Neighbouring the playing field shared by Hardenhuish and Sheldon schools, in Chippenham, Wiltshire, which is the largest single area of ‘green’ space within the town boundary, are two areas of interest. North of Hardenhuish school, embracing Parish Church of St Nicholas, is an unnamed wood with a footpath leading from the school to near the pedestrian crossing on Hardenhuish Lane. I’ll speak about this small woodland in another post. To the south of the field, separated by a fence and a border of native trees is the Donkey Field. It has previously featured another blog, primarily as a means of preventing further development, which partially outlines the history and provenance of the space.
The Donkey Field is a strip of land along the A4, called Bristol Road at this point, approximately 500m east-west and a little over 100m north-south through which runs Hardenhuish Brook, a minor tributary of the Avon. There is a tarmac path running its length, with another more recent loop to the north that provides access from the car-park at the eastern end to the floodlit AstroTurf pitches. There are, however, many other unconsolidated pathways within the Donkey Field. Two stone stiles border Bristol Road to the south, with compacted mud paths running across a central bridge; there used to be two bridges but the youths had their input. There is a track running parallel to the concrete path along the treeline, as well as another running along the raised fence to Sheldon school to the west. Two, more hidden, paths run directly along the banks of the Brook.
For a 300m stretch the Brook is tightly flanked on both banks by woodland, while for an additional 200m to the west the area between the concrete path and the Sheldon school boundary encloses a further strip of woodland. Within these narrow strips the oak, ash and horse-chestnut claim the skyline, along with a solitary, slowly-failing fir. In a supporting role are sycamore, field maple and wild cherry, which give way to willow and hazel. Lower branches intertwine with elder, hawthorn, blackthorn and the saplings of the larger trees, and which endure the upward grasping of wild rose, bramble, nettle, cow parsley and sour dock, themselves partially overrun by bindweed and robin-run-the-hedge. Cuckoo-pint peek from the low cover, effecting their imperceptible, inexorable blush as summer wears on, until they are bright red by the time the first empty hazelnut shells appear on the ground.
Birds are plentiful, with blackbirds, tits, and chiffchaffs prominent, but also woodpeckers. Last year a male tawny owl made the area his haunt, although I never heard a female reply, nor has he been heard this year. Earlier this year a fleeting flash of iridescent blue announced a kingfishers darting flight. Occasional buzzards, and more rarely red kites, can be seen overhead. At least two species of bats are clearly visible at dusk. Rabbits emerge later on, quite tolerant to humans but not to dogs. Pigeons roost in the trees at night, flapping suddenly as you walk beneath in the changing light.