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Events and
What's on for 2007
HEADLINES FOR THE COMING
SEASON
BEDGEBURY
CONCERT LINE-UP TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON FOR SATURDAY 9 &
SUNDAY 10 JUNE 2007
For children's events for
2007 Click Here
Weekly events 2007
Click Here
Planning your visit to
Bedgebury Click Here
Another year rolls by and Bedgebury National
Pinetum & Forest is again offering a very wide and varied
programme of special events for 2007; From rock & pop concerts
in June, cycling days and charity runs to wildlife and nature
walks. The list below shows the diversity of events planned
(some dates have still to be confirmed). All events need to be
booked and charges vary. The list of events below is still
provisional - please keep referring to the website for more
detailed information:
EVENTS BY MONTH 2007 (click on month)
JAN -
FEB -
MAR -
APR -
MAY -
JUN
- JUL -
AUG -
SEPT -
OCT -
NOV -
DEC
Bird Walks for Beginners
Saturday 24 February - 1.30pm - 4.00pm
If you haven’t yet had a chance to discover the magical world of
the Forestry Commission’s Bedgebury National Pinetum in
Goudhurst Kent, this will be an opportunity to
enjoy the beautiful landscape, but also learn about the varied
and interesting bird life at this unique visitor attraction.
  
Bedgebury is a haven for many unusual birds some of whom
overwinter whilst others visit at different times of the year.
Geoff Orton will conduct the walk to identify the birds and
their different birdsong. Please bring binoculars if you have them.
Some of Britain’s rarest and most elusive birds inhabit
Bedgebury, especially in the winter time, including hawfinches,
crossbills and even the occasional kingfisher. The rare and
elusive hawfinch is incredibly shy and Bedgebury is the one of
the best places in the country to catch a glimpse of this
beautiful bird.
They can sometimes be seen sitting out in the open, sometimes
perched at quite close range in exposed bare twigs or in clumps
of cypresses, ignoring birdwatchers and passing visitors with
dogs and children. A wonderful sight. Bedgebury is one of the
most important winter roosts for hawfinches and crossbills in
the country.
Adults £8.00, FOBP and Concessions £7.00. Children under
12 - £6.00
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Mountain Bike
Demonstration
Day
Sunday 4 March - All Day
Mountain Bike Demonstration event with several well known
manufacturers of mountain bikes will be bringing demonstration
bikes to Bedgebury for people to try. Test bikes will be on site
all day.
Kent
Rally
Sunday 18 March - 10.00am - all day
This event takes place in
Bedgebury Forest every year. Due to the dangerous nature
of the event the Forest tracks will be closed during
that day though the Pinetum, Play Area and Pineatery
will still be open for visitors.
April - British Cycling Activity Week
(see children's events)
Dormouse
Awareness
Saturday 21
April - 10am - 11.30am
John Robinson
Come out into
the forest with Ranger Steve Peters and look for dormice as they wake from their
long winter hibernation.
Free event
but donations welcome for further research
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Meet in Office Car Park
Places are
severely restricted.
Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum Book Fair
Saturday 21 April
FOBP will be running a Book Fair in the
Education Room at the Visitor Centre from 10am. Admission to the
Fair is free.
Spring Nature Walk with Chris Reynolds
Sunday 22 April - 2.00pm - 4.00pm
Chris Reynolds, Curator at the Pinetum, will help you to explore
some of the often forgotten areas of the Pinetum and tell you
about our conservation programme, both for the magnificent
collection of conifers and for the wildlife that inhabits the
Pinetum.
Cost is £8.00 for adults, £5.00 for concessions and FOBP.
Please make sure that you wear suitable clothes and
footwear. Places are limited so
booking is essential
on
01580 879820
Dormouse
Awareness
Saturday 28 April - 10am -
11.30am
John Robinson
Come out into
the forest with Ranger Steve Peters and look for dormice as they wake from their
long winter hibernation.
Free event
but donations welcome for further research
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Meet in Office Car Park
Places are
severely restricted.
'Fit not Fat' Demelza Bike Ride Challenge
Saturday 12 May - All day sponsored event riding on Bedgebury’s
family trail in conjunction with Demelza House.
For more information contact:
Friends of
Bedgebury Pinetum - Evening Glory
Wednesday
16 May - 6pm - 9pm
Azaleas in the Glory Hole
The Pinetum
will open only for the Friends of Bedgebury. Come and visit the
Glory Hole in the early evening with stunning colours and scents
of the azaleas & rhododendrons, see the orchids just emerging
and finish of the evening with a glass of wine and some nibbles
in the company of like minded friends.
Essential
booking on
01580 879820
Bird Walks for Beginners
Saturday 19 May - 10am - 12 noon.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to discover the magical world of
the Forestry Commission’s Bedgebury National Pinetum in
Goudhurst Kent, this will be an opportunity to
enjoy the beautiful landscape, but also learn about the varied
and interesting bird life at this unique visitor attraction.
Bedgebury is a haven for many unusual birds some of whom
overwinter whilst others visit at different times of the year.
Geoff Orton will conduct the walk to identify the birds and
their different birdsong. Please bring binoculars if you have them.
Some of Britain’s rarest and most elusive birds inhabit
Bedgebury, especially in the winter time, including hawfinches,
crossbills and even the occasional kingfisher. The rare and
elusive hawfinch is incredibly shy and Bedgebury is the one of
the best places in the country to catch a glimpse of this
beautiful bird.
They can sometimes be seen sitting out in the open, sometimes
perched at quite close range in exposed bare twigs or in clumps
of cypresses, ignoring birdwatchers and passing visitors with
dogs and children. A wonderful sight. Bedgebury is one of the
most important winter roosts for hawfinches and crossbills in
the country.
Adults £8.00, FOBP and Concessions £7.00. Children under
12 - £6.00
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Dormouse
Awareness
Saturday 19th
May - 10am - 11.30am
John Robinson
First of the walks checking the dormouse boxes in the forest.
Limited numbers so booking essential.
Come out into
the forest with Ranger Steve Peters and look for dormice as they wake
from their long winter hibernation.
Free event
but donations welcome for further research
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Places are
severely restricted
Meet in
Office Car Park
Evening stroll around the Pinetum with Chris Reynolds
Sunday 3 June - 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Chris in action
Chris Reynolds, Curator at the Pinetum, will help you to explore
some of the often forgotten areas of the Pinetum and tell you
about our conservation programme, both for the magnificent
collection of conifers and for the wildlife that inhabits the
Pinetum.
Cost is £8.00 for adults, £5.00 for concessions and FOBP.
Please make sure that you wear suitable clothes and
footwear. Places are limited so
booking is essential
on
01580 879820
Plants of Bedgebury
Saturday June 9 - 10.30am - 12.30pm.
Sue Buckingham can guide you through the Pinetum looking at the
different types of wild flowers that thrive in Bedgebury’s
diverse habitats: heathland, acid grassland and much more.
 
