Our lovely planet Earth is full of such natural wonders and beauty. I find no greater pleasure (besides playing with the little ones in my family), than to explore and discover yet more awesome places to enjoy. One such place that has caught my attention is Tamar Valley in England. Here follows an enchanting description as gained from the National Association of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).. and such that I felt compelled to pass along…
Rising on the borders of Cornwall and Devon, the rivers Tamar, Tavy and Lynher, form one of the last, unspoilt drowned valley river systems in England. On their passage to the broad estuary near Plymouth, the rivers flow through a series of deep meanders, steep gorges and wooded valleys. A ribbon of woodland extends along the Estuary margin although it is often no more than a mature hedgerow above a steep earth bank. In the middle valleys where the ridges are wide the high land has an almost plateau character and there is a feeling of remoteness and solitude. The landscape contains a wide variety of wildlife habitats, including many ancient woodlands and wetlands that provide important wintering grounds for wildfowl and wading birds.
People have lived in the Tamar Valley for centuries, and the diverse scenery reflects the impact of their activities in an area rich in natural resources. Field patterns disclose ancient farming practices, disused mine workings reveal intensive mining activity during the 18th century, and old orchards scattered on the warm, south-facing valley slopes are the remnants of market gardens that were widespread in the area at the beginning of the 20th century.
A Living Landscape
In terms of land cover agriculture is still the main land use in the Valley. 75% of farmland is under grass with cattle and sheep the main grazing animals. In general terms better land on the hilltops is used for intensive grass and crops, the slopes and marshy riverside land are used for grazing.
The landscape is dominated by a network of ancient hedges many of which could be up to 1000 years old. Hedges are mainly earth banks with a turf or stone facing and topped by trees and shrubs. They are an important wildlife habitat and provide corridors for species like bats to navigate through the landscape.
Orchards were once plentiful in the valley where apples and cherries were once a profitable crop. Many orchards have been lost and the land returned to commercial farming but some remain and many new orchards have been replanted in the lat 10 years in an effort to keep the local fruit varieties alive.
Green lanes cross the landscape and also provide a haven for wildlife. Some were access lanes to remote fields. Some were miners paths or packhorse routes and linked remote farms or led down to forgotten quays. All are important.
A Sense of Place
For centuries people have lived and worked in the Tamar Valley because of its richness of natural resources. Mining in the area dates back as far as the 13th century with a strong tradition of market gardening in the 18th century.
Nowadays, that tradition lives on and the Tamar Valley is well known for its farmers’ markets and food festivals where quality local produce proves ever popular with locals and tourists alike.
Around 17,000 people live in the towns, villages and hamlets surrounding the Tamar Valley.
Farming and market gardening
Farming and market gardening have been the economic mainstays of the valley economy in the past but are now less and less viable in a fast changing global economy.
At the height of the industry, the valley was covered with apple orchards, cherries, strawberries and daffodils which were produced not only for the area but for the rest of the UK.
The challenge is to evolve systems of working the land that will sustain farm families, supply good local food and other products and provide room for wildlife.
The Tamar Valley AONB can provide advice to land managers on looking after their hedges, orchards and woodlands. We can help obtain funding through Natural England’s Environmental Stewardship Schemes. We can also help to put together projects to look for new ways to support farms and those who work the land.
A Beautiful place on Mother Earth to Cherish
I am personally impressed with the pride and love for the land which seems quite apparent and abundant in this fertile and ancient valley. It is so vital to cherish, preserve, and protect these places of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and strive to create or preserve many more such places all around our beautiful Mother Earth. This is what Life is meant to be. Full of natural and wonderful places to visit! I get truly excited when I discover a place on Earth which carries the mysterious energy one can only find in ancient groves, valleys and other such areas. This Earth has many hidden magics, percieved as each individual wishes, yet magical all the same. I see nature as a very magical and wonderful part of Life on Earth. It is my heartfelt energy which goes forth to bring about enough thought and care, from my fellow human beings, to give proper attention to preserving and promoting new growth of our giant garden lovingly known as Mother Earth.
To find more places of beauty and wonder, you may wish to take a look at Planet Earth – The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]
Let’s take a look at what’s going on with the amazingly graceful and beautiful creature known as the Sea Turtle…
