife of an amazing nature
reserve: part of the Gaywood Valley, a Living
Landscape. In Britain many areas of heathland
have been lost due to the growth of towns and
cities and changes in farming. Roydon Common is
one of Norfolk’s largest remaining heaths.
Enjoy this walk around Roydon Common and
discover the wildlife of an amazing nature reserve:
part of the Gaywood Valley, a Living Landscape. In
Britain many areas of heathland have been lost due
to the growth of towns and cities and changes in
farming. Roydon Common is one of Norfolk’s largest
remaining heaths.
What will I see?
Keep your eyes and ears open as this walk will provide
an opportunity to see the animals and plants that live
on the heath. Wildlife you may see includes: green
woodpecker, hedgehog, common frog, common toad,
barn owl, yellowhammer and bullfinch.
Green
Woodpecker
Easily identified with
a green back, yellow
rump and red crown.
They like to live in old
trees, which they drill into
with their powerful beaks.
Can you see any possible woodpecker
holes in the trees? You may also spot these
woodpeckers on the ground searching for
ants, one of their favourite foods.
What will I see?
Keep your eyes and ears open as this walk will
provide an opportunity to see the animals and
plants that live on the heath. Some animals you
may see include: water voles, barn owls, glow
worms, adders, slow worms, bullfinches and
yellowhammers.
4.3 miles
4.3 miles
Hedgehog
Britain’s only spiny mammal, hedgehogs have up to
seven thousand spines on their backs. They have
probably been on Earth for around 15 million years! To
protect themselves from predators they can curl up into
a spiny ball. Look for hedgehogs at night, they can be
very noisy and eat beetles, larvae, slugs and snails.
Barn Owl
Barn Owls are easy to identify due to their size, white
feathers and heartshaped face. They hunt during the day
and at night, feeding on small mammals such as mice, voles
and shrews. Listen for their screeching calls – barn owls
don’t hoot! Dawn and dusk are good times to spot them.
Slow Worm
Slow worms are in fact lizards.
They differs from snakes in
having eyelids and being able to
drop their tails to escape from
predators. Look for them on sunny
spring and summer days.
61
take action
Get involved!
We hope the Discover and Explore
sections of this guide have encouraged
you to get outside and enjoy some of
the wild places and wildlife in your
local landscape. But perhaps you’d like
to get more involved: would you enjoy
helping your local wildlife too? This
section of the guide will give you lots of
ideas. You can start literally at home, in
your garden. You can also help wildlife
in your community by recording your
observations or volunteering on practical
projects to enhance local wild areas. You
can play your part in the creation of a
Gaywood Valley Living Landscape and
help ensure that local children grow up
enjoying and learning about a wildlife-rich
countryside.
So what’s the problem?
Wildlife is in trouble: once-common
species have vanished from our countryside.
Wild habitats are in retreat and without habitat
there is no wildlife: it’s that simple! Whether
it’s the destruction of a tropical rainforest or
the loss of a village pond, wildlife suffers.
Think about the big changes in the Gaywood
Valley: read the Discover section again
carefully and you will see how, as habitats
have changed here, so has local wildlife. Some
species can only survive in special habitats like
ancient woodland or heathland and the best
way to protect these sensitive species is to
protect their habitats.
orange-tip
Now imagine a future for the Gaywood Valley
where
• Wildlife flourishes in countryside,
village and town
• The natural environment helps people
live healthier and happier lives
• Children grow up inspired by the sights
and sounds of nature
harebell
An impossible dream? Well we don’t think
so. There are so many ways each one of us
can contribute to making this future a reality.
So read on and remember even small actions
can make a big difference when we all get
involved.
63
take action
What makes a Living Landscape?
~ YOU DO!
Take action for wildlife in the Gaywood Valley
• E
ncourage a local business to support an
area for wildlife.
• C
reate a wildlife friendly area in urban
Kings Lynn.
• Feed the birds in your garden.
• B
ecome a volunteer for a local
conservation project.
• Help with a wildlife survey.
• Create a pond in your garden.
• Join Norfolk Wildlife Trust and take part
in local events to find out more about
wildlife.
• Encourage local farmers and landowners
to plant hedgerows and leave field
margins for wildlife.
• Start a community project.
• Improve your local school’s grounds
for wildlife.
• E
ncourage your local church to manage its
churchyard in a wildlife-friendly way.
• Speak out for wildlife. Persuade your
Parish Council to support a local wildlife
project.
• V
isit a local nature reserve and learn about
its wildlife and habitats.
• Write to your MP about the importance of
protecting local green spaces and wildlife.
• Create a compost heap in your garden.
