Celebrating Countryside Day 2025 at Shapwick Moor

CPRE Countryside Day in September, is an annual celebration of everything that is good about the countryside

For Countryside Day 2025, we teamed up with the Hawk and Owl Trust for a guided walk around Shapwick Moor Nature Reserve.

A group of around 30 of us had a really interesting afternoon, exploring the reserve on a sunny, windy day at the end of a very dry summer. 

Joel Cox, Assistant Conservation Officer at Shapwick Moor, explained how degraded agricultural land has been changed in recent years into a haven for wildlife and a place for people to enjoy. The team are gradually restoring former arable fields to herb-rich grassland and fen, through careful management of water levels, grazing and cutting for hay. There are several owl boxes on the reserve, as part of the Trust’s “adopt a nest box” scheme and a couple of viewing hides.

Hearing from the experts

Dedicated, specialist volunteers Dr Nick and the two Sues (!) shared how they carry out regular surveys of insect and aquatic life. By their skilled monitoring, they can show how the careful management of the site is making a huge difference to the habitats. Everyone enjoyed a close up view of some of the mini-beasts found on site.

We are hugely grateful to the staff and volunteers at the Hawk and Owl Trust for making the afternoon so special for us.

Thanks also to Mike Lanning, our volunteer photographer for taking so many beautiful photos.