(Photo: Simon Day, Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group)

On Sunday 5th February, the sun put its hat on for a group of 8 Park members together with family and friends as they enjoyed a guided walk around the Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve.  

The walk was arranged as part of a CityConnect initiative to motivate people to walk and cycle more to help tackle the climate emergency.

Simon Day, Wildlife Group Chair, gave a presentation as he guided Park’s people along one of the many routes around the 70 acres site.  The first point of call/meeting place was the entrance gate where a siege of herons circling the trees just beyond the realm of the Reserve welcomed the visitors. The siege was a new and exciting arrival for Wildlife Group members who were looking forward to observing and recording the herons’ visitations.

The Reserve is home to a variety of wildlife including kingfishers, robins - and the ubiquitous squirrel dismantling the birdfeeders before running away with them.  With its ash-rich soils, abundant water supplies and diverse habitat, the site is packed with a plethora of flora and fauna throughout the year.

Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group volunteers host school parties for educational trips.  They also run guided walks by arrangement only.

Park Tennis Club’s walk lasted around 2 hours and finished at the visitor centre where hot drinks and delicious cakes were available for a cash donation.

Thanks go to our resident photographer, Colin MacKenzie, for recording the day’s event - you can view Colin’s photos here - and to our guide, Simon Day, for making the day a great success for Park.

To arrange a guided walk, contact Simon Day at swday1985@gmail.com.

Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve is well worth a visit.