Berner's Heath Walk

It is November and the SSSI at Berner's Heath is now accessible until the end of February... so time to visit it while we can.

We last visited it November last year (see here). Here is the invite to today's from Joyce...

"Thursday November 10th.  A chance to walk to Berner's Heath near Elveden. This 10 mile walk visits this SSSI which is only open Nov - Feb. The walk is from Ramparts Field picnic site, West Stow, at 10am. Parking is free and we will walk to West Stow Country Park for toilets and coffee first of all. If you would like to join us at West Stow then there is a parking fee and we will collect you on our way through (join us for coffee) . Walking is mostly on sand and through the Kings Forest.  Please bring a packed much as this will be eaten on a log! Weather forecast looks mild "

We had an excellent turnout of 12 on the walk. This was our route today:

It was very similar to last year's but we went in the opposite direction around the loop through the forest and the heath.

Here are a few photos:

Assembling at the start.

We came across this lovely old car on our way to West Stow Country Park.

The lake was calm as we had little wind today.

Along the River Lark, which was burbling happily.

We had an early  drinks break at the Visitor Centre. Time to get moving again.

The rides are broad so there was plenty of opportunity to walk side by side and converse. "Turn left here please", was the instruction.

We saw a good variety of fungi. From the orangey colour I think these may be false chanterelles.

Is this a little scarlet waxcap?

These are surely red russulas.

As before, we had a choice of fallen branches as seating for our packed lunches.

Then it was onto the heath...

...and through the cross of trees.

As described in this article (from which I took the photograph at the top of the post), it was used in the second world war for target practice by bombers. You can see the shape best from an aerial photograph like this one from the Defra Magic site.

 "The heath is the largest remaining area of heather dominated heath in the Brecks. It contains blocks of heather of different ages as a result of rotational heather burning conducted as a management strategy. Heather dominates the heath, achieving almost 100% coverage with blocks divided by rides. This allows a variety of different ground cover species to develop in different areas of the heath. In the areas of younger heather this includes species such as sheep’s sorrel and mosses, although in areas where heather is slightly older and growing quickly ground cover is restricted. Older, established blocks of heather have greater biodiversity and include lichens as well as flowering plant species such as heath bedstraw, lady’s bedstraw, common speedwell  and sheep’s fescue. These areas also support a wide range of insect populations." This is why it's a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

This is some of the old heather, but I don't think the Wikipedia article's claim that there is nearly 100% coverage is true.

We glimpsed a deer through the trees, but I never managed to catch it with my camera. But I did get this Galloway cow and calf.

Returning through the forest, we thought we saw a deer here...

But it was just a bush.

Nearing the end we got a great archetypical Breckland skyline view of scots pines.

Thank-you Joyce for leading us round and the rest for the company.

You can find more details of our walk here on MapMyWalk.