The last of the cattle departed in mid-November bringing another grazing season to a definitive close. For many who access the riverside on a daily basis it is almost inconceivable that these pastures have a grazing record stretching back to…

November sees the end of yet another grazing season with the cattle being withdrawn from the pastures and returned to their yards for the winter. The summer grazing season has to have been one of the most extraordinary on record…

The wildlife that surrounds us is full of fascination and it is always worth checking out guides, books or the internet for information about what lives on our doorstep. Recent reading has revealed some interesting facts about birds that are…

Memories of this summer’s bone dry conditions and searing heat are already fading. The pastures have greened and the grass started to grow from the middle of August so that the livestock now has fresh green shoots to feed on.…

August weather often produces languor inducing heat which can reduce the vigour of one’s efforts and it may seem rather more appealing to sit in the shade with a cool beer than to try and exert oneself too much under…

The Sudbury riverside might appear to provide a timeless backdrop to the ever changing town. However, although it still retain much of its bucolic charm, no more so than when the cattle are crossing the floodgates pool from one pasture…

This month’s news comes from the valley slopes of the Stour, namely Great Cornard Country Park. The Sudbury Common Lands Charity has been managing the park on behalf of the parish council for a number of years now and it…

Sudbury has what might be called a ‘unique’ riverside. Of course its landscape is not mimicked elsewhere so it is different but its uniqueness lies in what it has to offer yet is often overlooked. The uniqueness really comes down…

Willow is a very common tree of the riverside for it thrives in damp conditions; the wetter the better. There are numerous species from the graceful, but non-native weeping willow through to the smaller grey and goat willows. Crack and…

The recent chilly Siberian conditions meant that those creatures that hibernate would have been well and truly hunkered down and tucked up. In our considerably more open winters animals tend to break their hibernation during mild spells. Bats in particular…