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30 Days Wild Day 5: Exploring Headley Heath in Surrey
ActivityAdventureEnvironmentExploreParksSurreyUKWalkingWoodland

30 Days Wild Day 5: Exploring Headley Heath in Surrey

I have two days off work to spend time with my littlest, so we decided to try somewhere new. We drove over to Headley Heath, partly in search of butterflies, but also to just have an enjoyable walk around somewhere we’d not been to before.

Headley Heath in the North Downs region and is about 300 hectares large. It’s obviously heathland (which I love) but also there’s pockets of woodland and dry chalk grassland, plus a good viewpoint out over the Downs from one point, so very interesting to visit. There’s lots of wildlife to look out for here including butterflies, birds, insects and lizards.

The info leaflet that I picked up told me that ‘lowland heath is one of the most endangered habitats in the world, even rarer than the rainforest’, which amazed me. And how fortunate we are to live so close to this site.

Headley Heath has a useful 3km ‘lizard trail’ that is suitable for families. I’d say it’s also fine for buggies in the summer months too. It’s quite undulating in parts but definitely doable. There’s two car parks which are free for National Trust members. No cafe or facilities so bring a picnic and cross your legs.

We head off in the direction of the Belted Galloway cattle which graze on the heathland. Apparently they have a vital role in maintaining the heathland habitats. (We visited the Romney Marsh earlier in May and the sheep which are farmed down there are also vital in maintaining the landscapes and rare flora and fauna down there too).

B loved watching the cows. They are an easy win for children as easy to spot! I didn’t want to get too close though.

Headley Heath

Having fun in our nature playground

Then we wandered through the Heath, keeping the orange trail markers in our site, though as the site is fairly small it doesn’t really matter if you veer off onto a different path, it’s tricky to get lost here.

B did better than me and found a colony (?) of ants looking busy going in and out of a small hole, plus a bright purple/red butterfly – possibly a peacock butterfly. We also both spotted a white butterfly, which I think is the most common here – the cabbage white. We’ll try butterfly spotting again soon, but here’s a useful guide to butterfly types. 

We also saw a foxglove, which are common here in summer and attract the bees plus lots of gorse, and these pretty white flowers (my knowledge of flowers is quite poor I’m finding!) which were also attracting the bees.

Headley Heath, ants in the ground

Ants busy making a home

Headley Heath, foxglove at Headley Heath

Foxglove at Headley Heath, a food supply for bees

Headley Heath, bee on flower

We stopped at Brimmer Pond for a rest, to look out for newts and dragonflies (didn’t see any) and to listen for birds. I think we partly had trouble as my toddler is RATHER LOUD. If you take a listen to the short video you’ll understand! I tried looking up what birds were singing when we got home, using the Warbler app (£4.99) and it told me it was possibly a Great Tit, Common Blackbird or Great Spotted Wren.

Headley Heath, Brimmer Pond

Brimmer Pond at Headley Heath

Headley Heath, notice about newts

Notice about the newts at Headley Heath

https://smallerexplorer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_2114.mp4

We also had a poke about for insects. Looking under old bits of wood is a good idea if you are searching for insects. We found a few disgruntled woodlice plus a couple of large beetles. They scuttled away before we could look any closer at them unfortunately.

Headley Heath, Searching under logs for insects

Searching under logs for insects

Admittedly I did have to take B to a playground before we went to Headley Heath, but once we arrived and were exploring he really enjoyed it and didn’t want to come home, so I’m now going to describe any outing to a wilder area as a trip to the nature playground!

Headley Heath

 

June 6, 2019 3 comments
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30 Days Wild Day 4: Watching garden wildlife
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30 Days Wild Day 4: Watching garden wildlife

On day 4 of the 30 Days Wild Challenge we go outside to watch garden wildlife. The little one and I headed out into the back garden to give the flowers a water and take a closer look at what wildlife we could see while we were out there.

Garden wildlife, boy watering garden plants

B being very helpful and watering the plants for me

We found many, many bees bumbling around, which was very exciting. I’d like to do a beewalk at some point during this challenge, where you go on a mile walk and record the number and type of bees seen, then log it onto the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s website.

Garden wildlife, bumblebee on flower

Buff-tailed bumblebee having his lunch

I think this bee is a buff-tailed bumblebee, according to this bee spotter guide from Friends of the Earth. 

And then we caught sight of a damselfly! My toddler was fascinated by it (and a little scared too as he’d never seen one before). Amazing what you can find if you start to look around you. I can’t actually work out what type this is. The British Dragonfly Society has a helpful tool to identify both dragonflies and damselflies, but my find doesn’t match any of these so I’ve emailed them to find out. I’ll report back. Update from the Dragonfly Society: “It’s not a damselfly, it’s a species of Ichneumon Fly/Wasp, and it’s a female because the spike at the tip of the abdomen is used for egg laying.”

Garden wildlife, damselfly

The damselfly we found in the garden

I’m planning to go looking for dragonflies soon as well. There are some good places in Surrey apparently to spot them such as Thursley Common, near Godalming. Watching garden wildlife was a lovely way to connect with nature with kids. There is a surprising amount of life in the back garden, and we’ll go out again later on to inspect in the soil next time.

