It’s been a very busy Springtime at JTW, helped along by some actually quite indifferent weather. Apparently it was the warmest February on record, but Mother nature seems fairly “on time” to me: redwings and Fieldfares are starting to leave us; chiffchaffs are arriving; frogs have spawned and I’ve seen a few bumble bees and brimstone butterflies which have survived hibernation. It will be interesting to see how hedgehog, bat and honey bees numbers fare as these all prefer a harder winter to ensure survival.
I had a remarkable “tour” of the south-west (Somerset, Devon and Cornwall) and saw plenty of wildlife, some amazing historic sites and some beautiful buildings. For me, a decent walk is always a combination of interests and I hope that this is reflected in what I can offer you!
JTW has run several night hikes which are always a wonderful sensory experience: people are often surprised by the level of the light at night and I’m not talking light pollution here, just the natural glow of the sky which is often enough to cast a clear shadow!! Mother nature operates 24/7 and through our hikes we have hooked up with owls, badgers, foxes, woodcock and roe deer.
A couple of “event hikes” also celebrated springtime with visits to Prestwick Farm where I used to be night shepherd for many years. The opportunity to get really close up to the reality of livestock farming is really valuable as we are often so detached from “real” country life.
So we arrive at Easter and the birds are nesting and the spring flowers profuse. I have a lot of bushcraft sessions which are fully booked so I am keeping my fingers crossed for agreeable weather – it does make it so much more comfortable for teaching beginners! I also have an Expedition to the South Downs planned, and an important visit to a Brewery Festival – I will reveal why this is so important quite soon! I also have a Charcoal making Camp planned in April and this is to fine tune the camps which I will be able to offer JTW customers at a later date – so, once again, watch this space!!
With so much going on it’s important for me to let you know that I welcome any suggestions on what YOU would like me to provide! I like to offer a bespoke service so please get in touch via the website. I have had requests for some nature survey work; a navigation hike; a wild food camp and a specialist crayfish session – all of which I’m looking forward to providing! I look forward to hearing from you!
Jonnie
