15.03.19 Ratby (Markfield Lane Car Park) to Forest Hills Golf Club. and return app 5 Mls.

Our planned walk at Belton House had to be cancelled due to the weather conditions. 

Belton House, parkland and formal gardens had all been closed due to high winds of approximately 50 plus miles per hour.

We will try again next year.

There was a change of destination parking at Markfield Road car park at Ratby we set off for Forest Hills Golf club via Matinshaw Woods and Burrough Woods.

Quite a bright start though the wind lowered the the temperature somewhat.

07:1

Well it is red nose day !!!!

 Leaving the car park.

This lovely large ancient woodland can be traced back to at least the 13th century and perhaps even as far as the Domesday Book (1085-86) where it may have been one of the woods listed under the ownership of the Manor of Groby.

There is an abundance of tree, plant, fungi and bird species, with a diverse range of habitats and archaeological features. There is an extensive path network which links to nearby woods.

Pear Tree Wood was created in 1997 to connect nearby Burrough Wood and Martinshaw Wood. Although planted with essentially a mix of native broad-leaved trees, conifers in the northern section blend into those at Martinshaw Wood, to encourage the movement of pine-loving wildlife, particularly moths.  

Heading down through Burrough Wood. Will be back soon to see the blue bells here. 

A rescue under way, a toad had fallen asleep on the pavement so he was relocated to a place where any passing cyclists wouldn't inadvertently squash him.

A much safer place.

Our good deed done for the day we headed on to the golf course and manicured grass rather than Mother Nature's informal setting.

 Over the golf course.

A welcome cuppa and change into something cooler as it was a lot warmer in the Club House than outside.

Break over we set off back.

A bit of re grouping while we waited for golfers to go down the fairways that we were about to walk over. The public path went straight across the golf course.

Leaving the golf course area back into the woods.

Silver Birch always look amazing in a winter garden.

We agreed that most plants are a good week to two ahead this year.

About another half a mile to the car park.

After the initial disappointment of our cancelled daffodil walk we all seemed to enjoy our day.

8th March 2019 Walking in Watermead Country Park Leicester. App 5 mls.

Watermead Park - Country park
Alderton Cl
Leicester
LE4 7RN

Leaving Cosby Village Hall we headed off to Watermead Country Park. Bit of a grey day but hey ho. Looking at the map there are two walking routes, we would be walking both the red and the purple routes a total of approximately five miles with a break at the White Horse which is located, surprising enough, on White Horse Lane leading on to the park.

Parking up at the bottom of Alderton Close, costs from £2 depending how long you want to stay.

The Mammoth an indication of the history of the area. During the extraction of sand and gravel there was a very important archaeological discovery. Two human skulls, probably dating from the Bronze Age, and the bones of an Aurochs, a primitive wild ox, were found on the other side of the river from King Lear’s Lake.

Over 200 bird species have been recorded on the park, including notable winter visitors such as wigeon, goosander, fieldfare, redwing and bittern.  In the warmer months 12 species of warbler have been recorded along with swallows, swifts, sand martins, common terns and hobbys. Resident species including kingfisher, great crested grebe, green woodpecker, tree creeper and water rail.

The wetland areas and wildflower meadows are an attractive habitat for many species of insects.  Visitors can see a variety of butterflies and moths in the meadows during the summer months, alongside dragonflies and damselflies which can be spotted flying amongst the reedbeds and over the ponds.  The insects provide a valuable food source for birds in the day, while during the evening it is the turn of the bats. Flying low over the water or above the tree line, these nocturnal mammals seek out insects such as moths and gnats.

Watermead Country Park provides a home for a variety of mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, weasels and stoats, foxes, deer and otter.

Visitors to the country park can witness much of this wildlife in the Reedbed Nature Reserve which can be found at the north end of the park. The reserve includes four bird hides and a bird feeding station, all of which provide a great place to observe wildlife and enjoy the tranquillity of the countryside
.

Walking towards the northern part of the park.

King Lear's Lake - the statues need a bit of a clean. Evidently a great resting place for the bird life.

Spot the difference between the upper and lower photos.

A lonely swan - we always try to give them a wide berth, you never know if there are youngsters about.

After reaching the northernmost part of the walk we turned back on the other side of John Merrick's Lake and headed back towards the picnic areas and Finger Lake.

Some new additions to the park, some wonderful wooden sculptures depicting the resident wild life.

King Lear sculptures from another angle.

Resting place for seagulls waiting for a snack swimming past.

Passing the reed beds.

Leaving the White Horse after our break.

The White Horse is circled in case anyone wishes to visit.

Couple of bird feeders.

At the end of the walk still smiling.

Looking forward to next week and the daffodil walk at Belton House.