The Magic Of Wheatfen

Now generally I don't trust a man in a fleece or a big wooly jumper, but in the case of Nobbsy, the warden at Wheatfen I'm prepared to make an exception. Here was a man who knew his fauna from his fungi. A man whose job was simple: namely to maintain the 130 acres of strange swampland that make up one of the last tidal marshes in the Yare valley.

So what was I doing here, just a mile away from last week's destination in Bramerton. A mile it may have been, but as Mike my old Peckham school friend (and the person who suggested this visit), assured me, it might as well have been a million miles. And so it proved to be.


The Ted Ellis Trust, endorsed by David Bellamy and aided by Anneka Rice, was set up to preserve the area and honour the man who worked here for forty years: a man whose philosophy as a naturalist was, "to look after the area, by not looking after it." Pay attention Michael Gove.

What you've got here, is a place that is completely unspoiled: an oasis of calm, suggestive of a time when life was much simpler. Just a two mile stroll will take you through a varied environment: watch the fast-filling dykes; peer through the creepy forest, suggestive of dark spirits; and walk winding paths with the consistency of sponge pudding. This primitive playground is perfect for ambling and relaxing, while contemplating a more spiritual lifestyle. Unsurprisingly there is a Buddhist retreat just up the road. If you want picnic tables and a souvenir shop - look elsewhere. But for the rest of us, a morning spent here is as good a form of self-medication as I can come up with.

Nobbsy says the place is spectacular after a frost. I hope to be back to see.

Location:Manor Gardens,Hopton on Sea,United Kingdom