YWT Chafer Wood - 6 May 2013

With two sleeping bairns, we didn't have much chance to explore what appeared to be a beautiful wood. The site was very easy to find. Go north up the only turning in Ebberston off the A170 just east of Pickering and the nature reserve can be found just outside the village.

In lovely Bank Holiday sunshine, I scamperered up the track to King Alfred's Cairn, a small stone shelter which overlooks a sloping meadow littered with Cowslips, Dog Violets and Forget-me-nots. From the top, I enjoyed a stunning view through the tops of the trees and south over the Vale of Pickering.

Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs sang overhead, though the woods were largely quiet in the early afternoon. Back at the car, the kids were still asleep so we drove up the narrow lane, lit with hordes of stunning Primroses on either side.