You can walk around land belonging to Chris Skinner of High Ash Farm who has opened it up to the public with very wide walking routes (very useful for social distancing). There are lots of wild flowers and wildlife and plenty to see.
Chris appears regularly on Radio Norfolk talking about the countryside and there is a very interesting piece on his website explaining how he got into conservation.
"Encouraged to kill In the early days I’d have a catapult and be encouraged to shoot the sparrows and later on in my teenage years I had a small air rifle, later a larger air rifle and then I graduated through to a shotgun. Many happy Saturdays were spent shooting at the farm and that formed the Sunday roast. It wasn’t until I was in my late 20s on a Saturday afternoon that things changed quite dramatically. We'd had a very successful shoot at the farm - a number of friends and relatives were there and somebody in the background said, 'That was a terrific afternoon's fun, thank you Chris.' It was the word fun that started me thinking. From that moment on it became immoral to me to shoot anything for sport or for fun."
I concur completely with those words. The only things that should be shot for fun are clay pigeons. As a youngster I can remember hunting down butterflies and hitting them with a tennis racquet. The fact that I still remember doing it suggests how much I now realise how barbaric this was. Unfortunately there was nobody in my family telling me what I was doing was wrong and cruel. I had to eventually work that out for myself.
I do so applaud Chris Skinner's work to not only bring the countryside alive but to open up his farm for hundreds of people to enjoy each year. It certainly makes a change from the attitude of some landowners who seem to want to shut their land off. Of course it's a two way thing. We must respect the codes and ensure we cherish the countryside for future generations.
Most of the paths on the farm are open to everyone but there are a few set aside for "sponsors" - people who make a donation for the conservation work. Anyone can become a sponsor and there is no minimum contribution - all donations, however small, are welcome.
I hope you enjoy my latest set of photographs. Some people feel that I am being stalked by a certain lady who keeps featuring in them. I really must find out sometime just who she is!