Walk of the Month: June 2022
Where to wander this month: Gisburn Forest and Black House Farm Circular.
May’s walk of the month is a circular route called ‘Linking the meadows: Gisburn Forest and Black House Farm Circular.’ This route has been kindly produced by the Forest of Bowland and is on a mixture of forest and farm tracks as well as fields and pasture so waterproof footwear is advised!
Starting at Gisburn Forest Hub, this walk could be the start of a day of adventures! The route itself is great for lovers of rare plants and wild flower meadows. Don’t worry if flowers aren’t your thing because the views of the delightful Forest of Bowland area will give you plenty of enjoyment.
What’s more, there’s plenty going on at Gisburn Forest to keep you entertained and if your family aren’t old enough for this 3.5 mile route then the gruffalo spotters trail is open throughout the summer and offers great entertainment for the kids.
Find out more about the other activities available at Gisburn Forest throughout the summer, including cycling trails, more walks and star gazing events, on their website here.
About the walk & it’s wildflower meadows, taken directly from the walk description…
‘Since the 1950’s 97% of wild flower meadows have been lost, along with the insects, birds and animals which they supported. The Bowland Hay Time project began in 2012, with the aim of restoring this species richness to meadows across the AONB area. The restoration of the meadow at Stephen Park began in 2012, using green hay from the SSSI meadow at Black House Farm. Wild flower-rich hay was cut, transported and then spread out onto the newly cut meadow at Stephen Park. This allowed the seed contained in the hay to drop onto the meadow at Stephen Park and germinate in the following spring. In particular, yellow rattle, meadow buttercup, red clover, eye bright, crested dog’s tail and sweet vernal grass have now re-established themselves. Every year since the restoration began there have been more wild flowers and grasses in the new meadow, and in the summer of 2015, the first orchid was spotted. The restoration work has been continued by local schools in the area, who have been growing and planting out wild flower plants local to the area.’
