Sal Chaffey takes a look at some of the features on the Calke Park map
No 1: The Deer Shelter
No 2: The Ponds
From west to east, Betty’s Pond was created in 1741, Thatch House Pond in 1752 and Mere Pond in 1800ā1805. These two are separated by a cascade, which must NOT be used as a crossing point.
The ponds make for some great route choices!
No 3: The Veteran Trees, including the Old Man of Calke
There are some 350 veteran trees in Calke Park, mainly oaks and sweet chestnut but also lime, cedar and horse chestnut. Calke became a National Nature Reserve in 2006, and a competition was held to name its oldest tree, an oak of over 1000 years. The oak’s enclosure is shown on the map, to the north of the path (blue arrow). The path uses the Cellweb, a no-dig tree root protection system to reduce damage to the tree’s roots. This I learnt from ancienttreeforum.co.uk, who also mention the nearby lime (green arrow, or No 3 on the OS National Trust Tree Trail map): “Thereās a small leafed lime that is the very best walking tree youāll ever see with both attached and older separated trees emanating from the mother tree. The parkland is full of countless ancient and veteran trees rich in deadwood habitat, which is anything but dead as itās brimming with saproxylic life.”
… which leads us to the plethora of rootstock (green crosses) on the O map, showing decaying trees, host to a rich variety of insect and fungal life. Between the pond and the three-pronged overflow car park, the dead horse chestnuts have been topped, and the branches left on the ground as ‘habitat piles’.
Hope you can spare a though for these old giants during your run!
TO BE CONTINUED …
