Very slow walks, maximum 2 miles, taking a look at what wild flowers are blooming in the countryside around us.  We will take in different habitats, woodland, coastal, nature reserves and meadows to see a full range of plants growing wild in the North East.  If we are near a café we will discuss our findings there afterwards.

No prior knowledge is required and no special equipment is needed.  We have a field guide that we use if we are not sure of the name of the plant, we also use the "SEEK" app which is free to download.  We are not trained botanists but have been learning about local plants for a long time.  We normally write a list of what we see and circulate this to the group afterwards by email.  The walks are usually very slow as we are looking at every flower and writing the list.  Prior to the walk we would do a risk assessment and circulate this to the group with a note of what the terrain is like for example any slopes, uneven ground, car parking etc.  We will point out any car park charges if applicable.

If the walk is not on a bus route then we could car share. The leader could help to arrange this and provide directions to the starting point for any who wish to make their own way there.  If other Members wish to lead a walk then this would be very helpful.

If we are in a location with a cafe then we could have refreshments afterwards to review the findings. 

The leader will help with car sharing if the site is not easily accessible by public transport.

Future Walks

On Tuesday 19th August, 7 of us walked around Bowlees quarry then up to the Low Force waterfall looking at the wild flowers. In all we saw around 48 different plants in flower with lots of Devil's bit scabious and knapweed.  This is less than I would expect in August in Teesdale, the higher elevation means that the season is later than we would have in Darlington.  The hot dry spring and summer have brought forward the season with many plants flowering earlier than usual.

I have decided not to lead a walk in September as I expect that there would be very little left to see by then.

Thanks to everyone who has joined the walks and I will look to restart them in the spring of 2026.