The Golden Hoof

Fluffy lambs are one of the popular images of spring and I saw some very cuddly examples on my visit to the Trust’s Daneway Banks Nature Reserve. The importance of lambs to wildlife is that grassland is not the natural vegetation for most of England and without efficient munching machines flower-rich sites like Daneway rapidly turn from grassland to scrub to woodland.

Sheep are very fine graziers, referred to by my mum-in-law as the ‘golden hoof’. Daneway Banks is a very important site for orchids and butterflies and our new lamb recruits will bring the flock up to 40. By grazing carefully at the right times of year we will be able to sustain the wildlife interest without loosing the wildflowers.

We are particularly lucky to have a partner for our Daneway flock. Grazing livestock is expensive and needs constant attention. Richard Goodfellow, the landlord of the wonderful Daneway Inn, is our perfect ally. He lives next door to the nature reserve, owns and cares for the rare Norfolk Horn sheep and keeps a very fine beer cellar.

Richard has made all the difference to helping us achieve our ovine ambitions. The reserve is already looking much better for the attention that it has received and providing we have a warm and sunny summer, the rare and exquisite Large Blue Butterfly will benefit enormously from the short sweet Cotswold turf that Richard’s sheep are maintaining.

I heartily recommend a visit to the Daneway Inn. Great food, good ales, safe parking and three of the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves all within safe walking distance. May and June are the best times for the flowers and butterflies. But at any time of year this has to be one of Gloucestershire’s gems.