65
take action
Take action in your garden
Great green gardens
Top tips for wildlife gardening
The total area of gardens in Norfolk exceeds by
far the area protected in nature reserves and
the majority of the green space in King’s Lynn
is in private gardens not public parks. You may
think that your garden is too small to have any
significance, but the smallest patch, even a
window box, can make a difference for wildlife,
as well as being a source of great pleasure for
you and your neighbours. Gardens form a green
web for wildlife in both town and village. They
create connections for wildlife across otherwise
inhospitable landscapes. Will you help make your
garden a link in the Living Landscape chain?
• A
well-sited log pile offers important habitat.
More than 1,000 species of invertebrate
depend on dead wood for survival but a log
pile will also attract fungi and provide food
and shelter for small mammals, birds and
amphibians.
• L
et your grass flower. Long grass is beautiful
and is a missing habitat in many gardens
• E
njoy the wildlife that is already in your local
area. The more time you spend watching
wildlife the more you will understand its
needs.
Weeds are flowers too,
once you get to know them.
ore
A. A. Milne in the guise of Eey
holly blue
Wildlife in your garden:
keeping a record
The easiest place to start recording wildlife
is in your garden. A great way to start is by
keeping a wildlife diary. You can start by writing
your observations in a diary or notebook, or
even on a computer. A nature diary doesn’t
have to be just words: you may want to keep
a photographic record of what you see or a
sketchbook of drawings and notes. Digital
cameras, which don’t need to cost a fortune,
are a great way to record how your garden
changes over the course of a year.
Why not record the dates on which you see
your first spring flowers? When did you see
your first snowdrop, daffodil, violet or rose in
flower? On what date did a bumblebee first
visit your garden? The tiniest things you notice
about the natural world are all worth recording
and doing so will help you learn more about the
wildlife that makes your garden home.
If you would like to keep your garden diary
online and share your observations with other
wildlife gardening enthusiasts visit
www.bigwildlifegarden.org
or if you would like to join thousands
of others who record birds in their gardens
each month visit
www.bto.org/gardenbirdwatch
• F
irst do no harm! Avoid using poisons in
the garden and avoid killing anything: this
includes wasps and spiders!
• D
on’t be too tidy. Wildlife thrives in
undisturbed areas so leave some areas,
even small ones, for wild creatures.
• W
ildlife needs food, water and shelter.
Consider how your garden can meet these
needs. Feed garden birds, especially during
cold spells in the winter. Why not buy or
make a feeder to see whether you can
attract more birds to your garden?
• H
ow green is your garden? Recycle
garden waste by composting. Make use of
rainwater to water your plants.
• S
mall is beautiful! Think mini-beasts as
gardens which are rich in invertebrates are
likely to be good of lots of other wildlife too.
• L
ove your bees! Solitary bee-homes really
work and flower-rich gardens are great
habitat for bees.
• L
ove your butterflies. Plant traditional nectarrich species not showy hybrids
• P
rovide fresh water, however little, and keep
it topped up
common frog
• M
ake a wildlife pond. Ponds are brilliant
for wildlife. Ideally they should be at least
a metre deep and in a sunny spot, away
from overhanging trees and bushes. The
edges should be shallow and non-slippery,
so animals can easily come and go. Ideally
there should also be a patch of tall perennial
plants or grasses at the edge of the pond,
for frogs and toads to hide in. Make sure
small children can’t fall into your pond.
The garden habitat is ancient, diverse,
abundant, understudied and has
growing significance for conservation,
communities and climate change.
Be proud of it, and don’t treat it as
third-class for conservation.
Dr Steve Head
Wildlife Gardening Forum
67
take action
Build a bird box
Another great way to
encourage wildlife in your
garden is to build a bird
box. In fact, the more you
can build the better as
different species require
different designs. Boxes
with closed fronts, with
just a small entrance hole,
are ideal for nesting tits
and for winter-roosting
wrens. Boxes with open
fronts, with just a small lip
blue tit
at the bottom to hold the
nest in, are favoured by robins, spotted flycatchers
and – if the box is big enough – blackbirds. House
sparrows, being a colonial species, like big closed
boxes with lots of entrance holes and chambers.
Nest boxes should face north or east as it’s
important the chicks don’t overheat. Boxes for tits
should be placed on a wall or tree, three to four
metres above the ground. Open-fronted boxes
for robins should be placed around two metres
above the ground, in dense vegetation such as
ivy, and in a place where they won’t be found by
cats. Spotted flycatcher boxes should be placed
in a similar spot but higher. Sparrow boxes can be
placed high up under the eaves of a house.
To make a bird box, you will need:
• an untreated plank of wood measuring at least
1.2m long, 144mm wide and 15mm thick
Build a bat box
Bat boxes provide bats with handy roosts
where they are safe from the elements and
from predators.
