Pickworth and the Drift

Jim Grindle

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This is an easy and enjoyable walk in a very quiet area. We did it as part of the survey for the British Trust for Ornithology’s next atlas of British Birds and even in February the hedges were full of them, including one sparrowhawk. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the walk is the evidence of the presence of badgers. On the drift itself there are several setts; there is another on the left in the fields past point 5 and another huge one on the right just before the lane is joined at point 7. If you are interested, then when you reach the signpost at point 5, keep straight on for a short distance and look for an animal track crossing the path – it is more distinct on the right. Follow it on the right to the deer fence around the wood and you will see where the foresters have made a gate for the badgers who have bypassed it by burrowing underneath. Sadly, the only badger we saw was a dead one lying on the verge near the end of the walk. We did, though, see a herd of (live) fallow deer from point 5 and another across a gate on the Drift.

England - Central England - Rutland - Countryside

Features

Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, Great Views, Mostly Flat, Public Transport, Wildlife, Woodland
9/12/2021 - Bryan Palmby

Did this walk last week, didn’t see any animals, but a pleasant walk, albeit not one of the more interesting ones, as all the fields had been harvested and all looked pretty much the same. Interesting information on the Drift at a sign by the church.