Read our bonus selection of reader nominations from July's bulging email
folder.
Each month entrants whose nomination for the Green Spaces awards is featured
in the Times or Timesonline will win a copy of Alastair Sawday’s Green
Places to Stay.
Send your nominations by email to Greenspaces@thetimes.co.uk
with your nomination and the category it applies to.
Entries close on September 1. We look forward to hearing of your discoveries!
Remember, the categories are:
BRITAIN
1 Best place to stay
2 Best open space
3 Best project
EUROPE
4 Best place to stay
5 Best open space
WORLDWIDE
6 Best place to stay
7 Best open space
Among July's nominations are:
Category 2 (Britain: best open space)
WARLEY WOODS, BIRMINGHAM
Owned and run by a local trust, the park (just 4 miles from Birmingham City
Centre) has been restored to reflect its heritage as a Humphrey Repton
parkland. It provides good facilites for families with lots of paths
suitable for buggies and a woodland inspired playground. Nature conservation
is key and its beech woodland provides an excellent habitat. I really love
taking my little boy there. When he was very small he loved looking up at
the sky and the pattern of the trees against it. Now he loves seeing the
wildlife and the dogs and he is just delighted to be out in the open air.
It's an oasis of green and lifts my spirit every time I go there - Erica
Price, Oldbury, Birmingham
QUEEN VICTORIA'S BOTHY, ABERDEENSHIRE
My nomination is Queen Victoria's Bothy which is just beyond Braemar (west of
Aberdeen). You park the car and after a gentle climb you come an idyllic wee
loch and bothy where a small repast can be taken if required (always is).
Peaceful and beautiful - deer can be spotted on the hills.If lucky you can
watch the local sheep farmers gathering their sheep from the hils with a
fantastic display of controlling numerous dogs to round 'em up - Bob
Neish, Aberdeen
BAMBURGH, NORTHUMBERLAND
I am a massive fan of the Northumberland coast around Bamburgh. The
countryside is so rugged around there but so beautiful. Huge sand dunes can
be found in Bamburgh and there's also a beautiful castle to explore.
Slightly further up the cost is Lindisfarne (The Holy Island) which is
connected by road to main land (or disconnected by the sea depending on the
time of day you visit!). The great thing about that part of the country
though is the fresh air - you come back feeling so invigorated - Ben
Whitley, Watford
I still remember my first visit to the wild Northumbrian coast as a child;
after the bustle and crowds of Tynemouth and Whitley Bay, the vast open
spaces were awe-inspiring. The whole coastline is beautiful and unspoilt (if
sometimes a little breezy - bring a coat) - the miles of dunes with not a
soul for miles, and the iconic landmark of Lindisfarne and its abbey. There
are walks for the hardy and the lazy,and wildlife aplenty with seals and
seabirds. No need for a flight, the East Coast mainline goes right past the
doorstep and there are local trains and buses. My favourite part of the
whole coast is Bamburgh beach, with the contrast between the wonderful wide
sandy beach and the dramatic view up the castle. Bring your own supplies;
there are no beach-side cabanas. Bring your sun-tan cream; miracles can
happen. Leave your troubles; soak up the tranquillity and the breathing
space - Gordon Kynaston
MINSMERE NATURE RESERVE
I'd like to nominate the Suffolk coast and heaths area of outstanding natural
beauty - in particular Minsmere nature reserve - on of the most unspoilt and
remote places in the UK - Ruth Fish, Regional Advocacy and Partnerships
Team, East Midlands, Natural England
BWICH NANT yr ARIAN, MID-WALES
I'd like to nominate this woodland park in Ceredigion, mid-Wales. Even the
views from the car park are stunning! The centre has both paths and cycle
trails for all abilities and there are daily feeds of wild red kite, which
are found in very few other places in Britain. You can hear them before you
see them, and then, suddenly, there are dozens of wheeling birds above
you.The visitor centre itself uses wood chips as fuel - a by-product of
felling by the Forestry Commission, who run the centre. The roof of the
centre is also green, literally and metaphorically - it's covered in sedums
which collect and filter rainwater, which is used in the loos! Oh, and
there's a great playground for my rampaging children - Zoe Ashpole,
Manchester
FOREST OF BOWLAND, LANCS
One of the quietest, greenest places to be during a public bank holiday, or
any other time. You can roam the fells or moorland and hardly see a soul.
You will see plenty of wild life, such as deer, hares, pheasants, snipe, hen
harriers, foxes and badgers. All this region is skilfully managed to
preserve its unique A.O.N.B. and conservation status. The little villages
are unpretentious and unchanged. Go up Whitendale or Croasdale, or through
the Trough of Bowland, or visit Gisburn Forest and Stocks Reservoir, and
envy the folk who are lucky enough to live nearby - Averil King-Wilkinson
Category 3: (Britain: best project)
WALES BOTANICAL GARDENS, LLANARTHNEY, CARMARTHENSHIRE
An amazing variety of plants, trees, grasses etc. shown off to their best in
spacious drifts, outdoors and in,the exotic varieties, in the largest
glasshouse in Europe. Practical education facilities for young children, and
an insight into gardening methods of past years. All this and more in an
idyllic setting in deeply rural Carmarthenshire - E Jones, Neath
BAGGERIDGE COUNTRY PARK, STAFFS
Reclaimed from an old mine works...now acres of fields, woodland, childrens
play area, tearoom with walks leading through to Himley Hall...what could be
more ecological - Gail Baker, South Staffs
Category 5 (Europe: best open space)
LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA
The Lake is some 6 km in circumference, with the town of Bled at one end and
a couple of little villages scattered around. I walked the circumference one
quiet Friday morning, during some drizzle and never felt threatened or
nervous about being alone, such is the peace and tranquiility of the area.
It is litter free and stunningly beautiful, taking your breath away. The
waters are clear, you can see the carp, trout, and even pike, very clearly.
The lake is used for swimming in the warmer months, boating all year round,
and surrounded by forested hills and mountains, but not the point that you
feel claustrophic, there are green spaces! - Elizabeth Rodgers, Corwen,
Denbighshire
ODENWALD, GERMANY
I would like to nominate the "Odenwald" area in Germany, an area of
wooded, rolling hills countryside stretching from Southern Hesse to Bavaria.
Often overlooked for some of Germany's more well-known and touristy areas
such as the Blackforest, it offers miles of fabulous walks for ramblers,
beautiful woods, castles and ruins, Medieval towns and a never-ending number
of inns to rest and sample the local food. A perfect place to relax body and
soul - Dr. Petra Beck, Camberley, Surrey
Category 6: (Worldwide: best place to stay)
IL MORAN, KENYA
Governors' Camps take great care of its guests - and its long-serving staff,
the communities from which they come and the land and wildlife on which the
project depends. Governors' pays above minimum wage, covers its employees
healthcare and operates a non-discriminatory employment policy. It is
committed to reducing energy consumption and has installed fuel savers on
its generators, which are switched off 15 hrs/day, and is installing them on
vehicles. A heat exchanger system is being installed to heat water from the
otherwise wasted heat produced by the generators. Rubbish is sorted and
transported for recycling, as is office paper. Conservation is at the heart
of Governors' operation. It keeps detailed records to enable it to monitor
the ecosystem, supports researchers and conservationists and provides
assistance to the parks authorities. It also halved the size of the camp
that is now Il Moran, to reduce the impact on the wildlife and the
environment. Governors' community projects include major support for two
primary schools, an eye clinic and a street children project providing
education & employment. It has planted over 5000 indigenous trees to
maintain the riverine forest from the depredations of the Mara's elephants.
Its biogas project is inspirational: cattle dung has replaced wood as a
source of energy, enabling the woods to regenerate, saving the women's time
and dramatically reducing eye infections and respiratory problems! And
guests will leave without knowing any of this, unless they ask - Judith
De Witt, London
