The Secret Woodland

We have a secret woodland.
Right on top of the cliffs, on the edge of the Solent with views of the Isle of Wight and the Needles is tucked the small gem of a nature reserve at Steamer Point.
The reserve is a sliver of mature forest to which ponds and wildlife friendly areas have been carefully and sympathetically added. One side is bordered by a golf course, but you can walk through the reserve down to the beach, or straight on into the grounds of the majestic Highcliffe Castle.
I plan to add more pictures of the woodland and the castle later in this journal, but here at the start I thought I would share with you an image from the tiny Information Centre at the entrance to the reserve. In it someone has painted this gorgeous mural showing all the woodland creatures, and it takes up an entire wall. If you look carefully you can see there are small doors set into the mural, behind which are hidden seasonal treasures for the children to find when they do the nature trail run by the wardens.
It really is a wonderful place; you can stand alone in the middle of the forest, with the sounds of the sea crashing onto the beach below.