Watching garden wildlife

June 4, 2019 1 comment
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Things to do in Greenwich and Blackheath with kids
ExploreFarmsLondonMuseumsParksUK

Things to do in Greenwich and Blackheath with kids

We spent half term in London in the very pretty Blackheath, just outside Greenwich. There’s loads of things to do in Greenwich and the larger southeast London region for all the family, plus it’s very easy to get into central London for some of the bigger sights too. As I’m fairly familiar with the area I thought I’d go see some lesser-known spots as well as the big hitters. Many of the places we visited were free to get in so your only cost is transport if you get organised with snacks and a picnic lunch.

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February 28, 2019 0 comment
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UK travel: Down House, Charles Darwin’s house
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UK travel: Down House, Charles Darwin’s house

Down House is the Georgian manor home of Charles Darwin. It’s now managed by English Heritage, and is a top family day out.

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December 10, 2018 2 comments
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Fun things to do in Northumberland with kids
ActivityAdventureBeachEnvironmentExploreMountainsNational TrustNorthumberlandUKWalkingWoodland

Fun things to do in Northumberland with kids

We spent the week of October half term in Northumberland. I’ve always wanted to visit this stunning part of the country. I had visions of windswept moors, deserted beaches and castles at every turn, and it didn’t disappoint. We visited as a family of three generations so it was important we did things that catered for all ages. Here’s a round-up of fun things to do in Northumberland with kids.

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November 26, 2018 1 comment
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Explore with the family: Discover Story Centre, Stratford
Age rangesExplorePrimaryReviewsTeeny

Explore with the family: Discover Story Centre, Stratford

We visited the Discover Story Centre in Stratford last month. I’d read about it in Little London, a really useful book for any parents who live in or near London, and was curious to visit. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’d never heard about anything like it. Little London describes it as ‘a magical place for young kids, gently exploring their imaginations and encouraging them into a lifetime’s love of reading.’

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August 20, 2018 0 comment
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Explore with the family: Lavender farms in the UK
ExploreFarmsSeasonsSummer

Explore with the family: Lavender farms in the UK

Nothing says summer more than the gentle hum of fat, golden bumblebees and the soothing scent of lavender blooms. Fragrant lavender is in full bloom during July and August, so these are the best months to dig out your camera and get snap happy among the purple blooms. This is the ideal time to capture those summer vibes with a visit to a lavender farm, and if you go yearly, you’ll also collect lifelong memories of the family as they grow.

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July 23, 2018 0 comment
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What to do on a weekend in London with kids
Age rangesCafesExploreFarmsGalleriesMuseumsParksPrimarySecondaryTeenyTravelUKUncategorized

What to do on a weekend in London with kids

I’m a massive fan of London. London without kids is fun. London with kids is even better. Anything you fancy doing, London will have it, and a lot of the best activities for kids in London are free too. Because there is such a lot to do, I’ve split this blog post up into themes – so whether you have a dinosaur fan, book worm or outdoor explorer you’ll find the best of London for the family.

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June 28, 2018 7 comments
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The secret Isle of Wight campsite you’ll want to visit
ActivityBeachCampingClimbingCyclingNational TrustPrimarySpringSunTeenyTravelUK

The secret Isle of Wight campsite you’ll want to visit

What a weekend. I feel like I’ve just come back from a week abroad. We took a spontaneous trip over to the Isle of Wight on Bank Holiday Saturday as the weather was so perfect. We found the perfect Isle of Wight campsite, went orienteering (aka ‘mountain climbing’ according to my son), splashed at the beach, ate ice cream, and went for a bike ride in the New Forest on the way home. I am now completely in love with the Isle of Wight. Why haven’t I been before?

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May 14, 2018 8 comments
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Adventure after parenthood: Catherine Edsell
ActivityAdventureAge rangesBeachClimbingExpeditionExploreInspirationMountainsNatureOverseasPrimaryTeenyTravelVolunteeringWalkingWaterWildlife

Adventure after parenthood: Catherine Edsell

Part of why I set up The Smaller Explorer was to connect with like-minded families. There’s nothing like chatting with others who have managed to do something amazing after having children. It’s so inspiring, and also gives me loads of ideas of what I could do in the future too, and how to do it.

This series hopes to inspire other families who want to get back out there after parenthood, but don’t quite know where to start, or if it’s possible. There was only one lady I could start with – Catherine Edsell.  Catherine is an adventurer, expedition leader, PADI divemaster, Reef Check trainer, yoga teacher, FRGS, TED talker, podcaster and mother of two daughters. Phew.

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May 9, 2018 1 comment
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for families who like to explore

The Smaller Explorer is a blog for adventurous families. I search out the best of what's out there that's fun for kids AND adults (and maybe a bit of a break from the norm), plus provide lots of achievable ideas for exploring and having adventures in the UK and overseas.

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the smaller explorer is an online magazine for adventurous parents. We search out the best of what's out there that's fun for kids AND adults, plus provide lots of achievable ideas for exploring and having adventures in the UK and overseas.

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