• screws
To make one you will need:
• a drill and 2mm drill bit
• a handsaw or jigsaw
• a rough-sawn, untreated plank at least
1.4m long by 144mm wide and 20mm thick
• a tape measure
• a small packet of screws about 4cm long
• a pencil
• a Phillips screwdriver
• a Phillips screwdriver
• a tape measure
• for boxes with a small entrance hole you will also
need a drill bit with a range of circular blades.
• a pencil
Cut the plank as shown in the diagram. To make
an open-fronted box you will need to cut the small
75mm panel in place of the front panel with a hole.
Start by screwing the two side panels to the back
panel, inserting the screws through the back and
into the edges of the side panels. Drilling pilot holes
before screwing into the wood will prevent it from
splitting. Once you have fixed the side panels you
can screw the bottom and front panels into place
and finally the top panel. It is important that the top
panel is watertight. If you find you have a gap in the
joint of the roof you can staple rubber from an old
inner tube to cover it. Once complete you should
drill several holes in the base for drainage.
• a drill with a 2mm wood drill bit
• a hand saw or electric jigsaw
Measure and cut the plank as shown in the
diagram. Before you put the box together make
sure the insides are rough by scratching them
with a saw. This will help the bats scramble across
the wood. Using your drill, make pilot holes at the
points where you will screw your box together;
this will help to prevent the wood splitting. Next
take the side sections and screw them to the back
panel from the back, making sure they are level
Closed-fronted box suitable for tits
Next screw the base panels together, as shown
in the diagram, and screw this section to the side
panels. There should be a 1.5cm gap between the
back edge of the base and the back of the box,
to enable bats to come and go. You can now add
the front panel, followed by the top panel, again
screwing them down firmly and making sure that
there are no gaps to let water in.
Your finished box should be placed at least 4
meters above ground, with an open flight-line in
front for approaching bats. Ideally you should place
several boxes very close to one another but facing
in different directions as bats like to shift roost as
temperatures vary.
Back
panel
460
300
Small front panel for open-fronted boxes
200
160 Front
panel
160
Side panel
Roof
200
75
Open-fronted box
suitable for robins
and spotted flycatcher
Side panel
Bottom
panel
70 103
Measurements in mm
175 200
175
164.5
200 Measurements in mm
pipistrelle
with one
another. It is
important that
there are no
gaps between
panels as bats
are vulnerable
to draughts and
the box needs
to be weather
proof.
Lip
Screw the floor and bottom lip together, then attach the floor
to the front panel by putting screws through the front panel.
69
take action
Take action in your community
Wildlife recording made easy
Get together to
make a difference
The essentials of any wildlife record are
where, when and who.
The biggest threat to our environment is the belief
that we are powerless to make a difference or
change things for the better. There are always ways
to improve local areas for wildlife, to help ensure
that the special spots for wildlife remain special
and that other areas get better for wild species.
Perhaps you have already improved your garden
for wildlife and are now thinking about the bigger
picture. Community action doesn’t have to be
complicated or hard work: think big but start small.
Getting together with others to make a difference
in the local community can be hugely rewarding.
Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtfully committed citizens can
only
change the world. Indeed, it’s the
thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Start with a survey
Finding out what you have in the local area –
wildlife, habitats, green spaces, heritage features,
rare species – is a great way to start. The Gaywood
Valley is hugely rich in natural habitats and is home
to a wonderful diversity of wildlife, some of which
is nationally rare. Much is known about the wildlife
of some protected areas like Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s
Roydon Common and the Woodland Trust’s Reffley
Wood, but much less is known about the habitats
and wildlife of villages, farmland, parks, gardens
and urban areas of King’s Lynn.
A survey of your local wildlife could be one of the
most worthwhile projects your local community
ever undertakes. The information you gather
is badly needed and can be put to good use to
improve your local environment, not just for
wildlife but for people too. The good news is that
you don’t have to be an expert to collect useful
records or to set up a community project. You will
almost certainly find that local people already enjoy
seeing wildlife, be it birds in their gardens, a hare
running across a field, bluebells in a local wood or
simply the succession of wild flowers along a local
roadside. The problem is that few people keep a
note of what they see and fewer still submit these
records to be added to information already held on
our county’s wildlife. For us to protect local wildlife
it’s vital to know as much as possible about local
species, where they are and how they are faring.
Why not see how many people you can involve
in a survey of your local wildlife? A wildlife survey
is a brilliant way to strengthen bonds within the
community, to involve both young and old, and gain
new skills in the process.
what,
What – you need to be certain of the correct
identification of what you record. As a rule of
thumb: ‘If in doubt, leave it out.’
Putting Local Wildlife
on the Map
Norfolk Wildlife Trust has made a
practical toolkit to help communities
carry out wildlife surveys. Putting Local
Wildlife on the Map is a step-by-step
guide, for volunteers, parish projects and
community groups, to recording wildlife
in your local area.
painted lady
However, this does not mean you have to be an
expert in identification. Recording familiar species
such as house sparrows, rabbits and bluebells, or
just the distinctive species that you can recognise
really easily, can still be incredibly valuable.
