insideKENT Magazine Issue 66 - September 2017 | Page 44

DAYSOUT
A delightful day out:
BORE PLACE
BY LISAMARIE LAMB
SET IN 500 ACRES OF GORGEOUS KENTISH FARMLAND, BORE PLACE IS HOME TO THE
COMMONWORK TRUST AND THE COMMONWORK ORGANIC FARM, A FULLY ORGANIC DAIRY
FARM. THE COMMONWORK TRUST WORKS TOWARDS FINDING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO
BIG PROBLEMS, AND DOES SO USING INNOVATIVE FARMING METHODS. IT WORKS HARD TO
COMBAT ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, AND ITS MAIN AIM IS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT
THE HAZARDS AND ISSUES SURROUNDINGS FARMING TODAY.
It was a day of tracking
and trailing that brought
us to Bore Place. Getting
right down to nature and
understanding what it was
all about seemed like the
perfect way to let off some
steam and be outdoors at
the same time. Arriving
on site for a 10am start, we
began the day with
biscuits and drinks and a
chat about what we might
be going to see on the
farm whilst the children made cherry wood medallions with their
names on – this day was clearly going to be a good one. them was making their own
walking staffs from offcuts of
willow. Under the supervision of
parents and guardians, the
children found their perfect staff,
lopped off the twigs and branches
that were not required, and even
peeled away the bark to reveal the
apple smelling wood beneath. By
tying a length of discarded bark
around the staff that would hold
all the treasures (feathers, acorns,
leaves) found during the walk,
these sticks became ‘story sticks’,
telling the story of the morning’s
adventure.
And then, Wellington booted and ready for anything (we were going
on a hare hunt – and a mouse hunt, vole hunt, deer hunt…), we set off
on this wonderfully peaceful and fascinating family nature walk with
expert Tom who would give us an up close view of who – or rather
what – had used it before us. Tom had, in fact, set up some safe traps
the night before, and took us to see what we might have caught. The trail takes in all manner of
scenery including the farm,
meadows and ponds and
woodland too. And in each
different area there was proof that
a variety of the county’s more
secretive – sometimes even
nocturnal – creatures had been
around. We learned how to spot
scats, which caused amusement
for the younger contingent on
We were lucky; two of the three traps heralded results – a bank vole
and a field vole. The children’s task was to describe the creatures and
then find them on a handy information sheet. They loved it. They
were nature detectives, and it suited them all perfectly. What also suited
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the walk, but only until they
became thoroughly engrossed
(rather than grossed out) by the
information they were being so
skilfully taught.
And at the end we were given a
tour of the dairy farm itself where,
amazingly, we found a calf that
had been born as we were
walking the trail earlier that day.
We saw it stand for the first time,
and I know that this magical
moment will stay with everyone
who witnessed it forever.
A day out at Bore Place offers
something for everyone; the
fresh, Kent countryside is the
main draw, and there are few
places in the area that offer such
an in-depth view of how an
organic farm really works. You
will learn something when you
come here, every single time.
www.boreplace.org