Michael Alford had a wish. He had a wish to
transform the East Sussex dairy farm that had been in his family for
generations into a unique and diverse naturescape, showcasing beautiful
wetlands, native woodlands, wide open meadows and wilderness areas where nature
could run its own course. He had a wish to nurture the landscape back to life,
fill it with flowering colour, handsome foliage and a flourishing population of
animal life.
Michael realised his wish in the form
of
Stoneywish Nature Reserve: 50 acres of countryside ‘as it used to be’; an area
so natural that it attracts a wide range of wildlife, including green
woodpeckers, herons, gold crests and thousands
of butterflies. There’s also a
19th-century-style homestead, complete with free-range sheep, pigs, goats and
chickens, so even if the animals of the wild variety prove elusive, there’s
opportunity aplenty for the kids to get to know this friendly lot.
Camping takes place on the outer edge
of
the reserve, in a large, flat meadow surrounded by mature hedgerows.There
are no camping facilities at all yet, other than a tap with drinking water,
although campers are welcome to use the toilets at the reserve’s visitor
centre. But who has time for a shower when there are bugs to hunt and giant
carp to feed? And if you’re concerned this might be a nature overload for
Junior, fear not – urban relief is only 20 minutes’ drive from here, where
Brighton’s beach-bustle will be an instant change of pace.