#684: Westacre Estate

BBC's Countryfile yesterday came from the Westacre Estate. It sits in the Nar valley in West Norfolk, just a few miles from where I live. The River Nar is a chalk stream and flows within a few hundred metres of my house.

On iPlayer.

The estate manages 8500 acres in a large block, running up towards Gayton near King's Lynn. 

A walking map is also available.

The website provides details on their activity.

Henry Birkbeck - used the estate for shooting and with farming and agriculture over one hundred years ago. Alex Birkbeck showed the presenters around the estate. He is the estate Manager. He took over when he was about thirty.

The main house was sold off (to Anthony Gormley) in 2010.

Rewilding efforts are taking place in the wet woodland areas of the estate. The drought affected this activity. There are lots of ponds on the estate (over 250) which help with water management and the biodiversity of the estate, particularly invertrebrates and amphibians.

Plants are left to grow on the south side of the pond to create shade for the pond during the summer months.

The estate runs a permanent glamping and festival site within the woods near the village of West Acre.

I have visited that in the past for a birthday party and it's a great venue with fire pit, and space for food and also music.

The estate runs a pub in West Acre called The Stag.

Eggs are also produced on the estate - the wild eggs mentioned on the website. Poultry are kept, and free range turkeys and outdoor geese, along with some pigs. These are run by tenants, who hire the land off the estate. This is a good way of increasing activity without additional cost.

Straw is given free of charge to the tenants, which then comes back to the estate as manure and is put onto the arable fields. A bale of straw can cost £40-50. There are limits to how much chicken manure can be put on the fields to avoid eutrophification through high nitrogen levels in the manure. This is then used on fields where oil seed rape has been drilled for the following year. This saves on purchasing fertiliser, the price of which has gone up. There is also the rent from the tenants to add an income.

The Estate has a range of tenants who run a variety of businesses. They include bike hire, and some self catering accommodation.

There is also a brewery - Duration. This is one of my favourite breweries and they have a great range of beers, plus a tap room and sales counter. On a hot day, sitting outside the old barn with a cold beer is very pleasant.

Waste grain from the brewing process is collected and used to feed wagyu beef cattle and pigs at local farms.

The cows are subsequently turned into meat, some of which is then sold as an ingredient in the pies at the brewery's events. This helps to create a more 'circular' flow of resources.

Beer is sold to local pubs - about 60% stays in county, but I have found it in London and further afield in cans.

The brewery puts on events most weekends in the summer, with food trucks providing additional food without the brewery needing their own kitchen.

The owners try to position it as a destination brewery. It has to draw people to it as it is in a rural area.

Blueberries were described as the 'biggest gamble'. A field was planted six years ago. 

Only 8% of the blueberries eaten in the UK are grown here. The estate has invested in an autonomous, solar powered harvester. Properties were sold off to pay for this. The blueberries are put into a gin made locally too, by WhataHoot distillery.

The machine costs two years' worth of labour costs, but these are the biggest cost and will increase over time. It cost over £200 000.

They also grow chick peas.

The estate has two reservoirs... they are apparently down to 5% capacity. 

They also have polytunnels to rear trees from local seeds for rewilding.

"It decreases the carbon footprint, prevents non-native invasion, provides certified healthy trees and promotes the maintenance and restoration of native woodlands."

The ownership of the land on the estate has been explored on the Who owns Norfolk website. 

This also mentions Olly Birkbeck, who owns the 2,300 acre Little Massingham Estate, just a short 10 minute drive from West Acre. 

There is plenty more information on this part of Norfolk on the site.

To explore the estate why not walk the West Acre Way, developed for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The GCSE Natural History will probably ask for a study of an area to look at rewilding and sustainability efforts, and there are some good elements of that in this area.

They also organise occasional walks and visits to the estate. Keep an eye out for those if you are in the local area.

#682: Robert MacFarlane giving this year's BBC Reith Lectures

Robert MacFarlane shared earlier today that he will be giving the BBC's Reith Lectures for this year. This BBC piece provides more details.

Each lecture will take one of the four classical elements as its focus:

• The first lecture, Earth: The Ladder and the Web, traces the rise and consolidation of the ‘human superiority complex’ –– the belief we are perched atop a ladder of life, rather than entangled in a web –– beginning with one of the earliest works of world literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh.
• The second lecture, Air: The Great Thinning, uses birds to examine some of the consequences of human exceptionalism, and shows how recent scientific breakthroughs are disclosing the superpowers of other life-forms, thereby challenging the paradigm of our uniqueness.
• The third lecture, Fire: Deep-Time Thinking, argues for ‘deep-time’ perspectives in both our politics and our story-telling, such that we can become better ancestors to future generations.
• The final lecture, Water: The Geography of Hope, takes rivers and water as its focus, exploring some of the extraordinary ways in which law and democratic structures are being radically re-imagined in order to give voices, votes and even rights to rivers, oceans, whales and mountains.

