The Valley

Below are a couple of pictures of our valley. The first is of the area directly behind our bungalow. Up until a few years ago it was arable farmland but then the London Wildlife Trust discovered some pockets of valuable chalk downland which were awarded SSSI status (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and since then these fields have been uncultivated. This is a mixed blessing as it is great for the wildlife as there are so many wild flowers but it can also be bit of a nuisance for us as we have a constant battle with the migrating weed seeds taking root in our garden (the yellow bits are all dandelions and it gets worse!). The farmer did say he was going to put sheep on it which we would love and they would control the weeds but as yet it hasn't happened. The brown towards the back right is one of the SSSI areas. It has recently been cleared of scrub but it was done using heavy machinery so it will be interesting to see how it recovers compared to a similar area a bit further down the valley that was carefully cleared by hand.

This next picture and the picture behind the 'Downland views' heading shows the valley to the side of us. It is hard to believe we are so close to London and directly under the flight path of Biggin Hill Airport.

My family and I have lived here for many years and have seen many changes but one thing has thankfully been consistent and that is the amazing wildlife. Biggin Hill is now a large village or maybe even a small town and everyone associates it with the Battle of Britain and the annual air fair, so few seem to know about the secret and special world that surrounds them.