Outdoors and Environment

Shambellie Guided Nature Walks

Name: Shambellie Guided Nature Walks
SKU: 13290
Availability: InStock

Sunday 13th July

3:00pm to 5:00pm

Join us for an an informal Sunday afternoon wander looking particularly at wildflowers, garden plants and trees, listening for birds, generally relaxing and enjoying the tranquil surroundings at Shambellie House.

Please arrive early to have a look round our PA PopUp Shop full of lovely things made by local artists and makers. Refreshments will be available to purchase before and after the walk

New Abbey Residents and Under 12’s go free. Children must be accompanied.

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Description

This is a chance to unwind and enjoy the lovely surroundings of Shambellie House gardens and grounds, stopping to look at anything that grows, flies, creeps or crawls. Join Ken and Sarah White for an informal Sunday afternoon wander looking particularly at wildflowers, garden plants and trees, but including anything else that catches our eye. We will listen for bird song and calls and demonstrate the Merlin bird song app. There is always plenty to see and hear – cameras and phones welcome to capture what you see!

Suitable for anyone with an interest in the natural world. No previous knowledge needed; beginners and families welcome.

Stay on for tea and cake available in the house after the walk.

Part of a series of monthly Sunday Nature Workshops.

Essential Information

The paths at Shambellie are natural and mostly grassy with some tree roots, uneven surfaces and gentle inclines. This will be a gentle stroll with plenty stops. Please wear appropriate footwear and dress for outdoor Scottish weather!

Your Tutor

Ken and Sarah White

Ken and Sarah White enjoy all aspects of wildlife, but particularly plants and birds. Work kept them in the south of England for many years, but retirement brought the opportunity to move to Dumfries and Galloway in 2022.

Born and bred in Berkshire, Ken became a passionate birdwatcher at an early age during the bitter winter of 1962-63 when nationally we were all asked to feed the birds. He then became interested in the plants and habitats in which they are found. He gained an honours degree in Botany at Goldsmiths College, London and in his spare time he helped as a voluntary warden at Loch Garten on Operation Osprey.

He started taking part in voluntary BTO (bto.org) bird surveys in 1972 and has been doing them ever since, culminating in becoming (along with Sarah) the Berkshire BTO Regional Representative, organising national bird surveys at the county level for the national atlas 2007-11.

He spent 4 decades working outdoors in grounds maintenance and landscaping, and from the 1990s he ran Introduction to Birdwatching classes for the WEA in Farnham, Surrey for over ten years. This included arranging birdwatching and botanising excursions around the UK and abroad, specialising in trips to the Straits of Gibraltar in Spain, which he continues to do.

Sarah trained as an ecologist and worked in nature conservation in Yorkshire, Cumbria and southern England. She has a particular interest in wild plants and is Joint Recorder for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) in Kirkcudbrightshire.