An archive of previous lectures can be seen here.

At a time of ecological crisis, extreme weather events and a rapidly heating climate, Robert Macfarlane’s Reith Lectures will examine what is in his view one of the most consequential stories humans tell themselves: that our species stands above and apart from the rest of nature.

Throughout the series, titled The Human Superiority Complex, Macfarlane will argue that this belief has become deeply rooted in Western thought, and has helped bring the planet to the brink of catastrophe.

Drawing on inspiring examples from around the world, the four lectures will also highlight the scientists, artists, activists, lawmakers and communities who are challenging this worldview and opening the possibility of different, more just futures for life on Earth.

One of our most influential writers on landscape, language and the living world, Macfarlane brings more than two decades of acclaimed work to the lectures. A bestselling author, his books have reached readers around the world, while his collaborations across art, film, music and performance connect ideas from literature, science, culture and public life.

The 2026 lectures will be recorded in front of live audiences in London, Bangor, Aberdeen and Amsterdam. They will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service later this year and will be available to listen to on BBC Sounds.

Audiences can apply for free tickets to the recordings from late September, via the BBC website. I’ll try and let you know when they become available.

#638: Bill Oddie RIP

Bill Oddie was a broadcaster - I remember him in 'The Goodies' - Ecky Thump, giant Dougal, Cat on the BT Tower et al... 

He was also a bird-watcher and naturalist and presenter on Springwatch.

#618: BBC - Evolution - Series 1

The BBC's new Evolution series is now up and running.

Evolution is co-produced by The Open University and the BBC, and supported by leading OU academics specialising in evolution, ecology and the history of life on Earth.

Through Chris Packham's journey, the series explores the extraordinary story of life on our planet, from humble origins to the complex creatures we see today, shaped in surprising ways by the unstoppable force of evolution.

A free OU poster is available.

The series has good reviews.

#593: Wild Isles

The recently released proposed subject content references a BBC series called 'Wild Isles', which was made in association with the Open University.

This inspired the 

There was an associated book published and I've bought a cheap second hand copy so that I have it as reference for whatever resources I get involved in creating.

Wild Isles is a celebration of the wildlife found on a relatively modest collection of islands positioned at a latitude so northerly to be unattractive to many animals and plants. Despite these unpromising foundations, the islands of Britain and Ireland, together with more than 6,000 lesser islets that make up our archipelago, contain some of the most diverse, beautiful and wildlife-rich landscapes and seas on our planet. This book will explore the fascinating relationships within and between species who make their home on our beautiful isles.

Each chapter focuses on a particular kind of wild space. Britain and Ireland are dominated by a wide variety of grasslands from lowland water meadows to upland moors, and we will see how these human-shaped, semi-natural landscapes thrum with insect, bird and mammal life. Life requires water to flourish, and streams and rivers carry freshwater through our landscape, creating unique ecosystems and interrelations within and beside these waters, which are revealed in a third section. While Britain and Ireland's woodlands are comparatively thin on the ground compared with most of continental Europe, we will see some of the forests and trees that remain are unusually ancient and, great repositories of life. Finally, of course, we are surrounded by sea, and our position on the continental shelf before it plunges into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean gives rise to an often overlooked plenty of marine life. A glorious richness divided into five breathtaking sections.

The book has inspired the choice of habitats in the proposed subject content, from which awarding bodies will have to develop worked examples and sample wildlife (flora and fauna) for students to engage with.

The series can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.

There was also a separate OU booklet which I requested at the time, and is added to my list of resources.

As well as the main series, there's a documentary exploring how to protect the Wild Isles.

#587: Hamza on Tour

If the GCSE Natural History is to reach as many young people as possible, it will need ambassadors.

Hamza's enthusiasm would make him perfect for this role, and he is going on tour in 2027.

#584: Springwatch 2026

It's always good to have Springwatch back... although that means another spring from the ones that I have left to see...

This time round the team are in Northern Ireland.

Last night's episode was a good opener, and you can see them on BBC and iPlayer. You can keep up with the action on the live wildlife cameras too.

One would hope that someone like Chris Packham or Michaela Strachan might be persuaded to work as ambassadors for the new specification once it gets to the stage where it is introduced into schools.

#575: Happy Birthday Sir David!

On David Attenborough's 100th birthday.

 

A century of storytelling and curiosity...

 

#563: Secret Garden

A new BBC series which started this evening focusses on the wildlife that can be found in people's gardens, although frankly the first episode featured a completely unrealistic garden...

