Holme Fen

The sun shone brightly this morning - and I tidied up after a teenage boys' sleepover. Eventually we escaped the house - to hunt for golden birches at Holme Fen - and the sun promptly went in....Of course it came out again as soon as we arrived home.

Holme Fen NNR is situated on the south-western shore of the former Whittlesey Mere. The mere was drained in 1851 after years of falling water levels, and within a short time reedbed had been replaced by fields of wheat. The reserve is the largest birch woodland in lowland Britain and always reminds me of a little bit of Scotland without the contours.

Although most of our visit was dogged by stubborn cloud, I managed to take a couple of shots when the sun briefly appeared, lighting up the golden foliage of the birch and the deep copper-red of the bracken.

Best viewed large.