Having done extensive research on the “crop circle” phenomenon I’ve yet to come across a satisfactory explanation for their creation but, once again, 2023 is proving a bumper season for “croppies”, with another example reported on Monday this week near Owslebury in Hampshire. Some of the earliest documented cases, dating back to the 1980s, were…
It’s a worldwide phenomenon that occurs anywhere where fields of wheat and barley can be found, but the origin of the incredible patterns that emerge overnight across the cereal belt, commonly known as crop circles, remain a mystery despite regular manifestations throughout the summer months, with particular emphasis on Wiltshire and Hampshire in England’s heartland.…
Cabbage whites and red admirals aside, I’m not much of a butterfly aficionado… but just like the high brown fritillary I am quite partial to the Alun Valley. For those not from that part of the world and those, like myself, unfamiliar with the name, the Alun Valley sits in the western section of the…
Stretching from the Mariana Islands in the northwest to Easter Island in the southeast, the Lemurian civilisation is said to have thrived on the lost continent of Mu until about 12,000 years ago when it was supposedly submerged by “the great flood” and other natural disasters perhaps caused by the passing of planet Nibiru, which…
Once part of the sewage farm next door, Pwll Penarth is now a wetland nature reserve managed by the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust. Located between a bend in the river and the derelict Montgomery Canal the site is maintained in partnership with Severn Trent Water and was remodelled in 1996. Islands and special gravel ‘cliffs’ were…
A 434-acre site set in the rolling hills of south-east Wales, between Usk and Pontypool, Llandegfedd Reservoir Country Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. A world away from the frantic pace of modern life, there are two miles of footpaths around the reservoir to enjoy, as well as opportunities for angling and sailing.…
Llyn Padarn is a spectacular glacially formed lake nestled in the mountains of Snowdonia. On its southern banks is the busy village of Llanberis and towards its south-eastern end is the Padarn Country Park, which covers an area of 800 acres and includes Coed Dinorwig, a rare and ancient oak woodland as well as the…
Situated between Menai Bridge and Beaumaris on the Isle of Anglesey, the Hidden Gardens is an award-winning project to restore the grounds of the 200-acre Plas Cadnant Estate. Work started on restoring the grounds in 1997, with the first stage being to rescue the house and lodges, dating back to the early 19th century, after…
Plas yn Rhiw is an early 17th-century manor house in Y Rhiw, Gwynedd, in north-western Wales. Located at the base of Mynydd Rhiw, the estate overlooks the beach of Porth Neigwl (Hell’s Mouth), Cardigan Bay and the Llyn Peninsula and consists of a small Tudor mansion, a large garden and woodland. It is the only…
Located in the Bardsey Sound, two miles off the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, Bardsey Island is home to many rare plants and plenty of sea birds such as gannets and razorbills, but the most famous inhabitants are Manx shearwaters, with a breeding colony of 10,000 to 16,000 on the island. Atlantic grey seals can…
