Have a ‘wild' Christmas and re-connect with local nature

A local charity is offering people ideas for a wild Christmas with a difference.

Leading conservation charity Devon Wildlife Trust has developed a series of ideas for ‘wild Christmas escapes’ and is urging people to spend just a small part of the festive season and get away from the excesses and stresses of this time of year. 

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Steve Hussey explained the idea: "Despite all the merry making Christmas can bring with it a series of challenges to our health and well-being. And if this seems a bit Scrooge-like then which of us can really say that we haven’t had a Christmas past in which we’ve felt trapped by the combination of too much food, too many relatives and too many repeats on the telly?"

Steve added: "We wanted to offer people a chance to escape some of the stresses of Christmas by re-connecting with local nature. It’s important not to forget your wild side and this needn’t mean consuming more food and drink or spending hours looking at a screen. Instead it means taking a bit of time to get outdoors with the wonderful wildlife and wild places which are local to you. Exploring your wild side provides a great way of re-charging your Christmas spirit."

Devon Wildlife Trust looks after 49 nature reserves around the county including some of Devon’s most beautiful landscapes and most wonderful nature, and the charity believes that a visit to anyone of them this Christmas will be time well-spent.

Steve said: "Wherever you are you in Devon you can feel the positive impact of wildlife. In Exeter you can experience one of nature’s great winter spectacles with a visit to the Old Sludge Beds nature reserve to see the huge starling murmurations as birds congregate in their thousands each evening.

"In Plymouth you can enjoy a walk through woods at Warleigh Point nature reserve to the edge of the Tamar and the estuary’s stunning winter wading birds. In North Devon you take a stroll beside the white water of the River Torridge at Halsdon nature reserve near Great Torrington or if feeling more energetic climb the wildest sections of the Coast Path in to Marsland nature reserve near Hartland."

For those looking for Christmas escape ideas Devon Wildlife Trust has set up a series of 5 ‘Wild Walks’ through its nature reserves. Ranging from 3 to 6 miles the walks are another way to escape the sometimes overwhelming world of Christmas. The walks provide a perfect way for families to get out of the house and burn off a few of the Christmas calories. Details of the Trust’s Wild Walks can be found at www.devonwildilfetrust.org

And if you can’t get out to the great outdoors this Christmas period, then the Trust’s message is make sure you get nature to visit you. Your garden’s birds will welcome the opportunity for an energy boost provided by some of your Christmas leftovers – a bit of crumbled Christmas cake, some bacon fat, an end of cheese left on the bird table will be much appreciated.

Steve continued: "In return for feeding them garden birds will put on a Christmas show the likes of which you won’t get from repeats on the telly. Putting just half an hour aside to watch their comings and goings can re-connect you with the wild world outside your kitchen window. Seeing who arrives, watching their behaviour, their squabbles, the jostling for food, the different table manners and eating techniques - it can be just like what goes on around many human Christmas dinner tables, but without the emotional baggage!"

To plan your wild Christmas escape visit the charity’s website www.devonwildlifetrust.org