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This area bordering the River Colne has been farmed for hundreds of years and is now owned by Colchester Council. Most of it is being farmed by the Council's tenant farmer in a wildlife-friendly way, with limited use of pesticides and features such as 'conservation headlands' – strips along the edge of arable fields sown with non-invasive wild flowers that serve as reservoirs of beneficial insects.
In the north-east corner south of the railway a new wood of over 12,500 trees has been planted, known as Charter Wood. Smaller woods and copses have been planted elsewhere, including beside the Colne.
The river and its bankside meadows form a wildlife corridor running through urban Colchester and they are home to kingfishers and water voles. The river is important as a flood channel and the meadows used to flood regularly in winter, encouraging a rich flora, but in these times of changing climate this has been sporadic.
Visiting
Can be reached via a public footpath from Cymbeline Way (A133) or via public footpaths leading in from the north and west.
Within easy walking distance of Colchester North station.
Accessible at all times.
A parking area for disabled visitors can be reached via Baker's Lane (Spring Lane exit from the Lexden roundabout) and a surfaced pathway leads down to the river from there.
A farm trail has been laid out starting from Baker's Lane. Leaflets are available from the Council or phone 01206 853588.