Sue will be bringing her intimate knowledge of
Bedgebury into play on this guided walk to find some of the more
interesting specimens at Bedgebury.
At this time of year the wild orchids
should still be in evidence.
Cost is £8.00 for adults, £7.00 for FOBP
and concessions, £6.00 for children. We are unlikely to stick to
the paths so please make sure you wear suitable clothing and
footwear.
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Bedgebury
National Pinetum Outdoor Concert Weekend
BEDGEBURY
CONCERT LINE-UP TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON FOR
SATURDAY 9 &
SUNDAY 10 JUNE 2007
Top acts will
again be playing at the Forestry Commission’s Bedgebury National Pinetum
& Forest
in Kent as part of the Forest Tours Concert programme this
summer.(2007)
Previous
artists at Bedgebury include: Jools Holland, Status Quo, Pulp, Paul Weller,
Madness & The Beautiful South, UB40 and Embrace.
    
     
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Dormouse
Awareness
Saturday June 16 - 10am - 11.30am
John Robinson
Join Steve Peters, Bedgebury's wildlife
ranger, to check on the dormouse boxes in the forest. This is
the third of Steve's monthly checks. Booking is ESSENTIAL as
there are only 10 places each month.
There is no charge for participants but we
would be grateful for a donation towards the conservation of
dormice.
Please ensure you wear suitable clothing
and footwear
Dragonfly Event
Saturday June 23 - 1.00pm - 3.00pm.
Join Gill and
John Brooks to find out about Dragonflies at Bedgebury. A survey
carried out by rangers at Bedgebury has recorded 20 different
species of dragonfly. Species ranging from the common darter to
the golden-ringed dragonfly can be seen at Bedgebury through the
summer months and even in autumn.
The
golden-ringed dragonfly is one of the largest and most
spectacular dragonflies that is easily recognized by its dark
body and bright yellow rings on the abdomen. Although scarce in
the South this species is encouraged by the rare heathland
habitat at Bedgebury and the fast flowing, clean rivers and
streams.
The cost is £8.00 for adults, £7.00 for concessions and FOBP,
£6.00 for children. You will be taken into damp, marshy areas so
please wear suitable footwear.
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Meet at New
Car Park
Batty in the
Pinetum
Friday 6
July - 8.30pm - 10.30pm
 