This toolkit explains how to get started,
how to bring a group of people together,
and how to survey a range of wildlife
groups and habitats including birds,
mammals, reptiles and amphibians,
invertebrates, plants, fungi, woods,
ponds, hedgerows and churchyards.
The ‘experts’ are not very good at recording the
commonplace and sadly it is not until species get
rare that many people start to look out for them.
It’s specially designed to help individuals
and voluntary groups who have never
carried out a wildlife survey before.
Each section provides ideas, practical
tips, details of equipment needed, and
examples of groups who have successfully
carried out surveys in Norfolk.
Many useful surveys involve just keeping records
of a single species – so if you can recognise a
hedgehog or a brown hare – then you can easily
begin to keep a record of all your sightings.
You can read the whole of Putting Local
Wildlife on the Map online or download
sections of interest free of charge at
http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.
uk/surveys.aspx
Alternatively phone Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s
Wildlife Information Service on 01603
598333 to request a free copy on disk.
You do not need to be a great botanist to
recognise a bluebell or a common poppy but does
anyone know where all the bluebell woods or
poppy fields in your parish are?
Where – records can simply be linked to a place
name or parish but it is even better to record onto
a map, or to give a map/grid reference. In general,
the more precise the location the more valuable
the information may be in the future. Plotting
records onto a map, or giving a six figure grid
reference, makes it possible for your records to be
added to county-wide or national surveys which
are often based on Ordnance Survey (OS) map
squares. A village, parish or even a large wood or
common may cover more than one map square,
so giving a map reference as well as a place name
is really helpful. If you are recording on a small
site – for example your garden, village green or
school grounds – then a single grid reference at
the centre of the site will be sufficient for most
kinds of survey.
Thursday 14th June 2012 ,
11.45 am
Beautif ul hot, sunny day
slig ht south-east breeze
Butterfly – Painted Lady
NW T Roy don Common NNR
OS ref : TF 698 229
Gemma Wal ker
– 016 03 598 333
When – this is easy as long as you remember
to make a note on the day you see things! Do
remember to include the year as well as the day
and month. If you, or someone else, is looking
back at your record in future years then ‘10 July’
may not be enough.
Who – another easy one, but it adds to the value
of the record, if sightings can be linked to the
individual who made them.
Make your records count
– please submit your records to NBIS –
www.nbis.org.uk
Make sure to include the four ‘W’s –
What, Where, When, and Who.
71
take action
Create a community action plan
Having carried out a survey and found out more
about the wildlife and habitats in your local area
the next step is to make a local species or habitat
action plan specifically for your community. Making
a plan like this may sound scary but it is simply a
way of highlighting some of the areas or species
that your community values and then listing a few
achievable tasks that can benefit them. For more
advice on how to go about this contact Norfolk
Wildlife Trust’s free Wildlife Information Service on
01603 598333. When you are researching
your plan, you might wish to look at the actions
plans for Norfolk’s wildlife species and habitats
at www.norfolkbiodiversity.org but don’t be
frightened by the technicalities of these
professional conservation action plans: what
matters is coming up with a plan to help wildlife
that your community can meaningfully put into
action. The organisations listed on page 78 all
provide lots of free information on how to do this.
Species Action Plan
Date plan written: 14 April 2012
Species/group:
House Sparrow
Species information:
Give general information about the distribution
of the species in your local area and attach any
survey records. Highlight on a map or plan the key
areas for the species in your local area.
Your objectives and targets: What would you like to see happen to your
chosen species/group and what would be a
realistic deadline for achieving this?
a) Make more people in the community aware
that house sparrows have declined nationally
and are a species of high conservation
concern.
b) Increase population to 100 pairs in the village
by 2015.
Species action points:
What can you do to achieve the above objectives?
a) Provide 10 sparrow nest-boxes a year for the
next five years.
Habitat Action Plan
Date plan written:
14 June 2012
Author:
G. Raffe
Habitat type:
Hedgerow
Habitat location: You may like to include here a grid reference
as well as a description of the location of the
habitat.
Habitat description:
This need only be a brief description
highlighting the main wildlife features of the
habitat and its condition. You may like to attach
your survey information to this section or
within the text highlight some key features of
this particular habitat.
Habitat action points:
What actions are you going to carry out to
achieve the above objectives?
a) Ask the landowner if you can mark young
trees within the hedgerow which should be
allowed to grow and not be cut during hedge
trimming.
b) Approach the landowner to discuss filling the
gaps of the hedgerow.
c) Raise funds to buy local provenance shrubs to
plant in the gaps of the hedgerow.
d) Arrange a hedgerow planting event.
Your objectives and targets:
What would you like to see happen to the
habitat to help improve its wildlife value?
