Lovely Walks at Doddington
We added two new walks to our Estate last year, enabling our customers and the public the chance to enjoy a stroll with plenty of interesting heritage and wonderful wildlife. A new walks leaflet is available in the Farm Shop Courtyard (in a outside accessible dispenser) and the Gatehouse (restricted opening). Our website visitors may download a PDF map here. It is hoped that many people will take the chance to enjoy the two new walks as well as the existing Circular Walk. (There is no charge for the walks but the Nature Trial, also on the map, is part of Garden admission.)
The walks are accessible all year. The project has been supported by a grant from Biffaward, which supports projects across the UK that enhance communities and biodiversity.
The Fishpond Walk (30 minutes) takes the walker through a meadow towards a small lake, over a charming recently-added Monet-style wooden bridge and alongside an old bathers’ hut and pretty punt house. The carp in the lake silently move through the water whilst on top of the water you may see birds such as Mallard and Shoveller. Look out for butterflies such as Painted Lady, Large Skipper, Tortoiseshell and Peacock.
Taking 45-minutes, the Avenue Walk offers lovely views of the west side of Doddington Hall and its surrounding parkland over which the early evening sun sets. Half way up – or down – the Avenue you may see Snipe in the wetlands. In a couple of years, a pyramid will be built at the end of the avenue by the family, offering a spot for walkers to take a break and enjoy the peace and quiet as well as providing a haven for bats. The sight of pretty flowers such as Cowslips, Betony and Knapweed will reward those who stroll by. Look up and see birds such as Lapwings and Buzzards. In autumn and winter, expect to see many Pheasants and Partridges.
The existing Circular Walk (90 minutes) mostly follows public footpaths and takes the walker through the parkland and past small ponds created when clay was dug to make the bricks for the Hall in the late 1500s. Enjoy a glimpse into ancient woodland called Strunch Hill, which has been there for at least 500 years and is abundant with bluebells in late spring. Pause a moment on the Circular Walk and you may be lucky enough to see hares, rabbits, deer or even a lizard!
A lot of planning has been involved with creating two new walks, which was part-funded by a grant from Biffaward and part-funded by investment from Doddington Hall.
We hope you are able to make the most of our new walks. Perhaps our younger visitors would like to write to us about what wildlife they have seen, maybe with a drawing?
More information about Biffaward: In 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. Grants made from the fund currently amount to more than £100 million, supporting many worthwhile projects.
Biffa Waste Services Ltd is a part of Biffa Plc Group. Biffa Plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE250 index. Biffa Plc is one of the largest single suppliers of waste management services in the UK. It collects, treats, recovers and disposes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste nationwide. To visit their website, please click here.
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