Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2008 | Page 67
COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
Greater winter
walking
There’s nothing better
on a winter’s day than
a brisk walk on a
Wildlife Trust reserve.
It’s particularly good for … visiting
school groups. It is best to arrange
a visit with the Education Officer
or the Countryside Officer, both of
whom will gladly lead you round.
life
We need business
to support us
You also need to know … the copse
is a good place to see the various
stages of coppice work. This is an
old management technique that helps
to regenerate the hazel stand and, in
doing so, encourage wildflowers and
invertebrates in spring and summer.
Getting there The woods are about
two miles from Brading just off the main
Newport to Brading road on the Isle of
Wight. There is good car parking and
links with other public footpaths as well
as the Nunwell and the Bembridge trails.
For more information, contact
our Isle of Wight office on 01983
533 180, email LucyW @hwt.org.
uk or visit www.hwt.org.uk
Eagleshead and
Bloodstone Copse
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife
Trust is calling for local businesses to
become a ‘Wildlife Investor’. In addition
to a thriving individual membership
scheme, the Trust is now launching a
Corporate Membership scheme aimed at
all types and sizes of companies. By your
company joining the Wildlife Trust, you
will help us to protect the wildlife and
landscapes which are most under threat.
For more information and to see the
range of benefits available to you, please
call Trudy Gough on 01489 774400,
email her on [email protected] or
visit our website at www.hwt.org.uk.
It’s our business to give wildlife a helping
hand, we need your business to support us.
Why is it so special in winter?
It’s a great opportunity to see red
squirrels foraging through piles of
leaves on the ground. You can walk the
copse either as a short linear route or
as part of a circular route starting at
the parking area. It can also be accessed
via the footpath on Ashey Down. The
path is gentle and suitable for all ages,
though it can be slippery when wet.
Your local
Wildlife Trust
When is a good time to go?
The low winter sun can give wonderful
light effects through the bare damp trees,
especially as it sets. “The whole wood is a
special place,” says Reserves Officer Chris
Archbold. “There is always something to
catch your eye, whether it’s nuts opened
by dormice or flints used by the past
occupants
of this
quiet
Eagleshead
Copse
by little
Chrisvalley.”
Archbold
Eagleshead Copse by Albert Roberts
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Wildlife Trust works to create a better
future for wildlife and wild places
in Hampshire and the Island. As the
leading local wildlife conservation
charity, it looks after 57 wildlife
reserves, has 27,000 members and 1,000
volunteers. The Trust manages its own
land and advises other landowners how
to manage their land with wildlife in
mind. Staff and volunteers also carry
out surveys and gather data to monitor
how our local wildlife is doing. Find
out more at www.hwt.org.uk.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is a charity. Join today and help your local wildlife www.hwt.org.uk
Island Life - www.isleofwight.net
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