What would be a realistic timescale in order
to achieve each objective?
a) Encourage the growth of young trees within
the hedgerow. 2013
b) Fill the gaps of the hedgerow, so it forms an
unbroken linear corridor. 2014
b) Encourage winter feeding in gardens close to
current sparrow strongholds.
c) Work with local school to get the children
to put up sparrow nest-boxes around the
school grounds and attempt to increase the
population at the school, where the recent
community survey found only a single pair.
d) Organise an annual survey of breeding
sparrow pairs in the village by involving
as many people as possible in a count of
chirping males. Design and distribute sparrow
information sheet with survey questionnaire.
73
take action
Volunteer and support a
local conservation project
Volunteering is healthy, fun and free. Volunteers
in the Gaywood Valley already do a huge amount
to conserve biodiversity and protect the local
environment.
You can find a list of community projects in
Norfolk at www.norfolkbiodiversity.org
Harding’s Pits Volunteers
Harding’s Pits Community Association holds
workdays nearly every month, weather
permitting. Volunteers keep the site safe and
tidy, and work to enhance wildlife habitats and
encourage more wildlife to colonise. There are
also occasional events and guided walks.
More information on the association’s activities
may be found at www.hardings-pits.org.uk
West Norfolk Conservation
Volunteers
This is small group which works on local
nature reserves around King’s Lynn. A practical
countryside conservation group, its projects
include tree-planting, pond improvements, hedgeplanting, woodland maintenance and work on
nature reserves. More information may be found
at www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/volunteer
Reffley Wood Volunteers
Reffley Wood Volunteer Group works to maintain
Reffley Wood and encourage others to use it
for the benefit of the whole community. Events
are held on one weekend every month. These
Creative Days are suitable for everyone, including
families. Past events have included an Easter Egg
Hunt, a Treasure Hunt and a Bear Hunt. Families
taking part have made clay creatures, dens, giant
birds’ nests and a tree from sticks and logs on
the ground in the main clearing.
The group also carries out woodland maintenance
and wildlife surveys, known as Woodland
Workouts. Soon these Woodland Workouts will
be held on various days through the month. They
involve maintenance work in the wood, such as
coppicing or rhododendron clearance. It’s fun,
very friendly and helps keep you active and fit.
The essential tea break half-way through ensures
it isn’t all hard work. Tools are supplied, just wear
sturdy shoes as sharp tools are used.
Details of upcoming events and contacts may be
found at www.reffleywood.co.uk
Green Mapping
Be a voice for nature and shout
out about the wildlife in your
local area
Wildlife can’t speak out for itself, so when local
wildlife or local wildlife sites are threatened its
up to you and your community to take action.
Use your citizen power: there’s lots of talk by
politicians about the Big Society, so make sure
those that represent you, like your Parish Council
and your MP, reflect your concerns about the
environment.
One way to make your voice heard more loudly
is to support a wildlife, conservation or heritage
group. Why not join an organisation working to
protect wildlife and the natural environment?
Whether it’s your time or money that you can
give, your involvement will be hugely appreciated.
You will find a list of many of the organisations
active in Norfolk on pages 78-80.
Have you heard of Green Mapping? The idea
is to create a plan of your local area showing
everything that is important for the sustainable
future of your community. Green Maps make
brilliant community projects as the maps can
only be created by people who live or work
in the community. Maps can include not only
information about wildlife and natural habitats
but also about the landscape, environmental
projects, heritage, history, energy use, waste,
pollution, and any other local issues you identify
as important. It’s also a great means of linking
your community with others across the world that
are likewise working to create a better and more
sustainable future. There are over 400 Green
Map projects in more than 50 countries already.
People of all ages and interests can take part and
producing a map will help you involve the whole
community in local issues.
One way in which making a map can help
wildlife is by identifying opportunities to create
wildlife corridors. If you find that there are areas
of similar habitat that are isolated from each
other, you can explore linking them together by
creating new habitat. An example might be a
verge connecting two patches of grassland or
a hedgerow connecting two woods. This can
allow wild species which live in the two sites to
move between them and can improve their local
chances of survival.
For more information on how to make a Green
Map visit www.greenmap.org
You can find further useful information on
community audits at www.norfolkrcc.org.uk/
wiki/index.php/Sense_of_place_toolkit
75
take action
Take action with schools
and young people
Improving your
school grounds
If you have children or grandchildren at the local
school, why not invest some time in helping the
whole community by improving school grounds
for wildlife and for wild learning? Many of the
things you can do for wildlife are covered in our
wildlife gardening section on p66 but there is also
much that can be done to make school grounds
more inviting to children and therefore better for
outdoor learning.