There's an interactive tool as well, made with the Open University, which you can use to uncover the secret wildlife in your own garden.

#539: Wild London - New Year's Day

Why not welcome 2026 in with the calming tones of Sir David Attenborough.

1st of January, BBC One at 6.30pm - Wild London

Description from the BBC.

After a life spent travelling the globe, the world’s most famous naturalist turns his attention closer to home to explore the wildlife of England’s iconic capital. Having lived in London for 75 years, Sir David has an intimate knowledge of the city’s natural history, and there's no better guide to introduce us to its most spectacular wildlife secrets.

London is considered the greenest major city in the world, with a surprising variety of animal dramas playing out in the most unexpected places. Whether it’s herds of deer invading gardens, pigeons commuting by tube, snakes slithering along Regent's Canal, parakeets raiding green spaces, or seagulls learning new ways to make a killing in the city, Sir David reveals the incredible wild encounters to be experienced across his hometown.

Sir David celebrates the extraordinary ways in which animals are adapting to survive in the urban jungle, whether it be the fortunes of a pair of peregrines nesting on the Houses of Parliament as their chicks attempt their first flight, or a family of foxes living in the heart of Tottenham struggling to get to grips with fierce rivals and dangerous streets. He is inspired as he learns how people across the capital are ensuring some of Britain’s most-loved species can continue to call London home, and he even joins efforts to bring back animals that have disappeared from the city.

Captured over his centennial year, this personal and poignant film is a timely insight into how cities can become homes for wildlife as well as ourselves.

#507: Hamza's Wild Isles

I enjoyed this last night and have enjoyed the other programmes.

A good introduction to some of the wildlife to be found in Britain.

I've seen many of these myself, including badgers in the Peak District, and grebe courtships, and even a Bittern at Titchwell reserve. Also heard them booming on the Broads. Interestingly I was next to the wetlands in Cardiff over the summer as well.

Hamza has had an interesting life.

You can also request a free booklet and postcards from the Open University.

My copies have arrived.

#506: Nature connectedness

This two word phrase is likely to become increasingly important to many taking the new specification I would imagine. I would be surprised if an increase in this was not added as an outcome from studying GCSE Natural History.

Nature connectedness is intended to replace the current disconnect between young people and the natural world flagged up by a number of writers, including Robert MacFarlane.

How can this be fostered in young people?

Perhaps time spent outside?

A recent BBC News article suggested as little as 20 minutes is enough to have an impact.

Ideas welcome. How best to do this?

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license

#454: Longshaw Estate - new home of BBC's 'Springwatch'

The location for the BBC's Springwatch / Autumnwatch programmes has often been in places I know well, and even very close to home.

From Pensthorpe near Fakenham to Minsmere, and particularly Ken Hill in Snettisham (where I lived for 12 years)...

And now they've moved to an area of Derbyshire which I visited regularly for decades when I was younger, for walks, climbing, pubs and generally getting out of the city and into the countryside at weekends. The new venue is the Longshaw Estate, which is close to Grindleford (with its famous cafe and where my parents actually had their honeymoon), and Hathersage, and Fox House (where I was first served alcohol in a pub... but that's another story.) Burbage Brook - a classic location for fieldwork for schools from Sheffield - runs through it - through Padley Gorge, and Stanage Edge is not too far away, or several of the other edges where I used to climb. Heading for Hathersage you will pass Froggy Rock and then Surprise View - always things we looked out for when heading there as a child... half a century and more ago...

The estate is managed by the National Trust.

Map source

The programme started yesterday and is on iPlayer.

Multicams can be watched through the day....

e.g.here's a Short Eared Owl I just saw live... complete with distant traffic noise and a plane going over... the sounds of us impinging on the sounds of nature...

#442: "Freakosystems"

A piece on the BBC Futures website talks about the impact of people on a Hawaiian island which has produced a very unusual ecosystem.

O'ahu's lowland forests are now almost entirely devoid of the plants and animals that grew here for millions of years before the arrival of humans. Settlers brought extinctions by cutting down trees to make farms and introducing voracious predators and disease-carrying animals. Today, these tropical forests are a tapestry of non-native species introduced from every corner of the planet: Brazilian peppertree, Indonesian cinnamon and roseleaf bramble from the Himalayas and Australia. Most of the animals, including all the birds that Tarwater mentioned earlier, are also alien.

Update

Another example....

These are ‘freaksosystems’, or Frankenstein ecosystems. For the most part, people who work in landscape design and management have the feeling that they know better than nature. They love nothing more than to create a ‘freakosystem’ of their own designing (I love this term 😂). https://t.co/fjPczCuVm0

— Ben Goldsmith (@BenGoldsmith) April 28, 2025

#314: Countryfile Wild Britain

The BBC's long-running Countryfile programme has a Wild Britain campaign. 

