We bought the site in the spring of 2013. It is near the top of the Cromer ridge on the south side. It had been used as a smallholding with sheep and donkeys. The 3.5 acres of non-garden was chopped into a series of very small paddocks with barbed wire everywhere. Literally the thing we did the first weekend was to take out all the wire – suddenly the site could breathe again and we could move across it in all directions. It was instantly alarming how fast the grass grew. I realised very quickly that we would need an achievable management plan and settled on allowing the grass to grow unhindered all year, aiming for a single cut (to be removed and disposed of) in September each year. The first cut was a mission as it was very thick: we had to hire a scissor-cutter and mini-bailer, complete with two operators and managed to give the grass away to a local riding school on condition they came and got it. I bought a prodigious quantity of Yellow Rattle seed, scattered it about and crossed my fingers. 10 years on, it is full of wildflowers, much thinner (we can cut it with the ride on mower now thankfully) and has a resident pair of Brown Hares.  Marsh Tit and Spotted Flycatcher are probably our best passerines to date. We flushed a Woodcock last year. Tawny owls, Buzzard, Red Kite (recently), Kestrel and Sparrowhawk testify to a good population of small rodents; we have both species of Pipistrelle regularly and one brief encounter with a possible Barbastelle; a good population of Hornets; and at last count at least 8 species of bumblebee as well as all the usual butterflies. A neighbour lent us a moth trap in 2021 and we got 60+ species (over 5mm) across two nights, Including Pine Hawkmoth. Hedgehogs put in an appearance every couple of years.

The first winter we also planted a native hedge and about an acre with a fruit orchard. I had been reading a lot about the loss of traditional orchards and thought we would put one back. 180 bottles of apple juice this year and still plenty of windfalls for the wildlife: totally organic. For the hedge we steered clear of Hawthorn, for fear of Fireblight, so went 50% Blackthorn (matching the existing hedge to the north) and 50% everything else - I literally went down the native hedge list on the website having one of each and round again until the order was filled. We have Oak, Ash, Field Maple, Hornbeam, Sycamore, Goat Willow, Rose, Guelder Rose, Honeysuckle, Hazel, Holly, Box, Holm Oak… the list goes on. We planted a double hedge, partly for fear it might fail, partly for wildlife.  In the end I don’t think we lost any plants and it’s now well established and we are letting selected trees become emergent. We cut it every second year (actually half every year) but I am thinking I might go to a three-year cycle. Part of the site used to be a Christmas Tree plantation at one time: these fall over periodically and we are slowly moving back to a native tree stock. Most things seem to be surviving OK but the oldest Ash has die-back and the Oaks seem to be in gradual decline. I think I will try planting some of the Mediterranean Oak species to re-stock.

A few years later, when we did up the house, we routed all the storm water run-off to a new pond at the bottom of the site. The main reservoir is shaded and has been slow to establish any aquatic plants, but it overflows into an area of restricted drainage in full sun which operates as a seasonal pond and this has been fantastic – it is mini-bog and has masses of dragonflies, Giant Water Beetle, Water Scorpion etc. in the summer.  We have Frogs, Toads, Smooth and Great Crested Newt, and once had a Water Shrew. Lots of wildlife comes in to drink. My son has some corrugated iron down in hope of a Grass Snake but it is a long way to the next bit of water (other than the derelict pond across the road) so that feels like a long shot. Maybe one day we can see the local ponds restored and some new ponds created nearby and that might become a reality…