Whitehill Wood

A diesel multiple unit occupies the track known as 'Rock Siding' at Bewdley Station, Severn Valley Railway

Viewed from the railway line beside the Safari Park, this is the elephant enclosure.

This outcrop of sandstone rock forms the northern boundary of Bewdley station

BR Standard Pacific No 71000 "Duke of Gloucester" [left] and 'Manor' class 4-6-0 No 7812 "Erlestoke Manor" pass at Bewdley station.

I was not alone in finding the sight of this field bright red with poppies difficult to drive past, the Blackstone car park opposite was full. A poster on the fence says, "This is one of three fields owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. This year it is being left fallow. Its diverse and colourful weeds are indicative of low input agriculture. By using minimal herbicides we get this beautiful flush of annual wildflowers such as the poppy. We'll leave the field fallow in rotation to help reduce the nutrient levels in the soil. This will allow the land to gradually become heathland, a very threatened habitat in the county. Several rare arable plants have been recorded in these fields and insects are abundant." A report on this site from the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust website Archive Link

An area on one side of the field has been roped off for use by visitors so they can feel they are surrounded by the poppies.

I was not alone in finding the sight of this field bright red with poppies difficult to drive past, the Blackstone car park opposite was full. A poster on the fence says, "This is one of three fields owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. This year it is being left fallow. Its diverse and colourful weeds are indicative of low input agriculture. By using minimal herbicides we get this beautiful flush of annual wildflowers such as the poppy. We'll leave the field fallow in rotation to help reduce the nutrient levels in the soil. This will allow the land to gradually become heathland, a very threatened habitat in the county. Several rare arable plants have been recorded in these fields and insects are abundant." A report on this site from the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust website Archive Link

I was not alone in finding the sight of this field bright red with poppies difficult to drive past, the Blackstone car park opposite was full. A poster on the fence says, "This is one of three fields owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. This year it is being left fallow. Its diverse and colourful weeds are indicative of low input agriculture. By using minimal herbicides we get this beautiful flush of annual wildflowers such as the poppy. We'll leave the field fallow in rotation to help reduce the nutrient levels in the soil. This will allow the land to gradually become heathland, a very threatened habitat in the county. Several rare arable plants have been recorded in these fields and insects are abundant." A report on this site from the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust website Archive Link

It wasn't just the poppies Link which caught my eye.

I was not alone in finding the sight of this field bright red with poppies difficult to drive past, the Blackstone car park opposite was full. A poster on the fence says, "This is one of three fields owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. This year it is being left fallow. Its diverse and colourful weeds are indicative of low input agriculture. By using minimal herbicides we get this beautiful flush of annual wildflowers such as the poppy. We'll leave the field fallow in rotation to help reduce the nutrient levels in the soil. This will allow the land to gradually become heathland, a very threatened habitat in the county. Several rare arable plants have been recorded in these fields and insects are abundant." A report on this site from the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust website Archive Link

The horses in the next field seem unimpressed.

The crossing (a fairly recent development for National Cycle Route 45 I think) was getting a lot of use as people parked in the Blackstone Country Park car park and crossed the road to view the poppies.

Bewdley Leisure Centre is on the edge of Bewdley. It is owned by Wyre Forest District Council, but the facilities are managed for them by a firm called D C Leisure. At this centre facilities include badminton, five-a-side football, group exercise classes, basketball, volleyball, martial arts, and much else. There are also two football pitches, a rugby pitch and an artificial cricket wicket. D C Leisure's contract to manage this centre, and other centres in Kidderminster and Stourport-on-Severn expires in 2013. Because of rising management and maintenance costs, the District Council are looking at other arrangements. They seem minded to hand over the Bewdley Leisure Centre to community groups or organisations. This presumably is what the current Government's "Big Society" is all about. It will be interesting to see if any groups come forward to run what is in effect a business, and running a facility this size would surely require some paid staff, or maybe volunteers will do everything. Although how a community group can cope with increasing management and maintenance costs, when the council can't, isn't immediately obvious. SO7974 : Bewdley Leisure Centre sign, Stourport Road, Bewdley.

The sign is by the entrance to the centre. SO7974 : Bewdley Leisure Centre, Stourport Road, Bewdley.

It's not clear if the field is part of the centre, or belongs to the adjoining school. Possibly it is used by both.

This bridge carries Stourport Road over a very small stream, which was virtually dry when photographed. The stream is culverted in places, and discharges into the nearby River Severn.