ST201903

Howtopack
aspringpicnic
Who knows how to pack up a
spring lunch better than Ratty
himself? Here’s what Kenneth
Grahame had to say on the
matter...
“What’s inside it?” asked the
Mole, wriggling with curiosity.
“There’s cold chicken inside it,”
replied the Rat briefly;
“coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeef
pickledgherkinssalad
frenchrollscresssandwiches
pottedmeatgingerbeer
lemonadesodawater—-”
“O stop, stop,” cried the Mole in
ecstacies: “This is too much!”
“Do you really think so?”
enquired the Rat seriously. “It’s
only what I always take on these
little excursions; and the other
animals are always telling me
that I’m a mean beast and cut
it VERY fine!”

nodding at you as if you were Wordsworth

himself, head for parks or gardens. David

Bouch, head gardener at The National

Trust’s Cotehele estate in the Tamar

Valley, says the best time of day to see them

is late morning: “It’s better than first thing

• especially if there’s been a frost.” The key
  is to take your day slowly. By the time
  you’ve found your spot and got a f lask of
  tea out on a blanket, the daffs are ready to
  receive you. “Why not see who can spot the
  most varieties?” suggests David. “I like
  older types which are less blousey and
  fussy.” Too right. Nobody likes a show-off.
  Cotehele’s daffodil festival runs from 9–24
  March this year and the National Trust
  lists places to see daffodils all over the UK
  (search ‘National Trust daffodils’).

A GOOD HARE DAY

This time of year, the normally reclusive

brown hare can be spotted leaping into the

air, boxing with the opposite sex, and

generally having a bit of a leporid rave-up.

“Seeing hares is a sign that longer, warmer

days are coming,” says Becky Green, a

ranger for The Wildlife Trusts at

Trumpington Meadows in Cambridgeshire

A hare-spotting trip is best started early

or late: “Either dawn or dusk when they’re

most active,” according to Becky. But

where to spot those amber eyes and long

brown ears? “Hares usually sleep in

shallow depressions, known as forms, in

the long grass. When they wake, they move

from the long grass out into the fields to

feed on vegetation.” So any large field with

farmed land nearby is a good bet; The

Wildlife Trusts’ website suggests hotspots

countrywide (search ‘Wildlife Trusts

spring hares’). “I always get a thrill

spotting them bounding in a zig-zag across

the meadows, long ears flying,” says Becky.

She has this advice for hare-spotting:

“Wrap up warm, bring binoculars and a

camera, and walk quietly.” We’d add to

ESCAPE (^) | OUTING
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