June 4: Wetlands and a modern family dairy farm

 The Cotswolds are shaped like a giant wedge, with the thin edge on the eastern side. Today we stood on the top of the western escarpment and gazed down on the Severn Estuary. We spent the bulk of the day at the Slimbridge Wetlands Centre on the eastern side of the Severn, created in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott when he dedicated his private estate to wildlife (particularly waterfowl) conservation and public education.  He was also one of the founders of the World Wildlife Fund. At different times of year the centre hosts over 100 different species of birds, many of them migratory. The centre has created many “hides”, or blinds, from which to observe the birds.  We saw some really beautiful plovers, ducks, waders and geese, as well as beautiful flowers and several kinds of grassland orchids. 

In the afternoon we traveled to a dairy farm that’s been in operation for generations. The constant tension between the cost of producing milk (including regulations and the cost of feeds or fertilizers) has caused the family to change some of how they operate.  Their cows are certified “free range” which means they graze on grass at least 180 days per year; they have started planting “herb lanes” in their fields, encouraging other plants like clover and plantain to grow in addition to grass, and reducing the use of fertilizer. The cows actually give more milk from the herby fields.  And about 20 years ago they began making cheese, to have a more value-added product in addition to milk. We learned about making several versions of Gloucestershire cheese, and got to sample them— yum! Finally, they have modernized the traditional farm store to vending machines that dispense whole milk as well as eggs, cheeses and products from neighboring farms. It has proven so popular that they have to replenish the stock several times a day. 

 Finally we ate dinner in a wonderful pub which started out as a 16th century courthouse. The access to the cellar is still the one from when It held prisoners, and there is still a retractable bar that closed off the building interior while court was in session (hence “called to the bar”).