This is aimed at the general public and to try to capture acts of kindness towards the wildlife of the country.

We are one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, and whilst we may have some amazing wildlife in this country it’s sadly in crisis: more than 40% of UK species populations have declined since the 1970s and a quarter of British mammals are at risk of extinction.

Wildlife needs you more than ever before. We want you to become a nature champion and choose an action to give wildlife a boost whether that’s making a bog garden to feeding the birds, creating hedgehog homes or mini beast hotels, everyone can help in their own way, no matter what size of space you have. Whatever you choose to do, please add your action to BBC Countryfile Wild Britain map.

#220: Winterwatch

The new series of Winterwatch starts tomorrow and as always there will be plenty of interest for those who are interested in the wildlife to be found in the UK, and a range of explainer videos and props to explain how animals and plants survive.

The trailer tonight mentioned a look at the temperate rainforest ecosystem along Lydford gorge, and also a look at the red squirrel population on Brownsea Island.

There's some useful content on the accompanying website e.g. a quiz to help identify UK birds of prey.

You can also sign up for natural history emails. This may be well worth doing.

#191: Countryfile magazine article

Another post from June 2022's Countryfile magazine by Sara Maitland which mentioned the importance of the new GCSE, although she lives in Scotland...
https://www.countryfile.com/.../sara-maitland-a-new-gcse.../


Declining plant awareness is the theme of the article.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.9019
A BBC article shared by Mary Colwell too
https://www.theguardian.com/.../humans-value-nature...

A feature on p.10-11 of 'Make the Future Yours' magazine - read it online

https://www.makethefutureyours.uk/latest-issue

#136: David Attenborough on Planet Earth III

Planet Earth III starts on Sunday the 22nd of October, and will be available to view on BBC Sounds.

It's an eight part series, featuring some more emphasis on the impact of people on the natural world.

Details here. Plenty of connections to some of the themes

It features David Attenborough's trademark narration of course, and has him walking through a meadow where Charles Darwin walked while thinking. 

It features long-tailed macaques stealing iPhones from tourists and returning them in exchange for food, for an example of animal adaptations.

There is a podcast to accompany the series for the first time. There was also an attempt to reduce the impact of filming by using local crews for filming.

Attenborough says:

"Children have an instinctive understanding about the way the world operates. By and large, children are better at understanding the natural world, and as adults we should be marking more opportunities for them to do that."

#50: Eastenders credits

Back in October 2022, I was alerted to the fact that the end credits of Eastenders on a Wednesday episode were subtly (ish) changed to act as a trailer for Frozen Planet II, which was showing at the time.

You can see the video of the credits here.

The new end credits saw London’s East End transformed to show the river Thames bursting its banks with parts of the capital under water in a hypothetical scenario of what London could look like in the future.

It then zoomed out to capture a satellite image of the Arctic and point to the last episode of Sir David Attenborough’s series, underlining the message that the challenge of melting ice in this frozen region could one day affect us all close to home.

There are going to be many changes to the world that we have become used to in the coming decades, and most of them are not going to be welcome changes.

#43: Wild Ken Hill

Wild Ken Hill has been the home of the BBC's Springwatch and Autumnwatch for the last couple of years, and also the occasional Winterwatch.

Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and the team base themselves here, having previously been based at Minsmere and other locations including the nearby location of Pensthorpe, near Fakenham for a while.

Wild Ken Hill is in North West Norfolk, between King's Lynn and Hunstanton.

Wild Ken Hill is a site of rewilding, conservation, and a working farm. Its land is made up of hilly wood, wetter marshland, pasture landscape, and agricultural fields. As such, the ground is predominantly uneven with thick undergrowth. Ponies, pigs and cattle graze parts of the site and it is home to many, small, wild animals.

I lived in Snettisham for 12 years, and walked over Ken Hill many times, through the woods and down through the reed beds and along the old railway line which was sadly a casualty of Beeching's cuts in the 1960s. 

That line, passing through Wolferton, Snettisham and Heacham would make a fantastic route from King's Lynn to the coast. Sadly, there have been some changes and new buildings which mean that the line is unlikely to ever be reinstated despite the fact that it would immediately 

The area has changed substantially over the 12 years since I last visited for a good period of time.

Locations such as this may well form a good site for a field visit, or a case study of rewilding should that be a focus for the final draft specification. 

To find out more you can follow Dominic Buscall on Twitter. Fun fact, my daughter went to school with members of the Buscall family.

I can imagine the area of the Wash, and surroundings landscapes and land uses, and some of the potential conflicts that occur there would make a good large scale case study.