You could try:
There is more and more evidence that spending
time outdoors in green space and nature is good
for our children’s health and wellbeing. Children
are naturally curious about wildlife and close
contact with nature can be truly inspirational for
them. Sadly it’s also true that the generation of
children growing up in England today generally
has less direct experience of the natural world
than any in human history. Knowledge of even
common plants, birds, trees and mammals is no
longer second nature to our children. But we can
help reverse this trend and helping young people
to take action for local wildlife. The starting point
is simple: provide more opportunities for young
people to get outside and enjoy the natural beauty
that is all around us. Inside the back cover of this
guide you will find a Gaywood Valley family walks
leaflet which is designed to make exploring the
Gaywood Valley fun for young people and turn
walks into adventures.
to
Our children no longer learn how
from
ure
Nat
of
k
Boo
read the great
to
their own direct experience or how
al
son
interact creatively with the sea
y
transformations of the planet. The
es
seldom learn where their water com
s.
from or where it goe
Wendell Berry
• Building a willow den in the school grounds,
with help from children,
Need some more ideas?
Here are some websites and references which
offer great resources for involving young people in
nature and advice on why it’s so important:
www.wildlifewatch.org.uk
www.naturedetectives.org.uk
Holly Meadows School
– enhancing school
grounds for wildlife and
outdoor learning:
www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/join/youth.aspx
www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/downloads
The Bumper Book of Nature by Stephen Moss
Last Child in the Woods – Saving our Children
from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
• Making a mini-wetland from a waterproof
container,
• Sowing and maintaining a wildflower area,
• Making a wild seating area such as a circle of
safe logs,
• Making boxes for birds, bats and bees and
placing them around school grounds,
• Setting up a nest-box camera linked to a
computer in school,
• Setting up a bird-feeding station, taking care to
maintain good standards of hygiene.
What is the extinction of a condor to
a child who has never seen a wren?
Robert Pyle
Holly Meadows school at Grimston has
a seven acre site which the school is
developing to create a landscape that
stimulates and enhances children’s learning
as well as benefiting local wildlife. With
local community support Holly Meadows is
developing a forest schools area, outdoor
classroom, gardening and allotment area
and a sunken sensory garden for quiet
reflection. With support from the Gaywood
Valley Project a large pond is being created,
complete with a pond-dipping platform,
where pupils can discover water-life, and
a marsh area and reed-bed with a hide
where children can learn about the bird-life
of the Gaywood Valley. Norfolk Wildlife
Trust has been working with the school to
develop pupils’ interest in the Gaywood
Valley Living Landscape and to provide
learning resources such as this Discover,
Explore, Take Action guide.
77
further information – wildlife organisations
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
655a Christchurch Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth,
Dorset, BH1 4AP
Tel: 01202 391319
www.arc-trust.org
E-mail: [email protected]
Bat Conservation Trust
5th Floor, Quadrant House, 250 Kennington Lane,
London, SE11 5RD
Bat Helpline: 0845 1300 228
www.bats.org.uk
British Trust for Ornithology
The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU
Tel: 01842 750050
www.bto.org
Butterfly Conservation
Manor Yard, East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset,
BH20 5QP
Tel: 01929 400209
www.butterfly-conservation.org
Broads Authority
Dragonfly House, 2 Gilders Way, Norwich, NR3 1UB
Tel: 01603 610734
www.broads-authority.gov.uk
Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society
The Secretary, Woodhouse, Free Lane, Ditchingham,
Bungay, NR35 2DW
www.nnns.org.uk
Plantlife
14 Rollestone Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1DX
Tel: 01722 342730
www.plantlife.org.uk
Hawk and Owl Trust
PO Box 400, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, TA4 3WH
Tel: 0844 9842824
www.hawkandowl.org
Pond Conservation
c/o School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University,
Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0BP
Tel: 01865 483249
www.pondconservation.org.uk
The Wildlife Trusts
The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark,
Nottinghamshire, NG24 1WT
Tel: 01636 677711
www.wildlifetrusts.org
British Dragonfly Society
23 Bowker Way, Whittlesey, Peterborough, PE7 1PY
www.dragonflysoc.org.uk
RSPB
E. England Regional Office, Stalham House,
65 Thorpe Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 1UD
Tel: 01603 661662
www.rspb.org.uk
Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
First Floor, 90 Bridge Street, Peterborough, PE1 1DY
Tel: 01733 201210
www.buglife.org.uk
The Woodland Trust
Kempton Way, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6LL
Tel: 01476 581111
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Barn Owl Trust
Waterleaf, Ashburton, Devon, TQ13 7HU
Tel: 01364 653026
www.barnowltrust.org.uk
Natural England
Dragonfly House, 2 Gilders Way, Norwich, Norfolk,
NR3 1UB
Tel: 0845 600 3078
www.naturalengland.org.uk
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
Royal Oak Court, Horn’s Lane, Ber Street, Norwich,
NR1 3ER
Tel: 01603 767300
www.btcv.org.uk
Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD
Tel: 020 7942 5000
www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online
Norfolk Non-Native Species Initiative
c/o Environment, Transport and Development, Norfolk
County Council, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich,
Norfolk NR1 2SG
Tel: 01603 228977
www.norfolkbiodiversity.org/nonnativespecies
sources of help
Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT)
Norfolk Wildlife Trust has been
actively protecting and enhancing
Norfolk’s wildlife and wild places
for more than 85 years. Our vision
is a sustainable environment for
people and wildlife where:
• the future of wildlife is protected and enhanced
through sympathetic management
• people are connected with and inspired by
Norfolk’s wildlife and wild spaces
Our free wildlife information service can help you
identify wildlife you have seen, provide advice
on to how to set up a local community wildlife
survey, provide details of volunteer opportunities,
local events and activities. We are there to help
you if you want to help wildlife. We can provide
free information on wildlife gardening or point
you towards the best sources of information on a
wide range of conservation topics. We can provide
practical workshops or nature reserve visits for
groups wishing to learn about wildlife, though
normally make a small charge for this service. Our
consultancy, Norfolk Wildlife Services, can carry out
ecological surveys or help with management plans.
