Study tour 2007

Across the Duddon estuary - to the hills and mountains

Wastwater glacial
lake

Millom Nature reserve - the large mass in the background is the remains of contents from the iron furnace that was too heavy to move after demolition on the site

RSPB Hodbarrow - at a pond known for its Natterjacks

The remains of the 18th Century beacon at Hodbarrow

Atlantic oak woodland talk at Borrowdale

This is Johnny Wood - containing a mass of moss covered boulders with sessile oak

The lake district Osprey project - views across the lake - this wood also holds a colony of red squirrels - who were camera shy when we arrived

Free time!! - no hangovers, so lets try and get sea (lake) sick instead! Lake Windemere

Whitbarrow limestone pavements - somewhere just over the next hill.......

One of my favourites from the trip - Meathop Moss - so tranquil and unique - a real surprise habitat



A glorious week was spent in the Lake District at a small post-industrial town called Millom, south West Cumbria. Are group stayed in the small, but colourful YHA on the edge of the Duddon Estuary.
The week was an excellent mixture of sight seeing and educational talks and visits and was perfect to draw together all that I had been learning in the past year at college.

Timetable (for personal ref:)

Sunday - Wasdale - glaciated landscape (pictured above)
Monday - Seashore habitat and local nature reserve (Millom)
RSPB Hodbarrow
Natterjack Toad Foray - non event - no Natterjacks around!
Tuesday - National Trust Borrowdale trip (pic above - sessile oak woodland)
Whinlatter forest trip - red squirrels and ospreys - no squirrels - did see an osprey hunting from afar!
Red Deer Spotting - saw numerous does on the horizon
Wednesday - day off - went boating on lake Windermere - (see picture above)
Thursday - Whitbarrowlimestone pavement visit - almost found it - had to settle for second best
Meathop Mire visit - amazing, tranquil place - perfect examples of succession.

Study tour 2007

You gotta love trees for this one..

The ancient Oak..



Luckily I really like trees....grumbles amongst my group wouldn't agree!

On the 26th April we attended an Oakwood study meeting in west Dorset at Melbury Park. The aim was to visit and understand the application of continuous forest management, or CCF as the bigwigs like to call it.
A tour around the vast estate revelaed numerous plantations and associated methods to manage and ultimately harvest timber.
It was a thoroughly fantastic day with a great opportunity to experience real world managment procedures...and it doesn't seem like such a bad life!



The day ended with a brief tour of the deer park (where these photos are from)...it was an impressive place with hundreds of deer. In particular, an ancient oak
tree, I think I recall it was 600 to 700 years old. Spectacular!

Brief description: Deer park, with woodland and agricultural land of c.300ha, with central landscape and gardens of c.15ha. C18 landscaping, with extensive C19 and C20 planting of rare trees and shrubs.

You gotta love trees for this one..