The Summer walks take place on Tuesdays, with occasional Saturdays or Sundays. The walk will move off at 7pm except for mothing nights and weekend walks, times for these are given in the description. Please arrive 15 minutes before the walks are due to start, so we can run through the risk assessment, and site description as appropriate.

Grid references are given in the description. You can locate a Grid reference on a map or by searching Grid reference finder in your browser or Play store or Apple I-store app. Post codes are given where they are close to the parking. What 3 words details are also given in the description and this app can also be found in Play Store or I-store

For any forthcoming Society activity, each member who is planning to participate should assess his/her own risk and that of their household having regard to his/her own health and circumstances. This requirement is in accordance with the Society’s Constitution that states ‘Members taking part in any meeting or activity do so at their own risk.’

A printable pdf of the Summer programme (April-August) is available here.

June

4        SANDHOUSE LANE NATURE RESERVE – Di Parsons
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
A small nature reserve off the A5, packed with Flowers and butterflies. At its centre it has a brick-pit which is now a water-filled lake. The lake is surrounded by trees and is home to several types of orchids and many types of insects; in particular, Bedfordshire’s first Downy Emerald Dragonfly – an insect scarce north of the Thames was found in 2006.  It is also interesting because it was once an asphalt works and flowers attempt to grow in tarmac showing the effect of such a restrictive substance on the growth.
Meet in the car park of the Flying Fox pub, on Sheep Lane just off the A5 south of Little Brickhill, from where we will car-share to the site. MK17 9HD – SP933304 – eruptions.breached.slid

Sat 8  ROOKERY PIT SOUTH walk – Matt Andrews and Martine Harvey
10.00 for 10.15 start
We will walk from the car park (see below) to the Rookery Pits complex where hopefully there will be an array of summer migrant birds, dragonflies, plants and so on.    Recently, Bearded Tits, Bittern and Cuckoo have been breeding here with regular sightings of Hobby.  Garden, Cettis, Sedge and Reed Warblers breed here in good numbers along with numerous Nightingales although the latter may not now be singing unfortunately as they will have newly hatched chicks and tend to stop singing at this point.
Normal stout footwear is advised, the terrain is bumpy but not overly strenuous walking.
Directions/parking:
Grid reference  01169 42686 What3words: promotes, boasted, daunted
Driving on the A421 dual carriageway from MK to the junction for Marston Moretaine and the Marston Moretaine Travel Lodge…turn off here and then RIGHT across the dual carriageway on Beancroft Road…across the first roundabout then at the second roundabout, turn LEFT onto Bedford Road.  Drive to the second road junction with Green Lane and turn RIGHT into Green Lane.
When you reach the level-crossing at Stewartby Station, about a kilometre from the A421, go over the level-crossing then turn first RIGHT into the service road for Rookery South ERF power plant (MK43 9LY).
Drive along this road which runs parallel to the railway line on your right and the pit shore on the left – all the way towards the huge triple chimneys of the plant. (look out for regular Peregrines who use these chimneys as lookouts).
At the end of this service road, the route goes left and down a slope with an open pit on the left, at this point, turn RIGHT towards the Reception, offices and car park for the power plant.  Matt has an access pass to this car park where he will be from 09.30am until 10.15am.

11        NORTH LOUGHTON VALLEY PARK – Joe Clinch
Meet at 1845 for 1900 start
The planned walk will include the site of the Roman Villa at Bancroft, the North Loughton Valley Park, and the windmill at Bradville. There should be a reasonable range of birds, insects, and plants, and it is hoped that that the Bradville bee-orchids will still be in flower.
Meet at the Parks Trust North Loughton Valley Park car park at Bancroft Park, Constantine Way off H2 Millers Way, MK13 0RA – SP826404 – panthers.reflector.necklace
(not the adjacent Bancroft Park Residents Club car park)

18        SHENLEY WOOD PONDS – Martin Kincaid
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
We have visited Shenley Wood itself many times but here is a different slant, looking at the nature in the ponds outside the main wood.
Park at Merlewood Drive car park, Shenley Wood.  MK5 6GG (off Tattenhoe Street), grid ref: SP823356, what3words: timed.luck.parked

25  EMBERTON COUNTRY PARK – Leader: Alan Nelson
6.45 for 7.00pm start
Alan Nelson has arranged access for us to Emberton Country Park. Participants will be asked to record and submit their sightings for the park’s ecological dataset.
Meet at the country park gatehouse, Emberton
SP 886 500 – MK46 5DL – inflation.assist.strongly

July

2        LINFORD LAKES NATURE RESERVE– Martine Harvey
Meet at or before18.45 for 19.00 start
Linford Lakes has been restricted because of the development of new facilities, but now is our chance to catch up with this wildlife rich area of woods and lakes.
Meet in the Reserve Car park, MK14 5AH – SP842427 – presides.engrossed.output
Please arrive early so that you can be given access through the padlocked gate off Wolverton Road.