Contact us at: Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Bewick House, 22 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1RY
Tel: 01603 625540
www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
Norfolk Biodiversity
Information Service (NBIS)
Partnership
NBIS is the local wildlife
records centre for Norfolk and
exists to build up information on
species, habitats and protected
sites. NBIS holds over
2,000,000 species records and can also provide
information on sites such as County Wildlife Sites
and protected habitats and areas. NBIS needs
your records. The majority of information held by
NBIS has been collected by local people recording
in their own time. Having accurate and up to date
information on which species and habitats are
declining is the first step to knowing how to target
conservation efforts effectively and your records
can contribute to species protection.
Partnership brings
together more than
20 organisations
that work to protect
wildlife species and
habitats in Norfolk.
The Partnership prepares action plans for some
of the county’s most threatened habitats and
species and puts them into practice.
If you are thinking of carrying out a wildlife survey
of your local area NBIS can provide you with a
list of species already recorded in your area, any
sites designated for their wildlife interest and, if
available, maps of habitats. You can also take part
in one of the regular surveys organised by NBIS.
Contact us at:
Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service
R301 County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich,
NR1 2SG
Tel: 01603 224458
www.nbis.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
NorfolkBiodiversityInformationService
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NorfolkBIS
On the NBP website you will find more than 70
action plans providing an excellent source of high
quality information on how to help declining
species and habitats. There is also a list of
community groups that are involved in conservation
projects in Norfolk. Please add your community
group to the list if you are involved in a local
conservation project.
NBP has a small Project Fund specifically for
supporting projects that help carry out the actions
in its action plans. Norfolk County Council also has
a Community Conservation Grant scheme.
Contact us:
Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership Co-ordinator
01603 222112
www.norfolkbiodiversity.org.uk
Community Conservation Grant scheme
01603 622270
www.norfolk.gov.uk/Environment/Conservation
79
further information
West Norfolk and King’s Lynn
Archaeological Society
The club organizes a series of lectures on archaeology topics
which focus on West Norfolk.
species checklist
WEB LINKS
Hardings Pits: www.hardings-pits.org.uk
WNKLAS, 2 Pine Road, South Wootton, King’s Lynn, PE30 3JP
Tel: 01553 671239
wnklas.greyhawk.org.uk/main.php
Reffley Wood: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Norfolk Heritage Explorer
You can access the Historic Environment Service at
Gressenhall, Dereham to research your local history. They hold
over 40,000 aerial photographs of Norfolk, have an extensive
reference library, reports of local archaeological excavations
and a comprehensive and definitive record of the historic
environment of the county of Norfolk.
Peddars Way: www.nationaltrail.co.uk/PeddarsWay
Union House, Gressenhall, Dereham, Norfolk, NR20 4DR
Telephone 01362 869282
www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk
Historic Environment Service
Guided Walks
Find out more and discover King’s Lynn on foot with a guided
walk. For more information and bookings contact:
Kings Lynn Tourist Information Centre – 01553 763044
Lynn Museum
Find out more at the Lynn Museum where they have regularly
changing exhibitions, afternoon talks and family activity days
Lynn Museum, Market Street, King’s Lynn, PE30 1NL
Tel: 01553 775001
True’s Yard Museum
The Museum provides an insight into the lives of the fisherfolk
of Lynn’s Northend, a community surviving for hundreds of
years. True’s Yard offers a variety of special events through
the year, including talks, special exhibitions and local history
courses. Family history research facilities are available at
True’s Yard where you can build family trees based on parish
registers, Census returns which have been transcribed and
indexed. Additionally the Poor Law and other Workhouse
registers including the Settlement Examinations are available.
