Great Outdoors

The greensand ridge that curves for more than 40 miles in a gentle arc across Bedfordshire from Leighton Buzzard until it peters out in Cambridgeshire is a biological and geological piece in the complex jigsaw of rocks and deposits that cover the British Isles – and a wonderful landscape feature that makes the of county Bedfordshire a fascinating place for wildlife. 

The greensand ridge was deposited here when the area was covered by a shallow sea during the Lower Cretaceous period, roughly 120 million years ago.  It is acidic; the rocks rich in iron, a distinctive mix that colours the local stone cream and a dark reddish brown - seen in the construction of the many churches and village houses along the ridge.

Martyn Coote and local wildlife expert Dennis Furnell visited Stockgrove Country Park in May.  Owned and managed by Bedfordshire County Council, within its 80 acres there’s an outstanding variety of acid grassland and woodland, heath, marsh and wetland, including Bakers Wood, an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) with coppiced oaks, some thought to be at least 800 years old.  One of the special sights in May is the delightful carpet of bluebells; the whole hillside glows with the lovely, hazy, blue light found only in an English bluebell wood in spring.

Mandarin Drake

Walk downhill along excellent paths suitable for wheel-chairs.  The bushes and small trees are alive with the sound of birdsong, particularly the musical blackcaps newly arrived from Africa, and the cheerful, two-tone call of the chiff chaffs.  Carry on past the spring that feeds the marsh and supports families of moorhens, the newly hatch chicks look for all the world like balls of black fluff with bald red heads, and on to the lake (dug by hand during the 18th century.)  The lake is a major feature.  Fed by springs, it is full of fish and home to a breeding colony of exquisite mandarin ducks that love to show off their superb plumage in the brilliant sunshine.

Marquenterre Toads

The lake is also famous for its large population of Daubenton’s bats (also known as water bats).  These tiny creatures with their wide wings and pale undersides fly close to the water after dark catching thousands of midges and mosquitoes, which makes them a very welcome addition to any landscape.  An electronic bat detector is needed to hear them, but they are often visible in the light of a torch shone briefly over the surface of the lake.

Walk over the bridge and up the hill on the far side of the lake into the pine plantation. Beyond, an open area of rabbit-grazed grassland supports plant species, insects and amphibians (toads) particular to heathland.  At the top of the valley a fascinating and innovative sundial tells the time surprisingly accurately.  You stand on the relative day and month and your shadow tells the time on a scale.