Farm Newsletter October 2007

The weather has recently turned distinctly autumnal and we have come to the end of another successful summer season with Westminster groups. Autumn is still proving a popular time to visit the farm, particularly for groups of friends and families as well as adult workshops.

The orchards are now brimming with apples and the hedgerows are full of fruit. With the cooler air and golden sunsets, this is a good time of year for walking and enjoying the gentle abundance of the countryside. The swallows are leaving our barns for the winter, whilst large bands of starlings and winter thrushes are gathering in the orchards.

Over the autumn and winter, a number of conservation tasks will be undertaken by visiting groups including repairing a land drain, scrub clearance from ponds and orchards, hedgelaying, apple tree pruning and a carefully considered felling of selected trees in the woodland to generate some firewood, encourage natural regrowth and promote biodiversity.