All amateur
Bat enthusiasts to join Kent Bat Groups Val Sutton and Ecologist
Martin Newcombe with Pinetum staff for an evening of high speed
thrills, squeeks and electronic detectors.
(bring a bat detector if you have one)
Adults £8, SC
£5, children £?? (must be over 7)
Essential
booking on 01580 879820
Meet in
New Car Park
Medieval Living History Weekend
Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 July - Bedgebury
has a wealth of history from pre-Roman times to the present
day. Displays, demonstrations, stalls and guided walks
available all day.
Children’s Event. We will help you to
use your senses and create your own sensational adventure in
a world of trees. 10am - 12 noon (4-6yrs) 2pm - 4pm
(7-12yrs)
Family Challenge Day, Royal British
Legion & HIW
Saturday 14 July - 10.00am - 4.00pm
British Legion sponsored ride in
conjunction with Hospice in the Weald
Dormouse
Awareness
Saturday 21
July - 10am - 11.30am
John Robinson
Join Steve Peters, Bedgebury's wildlife
ranger, to check on the dormouse boxes in the forest. This is
the fourth of Steve's monthly checks. Booking is ESSENTIAL as
there are only 10 places each month.
There is no charge for participants but we
would be grateful for a donation towards the conservation of
dormice. Please ensure you wear suitable clothing and footwear.
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Meet at New Car Park
Moth Trapping in the Pinetum
Saturday 21 July - 8.30pm - 11.00pm
  
Looking for moths around the Pinetum with an expert Keith Palmer
Adults £8, SC £5, children £?? (must be over 8))
Essential
booking on 01580 879820
Meet in
Office Car Park
Bedgebury's Summer Birds
Saturday 4 August
- 10.00am -12.00 noon
Quarterly bird identification walk
If you haven’t yet had a chance to discover the magical world of
the Forestry Commission’s Bedgebury National Pinetum in
Goudhurst Kent, this summer there will be an opportunity to
enjoy the beautiful landscape, but also learn about the varied
and interesting bird life at this unique visitor attraction.
Geoff Orton will be conducting his quarterly tour of the
Pinetum helping to identify the resident birds and some of the
summer visitors. Please bring binoculars if you have them.
Some of Britain’s rarest and most elusive birds inhabit
Bedgebury and summer brings many different species from the
continent such as chiff-chaffs who even remain
here through the winter, the nightjar, stonechats and the
rare firecrest and even the occasional kingfisher.
Adults £8.00, FOBP and Concessions £7.00. Children under
12 - £6.00
Essential
booking
on
01580 879820
Batty in the
Pinetum
Wednesday 15
August - 8.00pm - 10.00pm
All amateur
Bat enthusiasts to join Kent Bat Groups Val Sutton with Pinetum staff for an evening of high speed
thrills, squeaks and electronic detectors.
(bring a bat detector if you have one)
Adults £8, SC
£5, children £?? (must be over 7)
Essential booking on 01580 879820
Meet in
New Car Park
What's in a name? Summer evening
Walk with Chris Reynolds
Sunday 19 August - 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Chris in action
Chris Reynolds, Curator at the Pinetum, will help you to explore
some of the often forgotten areas of the Pinetum and tell you
all about the magnificent collection of conifers and how the
plant hunters help expand the collection.
Cost is £8.00 for adults, £5.00 for concessions and FOBP
Please make sure that you wear suitable clothes and
footwear. Places are limited so
booking is essential
on
01580 879820
Marie Curie Great Forest Run (10km Run)
Saturday 8 September - 10am
- 4.30pm
10km run through Bedgebury Forest in aid of Marie Curie
Breast Cancer Charity. Also
has a 2k run for children/families. Details will
follow soon.
Tesco
Bike Active Cycle Day (TBC)
Saturday 15 September
Details will
follow soon.
Ros Culver
Narcanon Challenge
Dormouse
Awareness
Saturday 23 September
- 10am - 11.00am
John Robinson
Come out into
the forest with Ranger Steve Peters and look for dormice as they
start to think about their long winter hibernation.
Free event
but donations welcome for further research
Essential
booking
on
01580
879820
Places are
severely restricted
Meet at New Car Park
Fungi Identification Walk
Saturday 29 September or
Saturday 6 October - (TBC) 10am - 1.00pm
  
More details to follow soon
HAVING A FUNGI TIME AT BEDGEBURY
WILL BE BACK IN OCT 2007
  
Provisional Dates are:
Saturday 6 October
or Saturday 13 October (TBC) - Fungi
Foray 10am - 1pm
Bedg ebury National Pinetum & Forest will again be holding its seasonal and
popular Fungi Foray events in late early October between
10.00 am and 1.00pm.
Booking is essential and can be made by calling the Pinetum
Shop on 01580 211781. Wear boots and waterproofs bring a
basket and a knife. Cost to be confirmed.
Essential booking on
01580 879820 as this is our most popular event
Fungi
Identification Walk
Saturday 14 October or Saturday 21
October - (TBC) 10am
-1.00pm
More details to follow
soon
Bedgebury
National Pinetum & Forest - Autumn 2007
  
