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An autumn walk on Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is less than four miles from the centre of London. It covers over eight hundred acres and has some of the best views over the city. Since the railway opened Londoners have been coming to the heath to swim, fish, picnic and fly kites. However the heath was nearly lost. During the 19th…
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Escape to the Malvern Hills
On Sunday a few members of our walking group met at Great Malvern station ready to explore this former Victorian spa town and to go for an October ramble in the nearby hills. Luckily for us organised outdoor activity is still permitted. The Malverns The Malverns are a range of low hills on the Worcestershire,…
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A visit to Savernake forest
Savernake forest lies just south of Marlborough in Wiltshire. It is the largest privately owned forest in England and has belonged to the same family for 32 generations since the Norman conquest. The first mention of a Safernoc woodland was made in 934 in the written records of King Athelstan, grandson of Alfred the great.…
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What is bonfire night in England?
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Westonbirt Arboretum: Going for gold, my favourite autumn walk
One of my favourite local places to visit at this time of year is Westonbirt Arboretum, which is in Gloucestershire about four miles from Tetbury. An Arboretum is a word for a collection of trees and Westonbirt has 15,000 of them including 2,500 different types. The collection was started in 1850 by Robert Holford,…