County Travel

A DAY ON THE RESERVE IS MADE FOR WALKING

A gateway to an adventure trail at the RSPB reserve

Sally shows the way

I am always up for  an outing  with a freebie as the destination - especially when two boisterous grandchildren are in tow! Okay, I can hop over the fence into Goostrey bongs but once  we have done this half  a dozen times the kids get a tad tired of  the same old routine.

Now I have found another spot close to Leek in North Staffordshire (see Manifold Valley item in www.Blogs from the Bongs.blogspot.com) where children  have the time of their lives in close harmony with nature. In fact for a small donation of £2 for parking the RSPB reserve at Coombes Valley offers a woodland escape for a family visit that takes a lot  beating, and it is free from dawn to dusk! My two even took their bikes but it is not to be recommended because of the terrain, some of it with fairly steep slopes. A series of trails are shaped more for walking and exploring meadows filled with wild flowers, bird watching, butterflies and splashing  barefooted in a stream like some reincarnation of  Tom Sawyer. Sally Granger, a resident volunteer for the charity and visitor intern, was looking after the small information centre the day I arrived and directed me to the meadow area where butterflies are in abundance.. There is a small collection of nature bric-a-brac including fragile skeletons of creatures found in the vicinity, as well as lots of useful information about the reserve and  surrounding areas. There is also a well-maintained toilet block for visitors. The woodcock trail is one of the most popular. It is only a little over a mile but it can take a couple of hours to finish and could easily take  a full day if you want to be more adventurous  and venture into wilder corners together with an essential survival  kit of a packed lunch! A woodland loop has been established for youngsters where they can spend time creating secret dens and  do anything else they might fancy from their childhood dreams. It reminded me of the uninhibited days of  youth when "our  gang" would clear off for days on end in the school holidays to the local woods  with matches nicked from the kitchen to build a bonfire to cook spuds in the ashes. Whatever else we got up to would have made our parents hairless had they only known,

RSPB free to roam reserve

I am sure! Several miles from the RSPB reserve is Cheddleton station of the Churnet Valley Railway, a mecca for loco buffs. It was closed by the time we arrived, but the platform was available to pick up leaflets for a future visit. The ten-mile long steam-powered railway takes passengers a rural ride through glorious countryside but to call it "Little Switzerland" is a little far fetched, I would think.  The railway is manned by an army of volunteers and travel is not cheap at £11 for adults, children under four are free and up to fourteen £5 and pensioners pay £9 but the fares are for all day travel. However, the best buy is a family ticket covering two adults and two children for £28. Just across from the station the boys made friends with a collection of Gloucester old spot piglets to end an adventurous day - described by one young visitor to the reserve as a "Great way to spend time in the school holidays - we loved it, especially the den making..." Link to sister site http://www.blogsfromthebongs.blogspot.com
* Finding your way there: RSPB Coombes Valley, Six Oaks Farm, Bradnop, Leek ST13 7EU
Tel: 01538 384017  Website: rspb.org.uk/coombesvalley

Hugh and Joe find the family of pigs

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