A reference library, archive rooms and reading room are also
available.
The Northend Trust, True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum,
North Street, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1QW
Tel: 01553 770479
www.truesyard.co.uk
Norfolk Record Office
Find out more about the development of the area; it can be
useful to use the county archives in Norwich where historic
maps, photographs and records can be accessed to research
your past. This resource is free to use, additionally Kings Lynn
Borough Archives are available for local research.
Norfolk Record Office, The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane,
Norwich, NR1 2DQ
Tel: 01603 222599
www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk
King’s Lynn Borough Archives
The Old Gaol House, Saturday Market Place, King’s Lynn,
PE30 5DQ
Tel: 01553 774297
Reffley Wood Volunteer Group:
www.reffleywood.co.uk
The Flora of Kings Lynn:
www.nnns.org.uk/content/occasional-publications
Geological Society of Norfolk
www.norfolkgeology.co.uk
Norfolk Geodiversity Partnership –
http://sites.google.com/site/norfolkgeodiversity
BOOKS and CHARTS – to help you identify wildlife
Harper Collins Gem Guides
Excellent series of mini-pocket guides including the
following titles: Birds, Trees, Wildflowers, Butterflies,
Mushrooms, Insects, Wild Animals
Field Studies Council identification charts
www.field-studies-council.org/publications
Collins Flower Guide
by David Streeter
Gaywood Valley –
Species to look for
Please photocopy this checklist and use it to record your wildlife sightings
Name
Date
Location
Birds
✓
How
many
Birds
✓
How
many
barn owl
starling
common poppy
blackbird
swallow
cow parsley
blue tit
swift
buttercup sp.
buzzard
tawny owl
creeping thistle
carrion crow
tree creeper
dandelion
chaffinch
wood pigeon
dog rose
collared dove
wren
foxglove
dunnock
yellowhammer
hogweed
goldfinch
Mammals
BOOKS – to help you discover the landscape
great tit
badger
The Norfolk Landscape
by David Dymond
greenfinch
brown hare
green woodpecker
brown rat
grey heron
fox
house martin
grey squirrel
house sparrow
hedgehog
jackdaw
mole
useful references
jay
rabbit
A flora of Norfolk
by Gillian Beckett and Alec Bull
kestrel
stoat
long tailed tit
bat sp.
The History of the Countryside
by Oliver Rackham
A flora of King’s Lynn
by Frances Schumann and Robin Stevenson
The Gaywood River Valley.
A State of the Environment Report (2012)
www.nbis.org.uk
✓
How
many
harebell
great spotted
woodpecker
England’s Landscape – East Anglia
by Tom Williamson
Flowering plants
✓
How
many
heather
hedge bindweed
honeysuckle
ivy
lesser celendine
lords and ladies
mistletoe
ox-eye daisy
primrose
ragwort
red campion
red clover
magpie
mallard
Flowering plants
pheasant
birdsfoot trefoil
pied wagtail
bluebell
robin
bramble
rook
broom
skylark
common daisy
song thrush
gorse sp
✓
How
many
spear thistle
stinging nettle
white clover
yarrow
yellow iris
rosebay willowherb
81
something extra
Fungi
✓
How
many
Trees
fly agaric
sweet chestnut
stinkhorn
willow sp.
✓
Ferns
✓
How
many
bracken
Trees
How
many
✓
damselfly sp
centipede sp
earwig sp.
ash
earthworm sp.
beech
common froghopper
(cuckoo spit )
crab apple
elder
field maple
hawthorn
hazel
How
many
How
many
✓
How
many
common lizard
common toad
grass snake
slow worm
cinnabar moth
alder
blackthorn
✓
common frog
bumble bee sp.
✓
Reptiles and
Amphibians
adder
bracket fungus sp
Invertebrates
How
many
Additional
species
snail sp
wasp sp.
glow worm
green lacewing
orange-tip
peacock
holly
horse chestnut
oak sp.
rowan
scot’s pine
red admiral
seven–spot ladybird
small tortoiseshell
woodlouse sp
silver birch
sycamore
If you see any of the following species in the Gaywood Valley please do send in a record.
This list includes nationally rare or declining wildlife and your records can help to protect these
species by building knowledge of their distribution in Norfolk.
• great crested newt
• turtle dove
• water vole
• slow-worm
• cuckoo
• harvest mouse
• common lizard
• nightjar
• wall butterfly
• grass snake
• woodlark
• grayling butterfly
• adder
• spotted flycatcher
• small heath butterfly
• grey partridge
• tree sparrow
• eel
• stone-curlew
• otter
Please submit your sightings to NBIS – [email protected] – www.nbis.org.uk
with details of when and where you made your sighting.
83
Gaywood Valley:
discover
explore
take action

Gaywood valley - Sustainable URBAN FRINGES (SURF)

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