On the move

It was approaching dusk as I took the boys to the woods around Davidstow where the last few starlings are putting on the evening murmuration displays that have been a show at dusk throughout the winter. It was a peaceful evening with, just for once, little wind but, as we wandered around the signs of the old RAF airfield are all about us. Not that worried Roy the cocker much, he loves a rummage in woodland after those pesky rabbits.

If I was here during the war, the air was filled with the noise of heavy aircraft, including a squadron of Flying Fortresses, one of which was the famous “Memphis Belle”, which still exists today in a museum in the US. Davidstow sits at almost 300m above sea level – the highest in Britain (Leeds-Bradford at 208m is the current highest operational airfield, thanks for asking), which meant it was subject to fog and general bad weather, to make life even more exciting.

Interestingly the pine woods are being cleared and the ground left to revert to bog and mere to promote an exciting new ecosystem – bringing an area into a new era almost 75 years after the last aircraft engine was silenced. Actually, there was a roar of engines again when the old airfield was used for one of the early Formula 1 races, until it was deemed too dangerous as the visibility was often poor, due to the good old Cornish weather (can you believe that?).

Now, the cheese factory dominates the landscape – and it is the largest in England – and can produce a 1000 tonnes a week. That’s a hell of a port and cheese night.

But, if you feel the need for a gentle stroll in an interesting location, Crowdy Reservoir is nearby. It’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Grasshopper Warbler and Cuckoo and a wide range of duck, especially in winter, partly due to its shallow water. It was built in 1973 on the site of a swamp and represents a lovely spot for a picnic – or noshing on fish and chips form the chippy in nearby Camelford.

One of the strange things about Bodmin Moor is, two centuries ago, it wasn’t Bodmin Moor at all – it was called Fowey Moor until about 1812, when the name Bodmin Moor was first used in the Cornwall Gazette. And, even more interesting, Brown Willy, the highest point, is a corruption of Bronn Wennilli, which, rather beautifully, means ‘Hill of Swallows’ in Cornish.

But, reality is this part of Cornwall has long been a popular spot long before we turned up and created Padstow and Newquay. Recent archaeological studies of ancient sites on Bodmin, especially studying ancient preserved pollan, suggest the first recognisable impact of man occurred almost 6500 years ago, which is a long time ago, whichever way you cut it.

It seems that man quite quickly caused a reduction in trees, as ground was cleared and there is evidence that the moor was used seasonally or intermittently – which makes sense given the winters! Human activity seemed to peak in the Bronze Age, but then dropped dramatically towards the end of that period, about 3500 years ago, as the climate deteriorated and people moved to the lowlands. The Bronze Age, following the Neolithic period (‘New Stone Age’) , was the peak of human activity.

It’s thought that the Bronze Age (bronze, as you will remember from school chemistry, is an alloy of tin and copper) saw the first trading of tin mined from Cornwall to Europe. The people who lived in the round houses on the moor were well organised subsistence farmers who kept animals, grew crops, practised metalworking and lived in small grouping or villages close to their fields. The Bronze Age lasted about 1500 years and saw considerable change – textiles were introduced and clothes being made and more sophisticated pottery created.

It all goes to reflect that, as you wander over the moor, past the numerous stone circles, the remnants of roundhouses and burial cairns, you can hear the faint voices of the predecessors in the wind – there have been a lot of people here before us.

I took the boys on a new walk, up past King Arthur’s Hall and onto the base of Garrow Tor. Here, the infant De Lank river tumbles through large rocks and boulders in a wooded valley.

Napolean was more interested in a particularly interesting, if long, stick, that he bashed about with for a while, Roy was trying to sort out some especially pesky rabbits who had dug holes in the roots of the pine trees. I imagined them sitting in their burrows, laughing and joking about the dumb dog above.

Quite exciting, for me, anyway, was the sight of a male Stonechat, a lovely lad with a black head and orange front. In theory, Stonechats don’t migrate but I am pretty sure they move off the high moor in winter and lounge about in the balmy lowland woods during the chilly months. Either way, this is the first one I’ve seen since October and very welcome he was.

In fact, at this time of year, birds are on the move all over the world. Swallows, swifts and martins have left southern Africa, and are probably now in Europe, cuckoos are starting to move from central Africa to come home, as are Ospreys and our warblers. Our winter visitors – Fieldfares, Redwings, Waxwings and a host of duck, geeseand waders – have mainly headed to Scandinavia and the Arctic for the bust breeding season.

What an exciting time – just a week or two till are House Martins are back, repairing their nests, having their young and sweeping around the garden like miniature Spitfires. Happy Days.