Rewilding project in the Cotswolds
Rewilding & Sustainability at Calcot & Spa
Green shoots....
We are blessed in this part of the Cotswold's to be surrounded by an abundance of nature and wonderful open spaces - right on our own green doorstep (of over 220 acres) over a period of the last 25 years slowly nature has been given the space to "rewild" through wildflower planting and organic farming practices. More recently in 2012 the planting of over 21,930 native trees and the creation of a new woodland area brought excited news of an increasing number of rare and endangered farmland birds spotted within our grounds as well as an abundance of butterflies, moths and wildflowers.
The National Trust herd of Belted Galloways have now left us after grazing on our land over the winter as part of our ongoing partnership with National Trust, Stroud Landscape Project- affectionately known as "Belties" these cows have become a popular feature across the Cotswold landscape. Acting as natural lawnmowers they’re experts at grazing areas that other livestock find less appetising. We'll see them again in December.
Meet our rewilding champion
As the nature around us has been given the space to flourish, our Groundsman Steve and the Calcot team continue their mission to enhance the project further for a better connection of the wildlife on our doorstep and to encourage our guests to explore and enjoy our wild space. We're super proud this year to be a Cotswold Tourism Sustainability Champion and continue to work alongside nature in this most beautiful part of the country.
What's The Buzz?
Our five hives of beautiful Chew Valley bees enjoy the abundance of wild flowers and hedgerow to feed on throughout the summer months on our nature trail surrounding Calcot. In September we were absolutely delighted with our second honey harvest - our wonderful bees produced the most delicious Calcot honey... pure autumn gold!
Our Wildlife
Spring is most certainly here! Our bees are buzzing in the warm sunshine and the birdsong is getting louder by the day.....
Our nature enthusiasts have observed this month:
Skylarks, Yellow Hammers, Stone Chat, Red Kites, Kestrels, a male Goshawk and our Barn owls at dusk patrolling the fields. For those of us who might not recognize a bird song we turn to the Merlin app or woodlandtrust.org.uk for help in identifying the wonders we spot or hear. Book onto our next Dawn Walk, 11th May to learn more:
