The Fourteenth Annual Conference
'Shaping nature on a landscape scale'

This trip will give the opportunity to look at projects initiated by the CAN DO Partnership on a landscape-scale in the Howardian Hills AONB and the adjacent North York Moors National Park. We’ll be visiting a windy pit, home of the rare Alcathoe bat, as well as looking at the amazing veteran trees in the former Deer Park at Duncombe Park. Other topics to be explored include habitat management and restoration within Gilling Castle Park, historic landscape investigation, invasive species control and community involvement in delivering projects. We’ll look at what’s already been achieved, and discuss our ideas for the future.

In the morning we will descend into the hidden valley of the River Rye and visit a ‘windy pit’, a strange local geological feature, and recently ‘released’ veteran trees in the Deer Park of Duncombe Park. We will also look at other CAN DO-wide initiatives including invasive species control, river management and heathland restoration.

Lunch will be locally made sandwiches at the Fairfax Arms in Gilling.

After lunch in the pub named after its most famous owners, we will walk around part of the Registered Park & Garden of Gilling Castle. The Estate is mostly leased now to the Forestry Commission and we’ll look at landscape-scale habitat management and restoration within a commercial forest area – PAWS restoration, invasive species control, heathland restoration and riparian corridors.

Afterwards we will make a short stop at Grimston Moor, to look at historic landscape discovery and future issues of heathland restoration, before continuing to Castle Howard for afternoon tea.

This trip will give you an opportunity to look at projects being delivered on the Castle Howard estate. In the morning we will look at the heritage features of the designed landscape around Castle Howard, including the jewel in the crown – the Mausoleum. In the afternoon we will see how the Game Department manages 1,000 acres of farmland for wild game (with associated benefits for farmland birds), together with woodland management and PAWS restoration on a landscape-scale.

In the morning we will walk out along the lime Avenue, passing many of the monuments that contribute so significantly to the landscape around Castle Howard - the Obelisk, Gatehouse, Mock Fortifications and then the crowning glory – the Mausoleum. We will see work already completed and hear about the ongoing Conservation Management Plan. After a privileged view inside the Mausoleum, we will return to Castle Howard via the Temple of the Four Winds and the formal gardens.

Lunch will be locally made sandwiches at Castle Howard.

Starting with veteran trees near the House, after lunch we will pass through estate farmland to look at areas of newly planted linking woodland. Moving on to see work carried out to restore Ancient Woodland from non-native species plantation, we will look at field-scale management for wild game and farmland birds. Making our way back through Coneysthorpe village we will get picked up from one of the most popular viewpoints, by the Great Lake, and return to the House.

An opportunity to experience the unique rural charm of the Lincolnshire Wolds escarpment ridge as we explore a wide range of partnership and community driven approaches to shape and promote the area’s special qualities. Discussions will be varied as we enjoy the area's picturesque spring-line villages, distinctive woodland and parklands, remnant grasslands and its strong farming and cultural ties.

Our first stop will be in the market town of Caistor for a short break before continuing to the village of Walesby from where we will walk along part of the Viking Way (a 147 mile long distance path) to Tealby. As we climb from Walesby to the remote Ramblers’ Church we will explore different aspects of the north western scarp of the AONB, including the stunning views as well as the unimproved grassland and Lincoln Longwool sheep. In Tealby, we find out about the work that the local community has done to sustain this attractive, vibrant village.

Lunch will be a local produce buffet at Tealby Village Hall.

After lunch the walk continues through Tealby to Bayon’s Manor, now a major Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) parkland re-creation scheme, but once home to Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s family. We then enjoy a tractor & trailer ride through Sir Richard Sutton’s Settled Estates Lincolnshire Estate looking at further HLS work on one of the largest schemes in the country, long-term woodland management, game management, chalk streams and Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) demonstration farm.

In the late afternoon we will return to Caistor, visiting the Arts & Heritage Centre funded by the Big Lottery, focus of the BBC Village SOS programme in 2011 and member of Tastes of Lincolnshire - for tea and cake before returning to York.

This trip will give you the opportunity to spend the whole day walking along a linear route following the Viking Way between three villages in the Lincolnshire Wolds. During the day we will have a taste of the rolling hills and valleys, following the River Bain and exploring the heritage including several deserted medieval villages. We will talk about the importance of linear routes and projects within the landscape, including chalk streams, heritage, verges, paths and community involvement.

Our first stop will be in the market town of Caistor for a short break before continuing to our drop off point near the village Ludford in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB. Walking along part of the Viking Way (a 147 mile long distance path) we’ll have a taste of the rolling hills and valleys. We pass through several deserted medieval villages (DMVs) to the village of Donington on Bain. For much of the walk we follow the River Bain, a chalk stream, a UK BAP priority habitat. We will be looking at the Life on the Verge project, involving volunteers adopting and surveying sections of verge. We will discuss the restoration of traditional road signs and work with highways authorities to improve the street scene.

Lunch will be a local produce buffet at Donington on Bain Village Hall.

After lunch we will continue walking along the Viking Way for the afternoon. Leaving Donington on Bain we will see evidence of more recent history – disused railway and RAF activity in the area. We will talk about community involvement, the Lincolnshire Wolds Walking Festival (now one of the largest in the country) and grant schemes. We will talk about the Heritage at Risk project, involving volunteers surveying and recording their local heritage – not just listed/protected sites/buildings. We end up in Goulceby, a village benefitting from undergrounding the overhead power lines.

In the late afternoon we will return to Caistor, visiting the Arts & Heritage Centre funded by the Big Lottery, focus of the BBC Village SOS programme in 2011 and member of Tastes of Lincolnshire - for tea and cake before returning to York.

This trip will explore the countryside of Lower Nidderdale with a llama as your companion and give an insight into tourism, farm diversification, heritage, SINCs and Ancient Woodland management. In the afternoon we will visit one of the area’s weird and wonderful visitor attractions, Brimham Rocks and find out more about geology and land management.

In the morning we will take part in a 3.5 mile circular trek and enjoy refreshments, carried by our llamas, in beautiful ancient woodland. En route we will discuss topics such as farm diversification, tourism, heritage, ancient woodland management and SINCs, before returning to the farm.

Lunch will be a local produce buffet at Nidderdale Llamas.

In the afternoon we will travel the short distance from Nidderdale Llamas to Brimham Rocks, a National Trust-owned visitor attraction in the AONB. We will find out more about this fascinating geological site, landscape management issues and the effects on tourism and biodiversity before returning to York.

This trip will let you see the area from a different angle as you venture underground into a showcave, before joining experts from Nidderdale AONB Partnership and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to explore one of the area's reservoirs and its surrounding moorland. You will finish the day by visiting one of the AONB’s newest and most unique visitor attractions, the fascinating ‘Coldstones Cut’, and exploring some of the AONB’s industrial heritage.

In the morning we will visit one of the area's visitor attractions, Stump Cross Caverns – a showcave. We will be served refreshments and watch a short film on the Caverns and the local area before venturing underground into the cave to view the stalactites and stalagmites. We will then walk across the moorland to Grimwith Reservoir discussing topics such as moorland and land management and observing some of the wonderful historic farm buildings and birdlife around the reservoir.

Lunch will be a packed lunch in a shooting box overlooking Grimwith Reservoir.

Following lunch we will visit an area of moorland that has been part of a peat restoration project undertaken by the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, before continuing on foot around the reservoir to look at a recently planted area of woodland. We will then travel by bus back to Stump Cross Caverns for refreshments, before visiting one of the AONB’s newest and most unique visitor attractions, The Coldstones Cut, and exploring some of the area's fascinating industrial heritage.

This trip will allow you to discover links between the World Heritage Site of Durham Cathedral and the history and culture of the North Pennines over hundreds of years.  The trip will include some hands-on archaeology at Shildon, lead mining heritage, community and education projects.

In the morning we will travel to Edmundbyers for an introduction to the AONB and coffee at The Punchbowl Inn. We will then continue to Muggleswick to do some recording of a medieval building before travelling to Blanchland with a stop at Pow Hill Country Park on Derwent Reservoir.

Lunch will be soup and a sandwich at Blanchland Tea Rooms.

After lunch a 0.5 mile walk will take us to Shildon to look at historic building conservation and community archaeology before returning to Blanchland to look at a range of access and conservation projects in and around the village.

Afternoon tea will be served in Blanchland Tea Rooms before returning to York.

This trip will allow you to view geology, access, hay meadow conservation, community archaeology and wild flower conservation all in one day.

The trip will start from the AONB Partnership’s new Discovery Centre at Bowlees, in Upper Teesdale. We will look at landscape-scale conservation of peatland and upland hay meadows and at linking the nearby NNR with the surrounding countryside. After tea / coffee and a short presentation at Bowlees, we will walk via Wynch bridge and Holwick to High Force.

Lunch will be a picnic at High Force.

After lunch and a short coach trip to the watershed between Weardale and Teesdale, we’ll walk onto the moor to look at peatland conservation on an AONB-wide scale and beyond. Before leaving for Durham we’ll have tea at Langdon Beck Hotel, and see some of the partnerships between conservation bodies and this deeply rural business in relation to geology and black grouse.

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