Herefordshire - Part 3: Thursday, 27th May - Mortimer Forest and Whitcliffe Common

 

On Thursday we decided to go for a walk in Mortimer Forest which is near Ludlow.

Its a 1029 hectare wood created in the 1920's by the Forestry Commisson but it does contain remnants of Saxon forests used for Royal hunting when Ludlow Castle was visited by royalty.  The FC decided to use the name Mortimer forest due to the presence of the Saxon hunting forests of Mocktree, Deerfold and Bringewood.  Ralph de Mortimer was granted these forests and other land that was forfeited by the rebellious 2nd  Earl of Hereford.

I must admit I was keen to visit because it is a good place to see Wood White (a butterfly I have never seen). Sadly, we didn't see any or at least none I could positively identify although we did see several Green Veined Whites. The forest is also a stronghold for Goshawks and up to 20 pairs nest here. In addition, there is a herd of long-haired Fallow Deer which only exist in this one location. Their fur is twice as long as a normal fallow deer due to a genetic mutation. They were discovered in the 1950's and 60's and the herd comprises about 80 animals.  Unsurprisingly we failed to see both Goshawks and the Long Haired Fallow Deer!

We parked in Vinnall's Car Park and from here you can follow 3 trails of varying lengths. I talked B out of the two longest routes which included steep ascents and we went on the shorter Easy Access Trail which had been recommended as a good place to see Wood Whites! In addition, a month of so back a blood test suggested the blood pressure tablets I was taking were causing high potassium levels so my GP presribed a different medication which caused me to have swollen ankles and feet and led to much hobbling around!  Apparently it is a common side effect so she changed the tablets to another one which, you guessed it, has the same side effect so consequently I am still in discomfort and didn't fancy a long long walk!  What with this and the low sodium levels caused by another tablet I don't seem to be having much luck with medication side effects at the moment :(

A species of Dor Beetle??

Every time I stopped to take a photo or look at wild flowers I  lagged further and further behind :(

Peeler Pond - which was full of tadpoles.

On the drive back we stopped at the viewpoint overlooking Whitcliffe Common and Ludlow where the views were spectacular.

In the photo above behind Ludlow you can see two hills - Brown Clee is to the left and Tittestone Clee Hill to the right.

The 52 acre common which exists today is a remnant of a medieval common which was three times bigger.  Here the burgesses of Ludlow acquired rights before 1241 to graze livestock, gather firewood and hay and quarry building stone.

It looks another good place to walk!  The common is leased by Shropshire Wildlife Trust from the Plymouth Estates and Commoners' Rights are no longer exercised.  The Trustees of a charitable organisation called "The Friends of Whitcliffe Common" manage it as an open space for enjoyment, relaxation and for the quality of its wildlife. There is also a lovely walk along the River called the Bread Walk.  Apparently too fossils can be found of the Whitcliffian sea animals from around 415 million years ago.  So all in all it is another place to revisit!

There are lovely views over Ludlow and its castle and Church of St Laurence.

Back at the caravan I took some photos of the Hawthorn flowers on the hedge which runs along one side.

To make up for not going to the Forest Timothy was allowed some rather scrumptious Frome Valley Dry Cider!

We had decided to travel back in the evening of the following day to try and avoid the rush hour traffic and which would also give us another full day.  We visited the village of Yarpole and its church which has a detached bell tower.  More in the next post!

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera.