Riding and keeping horses for both business and personal
purpose brings pleasure to many people and contributes to the local economy. As horse related activity has become more popular it is essential to ensure that the related development does not have an adverse impact on the special landscape qualities of the Mendip Hills AONB.

The guidelines, first produced in 2004 are Supplementary Planning Guidance, adopted by the five local authorities covering the AONB: Somerset County Council, North Somerset Council, Mendip and Sedgemoor District Councils and Bath and North East Somerset Council.

The Mendip Hills AONB Unit has revised the guidelines to bring them up to date with changes to the planning system.

Its purpose is to supplement the planning policies in the local authorities’ Development Plans and encourage a consistent approach to development across the whole of the AONB which protects the natural beauty of the landscape.

As well as advice on siting of buildings and building materials, advice is also given on trees and plants for screening and good practice for grazing to reduce the impact of horses on the landscape.

The guidelines are available on our website Publications  page.

The Mendip Hills AONB Unit invites all tourism businesses based in or near the AONB to a free familiarisation day in the Mendip Hills to find out what the area has to offer visitors and to network with other businesses.

The day includes a brief introduction to the area – why the area has AONB status and work that is underway by the AONB Unit to enhance and promote the area. There will be an introduction to places of interest to visit and the popular recreational routes in the area

Businesses are also encouraged to raise ideas on how this national asset can be further promoted to customers to enhance their stay and keep them coming back.

Fernhill Farm, located in the centre of the AONB providing bunkhouse accommodation and a venue for conferences, receptions and countryside education is the location for the morning with an optional farm tour and walk onto Black Down in the afternoon.

For programme details and to book a place email mendiphills@somerset.gov.uk or phone 01761 462338

The new Mendip Hills AONB volunteer programme is now available with a variety of practical tasks to help care for sites in the AONB.  The work programme is continuing to repair footpath furniture on popular routes, helping with work to improve routes on Black Down and undertaking dry stone walling.

The volunteer group set up last year has recently cleared scrub and trees from wildlife sites, repaired and built stiles and learned how to lay a hedge with traditional tools. 

In May, volunteers have the chance to learn traditional lime mortar walling to help restore an historic wall at The Pound in Rodney Stoke. The AONB ran a training event here last year and are now returning to continue the work.

The task will take place Monday 28th & Tuesday 29th May 2012 led by Woodlouse Conservation, specialists in lime mortar work. Ideally volunteers should be available for both days as the first day is training and the second is putting it into practice.

If you would like to book onto the lime mortar walling activity or join other volunteering tasks, Contact Owen Jones by email – mendipvolunteers@gmail.com or phone 07770 646161 or visit www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/volunteering

May blossom is out, bright green hawthorn and birch are in leaf with sycamore, pussy willow, chestnut and others following. Wonderful marsh marigolds at Blackmore reserve, bugle, the first bluebells, swathes of lady’s smock and aconite along the hedgerows.

Two men pacing the tunnels at Blackmore reserve, looking for adders, a week late methinks, as it was very cold and wet, self respecting adders I am sure would stay in during such weather.

I have noticed and reported small amounts of grit and tarmac dumped at the car park at Burrington Ham, still not many people about, though the weather is very unpredictable. I am looking forward to the volunteer meeting and walk at Velvet Bottom at the beginning of May.

April 2012

Wendy Barritt, one of the team who study dormice on Mendip, will be the speaker at our April meeting. Her talk will include details of suitable dormouse habitat, whether we have any in Westbury, and how to establish if dormice are present.
Westbury Village Hall Thursday 19th April 7.30pm
Tickets £2, under 16 free

There are profusions of primroses and lesser celandine on banks, bright green buds are also beginning to appear. It is amazing how in a few weeks the paths have dried out, though still big stretches of water on Black Down. One of the volunteer tasks this month was digging drainage channels into a ditch, it was very satisfying to watch most of the muddy water drain away.

It has been quite quiet out on the hills this month, I haven’t seen the ponies on Black Down but there are quite a lot of cattle grazing up there, and of course, the goats clinging to the side of the rocks on Burrington Coombe.

The March volunteers’ meeting was an astronomy evening with Chris Sperring in the observatory at Charterhouse. I was looking forward to good views of Jupiter and Venus in the telescope but it was too cloudy, however we had close looks at the gibbous moon with the terminator and lots of craters, and Chris’s enthusiasm kept us interested and engaged.

March 2012

The Mendip Hills AONB Unit Practical Tasks volunteers are celebrating successfully completing their winter work programme. The programme has provided a wide range of tasks and activities for the volunteers to become involved with. Four stiles have been repaired along the West Mendip Way, over 15m of hedge has been laid at Barton Camp near Crook Peak and encroaching scrub removed at Axbridge Lay-by.

The Spring work programme is now available and continues the variety of tasks volunteers can get involved with. The volunteer group will be helping with erosion control on Black Down, repairing a herringbone bank in Compton Martin and working to conserve and enhance Burrington Combe.

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer or would like to know more about volunteering then get in touch. Please contact Owen Joneson 01761 462338/07770 646161 or email mendipvolunteer@gmail.com.

Do’s and Don’ts
Acceptable waste – Each type to be separated