Leader: Dan Merret
On the 19th October 14 Bath Nats members and Bathscape Project Manager Dan Merrett met on Twerton High St and headed off in the direction of Bath City Farm. We were met at Innox Park by Bath Nats member and Bathscape advisor Mike Williams who showed lawn shrimps he had collected that morning at the adjacent allotments.
The different areas of wildflower seeding that Bathscape volunteers had undertaken in the park and the provenance of seed were discussed before heading further uphill through the allotment and into the city farm.
Here the panoramic views across the city and northern slopes gave an opportunity to discuss the wider work of the Bathscape scheme and its aims to foster a more co-ordinated management approach across the city and its setting and to encourage a greater number and wider range of people to explore it.
Mike highlighted that to date he had recorded over 650 species on the city farm site and pointed out collared earthstar in the woods before the group headed westwards out of the farm. Passing through the Redland Park we discussed the significant amount of greenspace that the design of the estate afforded, with several areas of grassland being relatively herb- rich.
Following the Bathscape waymarked ‘Circuit of Bath’
We crossed Pennyquick Park where the Bathscape project had previously undertaken tree planting and held annual ‘family fun days’ supported by Bath Nats members to encourage local residents to enjoy their local greenspaces.
On entering Carrs Wood we enjoyed the bird song and sightings of green woodpecker, jays and nuthatch as we picked up a stretch of the Bathscape waymarked ‘Circuit of Bath’ path. There were several further fungi sightings alongside the woodland path, though with no mycologist amongst the group we struggled to positively identify them to species level.
Photographing fungi
As we walked through the woodland along what was once the driveway to the long-since demolished Wood House we discussed the prevalence of beech trees both here and around the city that were now approaching the end of their lives. We also spoke about the impact of ash dieback and of Bathscape’s Woodland Advisory Service which provides free woodland management advice for local woodland owners. As the woodland path turned eastward alongside the railway line with its castellated tunnel entrances we were brought back towards Twerton High Street where the walk ended.
Dan Merrett
Bathscape Manager
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