Southern damselfly Photo Andy Hay
Water vole Photo by Ben Hall
Red Kite
Throughout my childhood I had a favourite morning route that led up from a short stretch of quiet road through low flatlands up to a hilly ridge and woodlands. The trail, which would become a mass of over-sized bushes, ferns and grasses after a rainsoaked spring, ensured plenty of cowslips, primroses and flowering hawthorn and wilted nettles for Harley. Usually, I’d have to coax him past huge clumps of tasty cow parsley – hopeful that a hare would pop his head up through the long grass to provide a timely distraction. All around us yellowhammers, blue tits and chaffinches transformed hedgerows into a choir. I’d often have to wait patiently for a procession of partridge and chicks to pass in front of us. Then under the synchronised swooping
of swallows, to the sound of a melodious skylark, off we’d go. With comfortable ease, Harley and I slipped effortlessly into each season with its scenic transformations of eye-popping colour and ever-changing array of migrant birds. After a gentle trot we’d take an undulating trail through juicy green pasture before picking our way along a stone-scattered sloping stretch to amble past fields flecked with sprouting cereal crops. Together we would spot groups of grazing roe deer and lone weasels, stoats and foxes. Once on soft ground, we moved silently though dark thickets of old oak trees out to rounded grasslands studded with purple wildflowers and orange butterflies – sometimes I would find myself gasping in audible awe.
Yellowhammer Photo by Tom Marshall With its complex patchwork of rugged hills, low mountains, rolling coastal plains, chalky cliffs and dense woodlands, the UK countryside is rich in iconic wildlife species with eagles, dolphins, seals, puffins and badgers spotted even on the dullest day. For us in rural Bedfordshire, spring brought chiffchaffs and house martins with crickets, bees and butterflies in summertime. In winter, mysterious animal tracks found in the first magical fall of snow would leave us puzzled. Harley echoed my enthusiasm for venturing off the beaten path and would steel a glance at water voles along the river banks before taking me to dragonflies and butterflies with a mischievous jump over cavernous ditches.
Look for nature when riding out Today, the joy of riding and feeling connected with the great outdoors continues to give me the same feel-good buzz. The initial zing of breathing in the pure, fresh country air and the adrenalin-pumping surge of a canter or gallop to the positive, cheerful optimism and wonder that being around wildlife brings. Without the roar of traffic and the smell of fumes I have time to think, explore and ponder. I have learned to respect my surroundings, to trust my horse and be considerate of every other living thing around me. I also practice Leave No Trace (LNT) as my own personal commitment to good stewardship of the land I love in the hope that other children will enjoy a meander through its beauty in many years to come. I now have a
Kingfisher spotted on the riverside
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