• Playlist: Songs about birds
BIRDS
Dance of I the Like Cygnets Birds Eels Tchaikovsky Blackbird The Beatles Meadowlarks Fleet Foxes Nice Weather for Ducks Lemon Jelly The Geese of Beverly Road The National Starlings Over Brighton Pier Bell X1 Cuckoo Kathryn Williams Rockin’ Robin Bobby Day Song for a Seagull Teleman Wings of a Dove Madness Swallowtail Wolf Alice Magpie The Unthanks Raven Jewel Little Sparrow Dolly Parton Skylark Aretha Franklin Free Bird Lynyrd Skynyrd
There’s a swathe of England not too far from where most of us live and it’s brimming with special, magical places that have remained untouched for millennia, from hollows and standing stones to waterfalls and ancient meadows, and from Roman remains to Stone-Age caves. The heart of England may have its fair share of conurbations, but it’s also in possession of a topography as diverse as you’ll find anywhere in Britain. If you’re prepared to walk a little, seek out an ancient ruin or two, and maybe even take a dip, then there are hidden wonders at the core of our small island nation to marvel at and explore.
A PIECE OF THE NORTH
( though easier to reach) The Peak District, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Nottinghamshire are teeming with river walks and waterfalls. Delightful cascades and natural infinity pools make the walk to Greenfield Waterfall on High Peak’s Saddleworth Moor unforgettable. In the South West Peak region of the National Park, stroll along the River Goyt from Packhorse Bridge near Erwood Hall and follow the stream downhill to discover picnic spots and places to plunge. This region lays claim to many easy peaks and scrambles, too, including one up Stanton Moor (in Dark Peak) to join the Nine Ladies, a photogenic Bronze Age circle. Another landmark of the National Park is The Trinnacle, a dramatic triple pillar on Saddleworth Moor (in High Peak; it’s possible to combine this and Greenfield Waterfall, right). Stand bravely atop it and survey the beautiful valley and reservoirs below. Near Whetton in White Peak is Seven Ways, an intriguing Neolithic cave with seven openings, which sits above the gaping mouth of Thor’s Cave, used by humans since the Palaeolithic era.
If it’s the thrill of being close to wildlife you’re after, head to central Staffordshire’s Aqualate Mere, a large, natural lake and wetland where there’s a 300-year-old heronry and the chance to see osprey, otters, barn owls and hundreds of wildfowl. For manmade spectacles, visit the whimsical Vernon’s Folly in Sudbury, south Derbyshire, a red sandstone enclosure, which Lord Vernon commissioned to contain his deer herd in the 1700s, or 13th-century Mattersey Priory in Nottinghamshire, one of many religious and romantic ruins across the county.
MIDDLE ENGLAND
( but not as you know it) There are scores of beautiful woods, meadows with seas of flowers and wildlife species galore in the little-celebrated counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Rutland*. Wander among the vast swathes of bluebells in the ancient Outwoods in Nanpantan, Leicestershire, where huge, gnarled trees and granite outcrops provide a natural playground. Arboreal explorers willing to veer off the well-beaten trail will be enchanted by the legendary Pagan Oak, Worcestershire, which grows remarkably atop the rocky edge of a deep hollow. An important place of pilgrimage, especially at solstices, it’s adorned with ribbons, feathers, pentagrams and other trinkets. Climb inside to find more decorations and see if there’s a new visitors’ book hidden in the trunk. Another natural wonder is Merry’s Meadow in Rutland, host to rare species of flora, including the frog orchid. Standing majestically atop Tysoe Hill (near Upper Tysoe in Warwickshire), is a curious 12-sided 18th-century windmill providing glorious views. The county is also host to several wild-swimming spots, including the deep, wide meander at Marlcliff, above a pretty weir – good for a few lazy hours in summer – and a mile upstream, the medieval bridge at Bidford-on-Avon. At Walton-on-Trent you can swim to an island with a rope swing, while the nearby old quarry-cum-wetland is home to bitterns – in spring, listen out for the male’s distinctive boom.
POSTCARD PRETTY
( but with an edge) Often written off as either quaint and chocolate-boxy or the playground of the rich and famous, the Cotswolds is certainly easy on the eye, but there is wildness here too, if you know where to look. With more than 3,000 miles of footpaths and bridleways (and even more miles of traditional stone walls) you can get well away from the hotspots. A peaceful walk along an old railway line through Chedworth Nature Reserve, between Chedworth and Withington in Gloucestershire, brings you to a bubbling tufa spring, where the lime-rich water deposits calcite to create a curious waterfall formation. Spoonley Wood Roman Villa, near Winchcombe, also in Gloucestershire, is a ruin that is being slowly reclaimed by nature, well hidden among the trees. Remnants of the walls are still standing, some of the flagstones remain in place and there is a section of beautiful mosaic floor protected by a small roof. A few miles south west stands another local landmark – Devil’s Chimney on Leckhampton Hill near Cheltenham is a famous and dramatic pillar
“The Cotswolds is easy on the eye, but there’s wildness too, if you know where to look”
*Rutland was absorbed into Leicestershire in 1974, but reinstated as a county 23 years later. It measures just over 16 miles north to south and east to west and its motto, ‘Multum in Parvo’, means Much in Little.