Bigland Tarn/Low Wood

Spring is really here now and this is the time to get those boots waterproofed and dust off your binoculars.

Yesterday I walked with smoe frinds and three very attentive kids who loved everything they saw, how nice to be able to share my interests with a new generation of budding country folk.

Our walk was up to Bigland tarn, we started and finished at the Anglers pub at Haverthwaite, a circular walk of about 4km.

The first bird we saw was a Sparrow hawk, who’s presence was made known by a local gang of early Swallows who harassed him as he hunted above the wood, this was a great sight to start our walk.

The walk up the road from Bigland Bridge was long and steep for the kids and even harder for us old folk! One of the plants growing in the woods now is Ramsons, the kids loved the pungent smell of this plant as they crushed it between their fingers, then they got the chance to compare it with another garlic like plant ‘Jack-by-the-hedge’, which has a milder and more pleasant aroma.

Further up I found another nice plant on the roadside, ‘Sweet Cicely’, which has a nice aniseed smell when crushed. The kids seemed to like this very much, I think maybe it reminded them of some kind of sweets and it always makes me think of gobstoppers or jawbreakers.

Some of the birds here included Willow Warbler, Blue tit, Robin, Blackbird and Wren. The Willow Warbler, like the Swallows we saw earlier, are another newly arived migrant bird.

We had good views down into Backbarrow and across to Gummers how and the surrounding hills, the veiws from here always seem to be good.

Then to the relief of our now tired legs we reached Bigland tarn, here we had the pleasant company of a few more Swallows who were flying frantically in search of insects around the stables. These birds will be feeding up after their long migration, they are always a sign that spring really is here.

The tarn was quiet, only a few Tufted duck, Coot and Mallard on the water. Chaffinch, Willow Warbler and Tree Pipit, another migrant, sang from the nearby trees.

All down hill from here, through the wood and to me the nicest part of the walk. Wood Sorrel was flowering under the Oaks and Birches, I love these plants with their delicate white flowers and Shamrock like leaves that taste like apple skins.

The woods are greening up now with Oak, Birch, Horse Chestnut and Larch, all bursting into life after their long winter rest. Under these trees we found a few Bluebells already in flower, we also found some lovely Wood Anemone, one of my favourite spring flowers.

Towards the end of the walk we found a large Slow-worm, curled up in the leaf-litter, a sign that the day was warming up. There were lots of Marsh Marigold flowering by the river, big and loud is the best way to describe these yellow flowers that really like to advertise themselves.

So the walk was done, the surprising thing for me was that we didn’t hear any Woodpeckers or Nuthatch and I did want to show the kids my Woodpecker trick, oh well maybe next time.