Sat 6  HOWE PARK WOOD NATURE DAY
11.00 am-4.00 pm
The annual celebration of Howe Park Wood SSSI and its wildlife hosted by the Parks Trust.
Could you spare an hour or two to show people our display and tell them about the Society? Offers to Martin Kincaid please.
Park at Howe Park Wood Centre car park: SP830344 – roadmap.softly.september

9            SHERINGTON CHURCH – Peter Meadows
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
Sherington Churchyard and Butterfly Garden is a churchyard which is managed sensitively for wildflowers and insects together with an adjacent piece of land equally rich in wildlife.
Park in Church Road (NOT Church End) Sherington, MK16 9PB – SP 891467 – sounds.wide.vowed

16      BLUE LAGOON NATURE RESERVE – Martin Kincaid
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
Blue Lagoon is a very important site for dragonflies and butterflies. The main feature of this Reserve is a large, deep, water-filled pit (remaining from the former brickworks) which gives it its name. Woodland, grassland meadows and scrub surround it. With willows of different types and plants such as common-spotted orchid, bee orchid, cowslip, ragworts, spotted medick, white and red campion for the plant lovers, and many different birds, reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies and butterflies for everyone.
The Park has been renovated recently, with new paths and cycleways, so it will be interesting to see what has been done.
Parking off Drayton Road, Bletchley (signposted), go under railway bridge 150m to car park. SP870325 – tilt.crowned.lied

Sat 20 or Sun 21    HIGGS/REDFORD MOTHING NIGHT – COLLEGE WOOD
21.00 start. Day to be confirmed near the time
This is a joint event with the Bucks Invertebrate Group, who provide several moth traps. In 2021 in ideal weather we recorded well over 200 moths. (Full list is on the MKNHS website)

A later start than normal to allow for some good mothing time, weather permitting. Fold up chairs, torch, and a flask of something to drink have been helpful in the past.

Meet in the roadside car park south of Nash: MK17 0EH – SP786327 – luring.intruding.blacken
Extra parking inside the gate will be available on Saturday/Sunday

23   No Event

30      OLD WOLVERTON CANAL – Jenny Mercer
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
The walk is easy, mostly on metalled paths, and crosses just 2 grassy fields towards the Iron Trunk aquaduct.  The focus will be on identifying plants of wet places – for example fairy flax, water dock and figwort are locally common on this route. Over 150 plants were identified a decade or more ago on a Society walk led by Roy Maycock supported by Mary Sarre.  The riverside walk should be alive with dragonflies and other insects.
Meet at the Holy Trinity Church car park, Old Wolverton, MK12 5NH – SP804412 – unloading.forklift.sunblock

August

6            MAGNA PARK LAKE – Gary Fowler / Martin Ferns
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
This business park was once countryside. We will see the Broughton Brook and a small lake associated with it.
We will meet in the car park of Brooklands Community Sports Pavilion (not Broughton Pavilion, which is different!), and walk from there along a section of Broughton brook to the Magna Park lake. The lake is small but includes a wide variety of flowering plants around, as well as water birds, and invertebrates.

Directions: Brooklands Community Sports Pavilion is along Countess Way, Brooklands MK10 7HN – SP909362 – hardly.audio.confronts

Note: There is a very small car park (5 spaces) by the lake at SP915390 – ambushed.crowd.elevates, but it is likely to be fairly full – hence we are starting at the alternative parking place in Brooklands

13          BOW BRICKHILL WOODS – Derek and Judy Taylor
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
Details to be advised.
Park in the area near the church:  SP912343 – went.humble.likely

20     WESTBURY FARM: EARLY MOTHING – Ayla Webb and Martin Kincaid
Meet at 18.45 for 19.00 start
Westbury Farm is a semi-wild garden with plenty of cover and food for moths. As the evenings are drawing in moth traps will be set up early at the normal start time, so we can look at later types of moths.
Park at MK5 6AA – SP826356 – severe.tripped.liners or on Foxcovert Road

 

For any forthcoming Society activity, each member who is planning to participate should assess his/her own risk and that of their household having regard to his/her own health and circumstances. This requirement is in accordance with the Society’s Constitution that states ‘Members taking part in any meeting or activity do so at their own risk.’