LI South East weekend nature walk

Landscape Institute SE Winchester nature walk, a great opportunity for networking and ideas sharing with other landscape professionals.

On Saturday, we set off for a beautiful 6km circular nature walk around the river Itchen. A fantastic and valuable afternoon meeting new and existing members of the South East branch, discussing various interesting projects, visual assessments across the UK, planning guidance, the current BNG status, information and training available, organising Pathway to Chartership online study groups as well as support groups for Pathway mentors.

As expected in the UK, we dressed for the occasion, with waterproof walking boots and wrapped in warm coats, although the weather was on our side as the clouds cleared and blue sky peeked through.

The walk takes in part of the South Downs Way, the Clarendon Way, Wolvesey Castle, the Hospital of St. Cross, the Itchen Navigation path, St. Catherine’s Hill. Our walk took us away from the centre, towards the woodland, open fields and winding path along the river.

The beautiful crystal clear Itchen is a ‘chalk stream’, which is a very special type of waterway. There are only around 210 chalk streams in the world and 80% of them are in England. Chalk rivers emerge from the chalk aquifer, so the very pure water is rich in minerals and remains at a fairly constant temperature year-round, which allows for diverse aquatic plants grow.

As we explored the landscape we admired the winter beauty of the varying tree forms, structural branch shapes and colours against the dramatic sky. Areas dotted with pops of yellow from the marsh marigolds and daffodils, and admiring the historic architecture at The Hospital of St Cross, where we received the Wayfarers Dole (Saxon Bronze Ale brewed in Winchester) from the kind shop operative.