7 things to remember when walking at Bere Mill in Spring

We know many locals and visitors alike enjoy walking the footpaths around Bere Mill Farm, and spring is a particularly popular time to get out in nature. But there are some things to keep in mind when walking at Bere Mill Farm at this time of year.

1.     Rights of way and access at Bere Mill

At Bere Mill we have many footpaths crisscrossing the land and since taking on the property in the 1990s, we have worked hard to improve access on these footpaths. We have also added additional permissive footpaths to encourage local walkers on to the land. What is the difference between a footpath and a permissive footpath? Footpaths will be shown in green (or pink – depending on scale) on ordnance survey maps. These are footpaths that are public rights of way and have often existed for hundreds of years. Permissive footpaths are not public rights of way, but rather are routes that the landowner has given permission for you to cross. Sometimes these are shown on maps as orange dots, or they can be signposted as permissive. The key with permissive paths is that permission to use these paths can be withdrawn. This may be temporarily, for example to protect sheep during lambing time, time limited or permanently. We ask that when you are walking at Bere Mill, you stick to the designated footpath route. This route will have been planned to reduce the impact of walking on the land. Straying from the route can badly impact the ecological work we are doing on the land through compaction from walking or contamination through dog mess. It can also lead to unwanted interactions between walkers, dogs and livestock.

2. Things to see at Bere Mill

We like to keep the walks at Bere Mill interesting, so here are our top 5 things to see when walking at Bere Mill this spring.

• Burnt Oak sculpture by David Nash – open for close viewings on NGS days, but otherwise please view from a distance on the Mill Trail.
• Lambs and calves in the fields – as we reach calving and lambing season, you will soon be able to see all the young stock out playing the fields, but please remember to view from a distance so as not to disturb them.
• The Leaning Man sculpture but Rob Muir – can be seen from the footpath in the Hay Field as you look towards the river and gardens of Bere Mill
• Rohan Ward’s bamboo and limed fishing hut – open for close viewings on NGS days in the Bere Mill gardens, but otherwise please view from a distance on the Mill Trail.
• Cherry Trees in full bloom – Rupert has an extensive collection of cherry trees that  can be seen as you walk up from the Bere Mill Butchery towards Freefolk and St Nicholas’ Church

3. Dogs at Bere Mill

We love dogs, and we all have our own dogs, but please do remember to be careful walking your dog at Bere Mill Farm. Please keep your dog fully under control at all times and put them on a lead when entering any field that may have livestock in. At this time of year we will have heavily pregnant cows and sheep alongside new lambs and calves, all of which means it is even more important that dogs are kept on leads around them for the safety of all. Any dog can and will chase livestock, even if they have never done this before. If your dog does happen to get off lead and worries the livestock, even if it seems minor, please email Bere Mill or inform us at the butchery. We can then check the animals to ensure everyone is OK, or take action to help the animals if required. Please pick up and take home all dog mess as its contains substances that will harm our cows and sheep by making them sick. Please don’t allow your dogs to swim in the river at any point as flea treatments do serious damage to the stunning wildlife in the river including trout, frogs, and water voles.

4. Recommended walks at Bere Mill

If you are new to walking at Bere Mill, you might be unsure of which walks to choose. And if you are a regular, you might want to try a route you haven’t been on before. So here are our top three walks at Bere Mill.

• The Mill Trail – from Whitchurch and round; route maps are available from here.
• The Paper Trail – start out at Bere Mill and walk to Bombay Sapphire, then to the Portals Overton and back along the Harroway – parking at the top of the lane to Bere Mill
• The Bere Mill Garden walk – accessible on NGS days (click here for our 2023 dates). Start at the Bere Mill wildflower field (top of lane alongside B3400) then take a relaxed stroll to Hardy’s Garden Plants.

5. Sheep and lambs at Bere Mill

At this time of year, you may see fewer of our sheep initially as they will come into the barn for lambing, but if you are walking and see our sheep, here are a couple of things to watch out for: Rolled Sheep – if you see a sheep stuck on its back with its legs in the air, this normally happens when they are heavily pregnant. Please do the following:

1. Call us on 07815 904084.
2. Try to roll the sheep back on to its feet – the sheep may need to be supported/lean against you as it regains its balance.
3. If you are unable to contact us and unable to get the sheep up – for example, if you have a dog with you – please come to the butchery to inform us.

  Lambing – if you see a ewe lambing, please don’t approach, but if you notice the ewe is in distress or appears to be struggling, please call us as above. Please remember that heavily pregnant ewes can be easily spooked and may hurt themselves or become very stressed when approached. As such, give them space and don’t allow your children or dogs to chase/approach/touch the sheep or the lambs. Simply enjoy them from a distance.

6. Areas to be aware of at Bere Mill

During spring, we have many areas of the farm that may look empty but will be full of life trying to get going after winter. This includes areas of wildflowers and spring bulbs, for example, at the entrance to the butchery. Please try not to walk on these areas. We do try to signpost areas of particular concern, but this also includes not straying from designated footpath routes.

7. Cows and calves at Bere Mill

Spring is our calving season for all the cows at Bere Mill. We tend to keep animals that are near to calving away from the busiest areas of the farm, but please do try to give all our cows plenty of space at this time of year. Heavily pregnant cows can be a little ungainly and wary, which can cause them to spook, run and injure themselves. Just think about how you would feel if you or your partner was heavily pregnant and someone snuck up on you to give you a fright. Also, for those cows who have given birth, they are likely to be protective over their calves and extra wary of “threats” such as dogs or people they don’t know. As such, it is best to stay clear and not approach the calves, however cute they may look. We have had cases in the past of children trying to pet calves and this is a really bad idea for all involved, so please keep your children, dogs and yourselves well back from the new mums this spring.