Late
September early October the National Pinetum takes on a lot more colour
than you may think!
Autumn is nature at her most beguiling: the
dazzling transformation of a green and pleasant land into a riot
of blazing oranges and burnt reds. In the United States, the
autumnal transition of leaves into a fusion of clarets and
gold's has long been a national obsession, with millions of
foliage fans fuelling an industry worth billions of dollars. Now
'leaf peeping' is set to sweep Britain.
As the weather gets colder Bedgebury
Pinetum in the garden of England is gearing up to another busy
season as one of Kent’s most beautiful and spectacular visitor
attractions at this time of year.
WHY DO LEAVES TURN GOLD?
... and bronze, brilliant orange, red, crimson and more. These
glorious colours are the result of chemical reactions that occur
as the leaves die during the autumn. In spring and summer,
leaves produce food for the tree, converting nutrients and
minerals into sugars and starches for growth.
Enjoyed by over 50,000 visitors a year the Pinetum is the
perfect place to see the dazzling display of reds and yellows
provided by the American Sweet Gum and the Dawn Redwoods which
surrounds Marshall’s lake and many other tree species which make
up Bedgebury Pinetum’s 300 acre collection. Bedgebury is famous
around the world for its collection of over 10,000 conifers,
many of which are rare and endangered.
WILL THERE BE A DRAMATIC DISPLAY THIS
YEAR?
The colours are governed by a complex mix of factors, from soil
type to sunlight, moisture and wind conditions - so, for
example, storms during September and October could rip away the
leaves and curtail the show.
The Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera,
native to North America, is an interesting species and a member
of the magnolia family. Its foliage turns butter yellow in
autumn and is in striking contrast to the evergreen foliage of
the conifers.
If you hunt around you might see
Metasequoia “Gold Rush” a recent cultivar of the Dawn Redwood
that has golden yellow foliage and has the same autumn colour as
the species’. Whatever the weather brings this autumn Bedgebury
National Pinetum is a must see show for all the family.
SEASONAL TRAILS AT BEDGEBURY NATIONAL PINETUM
Autumn Trail
As the weather gets colder the Forestry Commission’s Bedgebury
National Pinetum in the garden of England is gearing up to
another busy season as one of Kent’s most beautiful and
spectacular visitor attractions. To ensure visitors see the best
at this time of year a new autumn trail leaflet is now available
from the visitor centre and available to download on this site
below.
The autumn trail leaflet will take visitors on a journey of
discovery to see and learn about the most interesting trees
growing in the Pinetum and to some of the best places to
appreciate the autumn colour on show.
The one mile trail will take visitors past some of Bedgebury’s
most amazing trees including the fascinating Japanese umbrella
pine with needles like the spokes in an umbrella, the Fitzroya
tree which lives for up to 3600 years, and the bright yellow
fruits of the Yew Trees. You can marvel at the best show
stoppers at this time of year, the deciduous Swamp Cypresses and
Dawn Redwoods that surround Marshal’s Lake. These specimens
from, respectively, south east USA and China turn a rich russet
red before losing their needles in winter.
As the trail path climbs back towards the car park, you will see
a bank full of colourful trees and, if you are close enough,
smell the Katsura tree which fills the air with the smell of
Candy Floss as the leaves fall. A winter trail will be revealed
in December.
 
Dormouse
Awareness
Saturday 20 October
- 10am - 11.00am
 John Robinson
Come out into
the forest with Ranger Steve Peters and look for dormice as they
start to think about their long winter hibernation.
Free event but donations welcome for
further research
Essential booking on
01580
879820
Places are severely restricted
Meet at New Car Park
Autumn Birds at the Pinetum
Saturday 17 November - 10.00 - 12.00 noon
If you haven’t yet had a chance to discover the magical world of
the Forestry Commission’s Bedgebury National Pinetum in
Goudhurst Kent, this autumn there will be an opportunity to
enjoy the beautiful landscape, but also learn about the varied
and interesting bird life at this unique visitor attraction.
Geoff Orton will be conducting his quarterly tour of the
Pinetum helping to identify the resident birds and some of the
autumn visitors. Please bring binoculars if you have them.
Some of Britain’s rarest and most elusive birds inhabit
Bedgebury, especially in the winter time, including hawfinches,
crossbills and even the occasional kingfisher. The rare and
elusive hawfinch is incredibly shy and Bedgebury is the one of
the best places in the country to catch a glimpse of this
beautiful bird.
They can sometimes be seen sitting out in the open, sometimes
perched at quite close range in exposed bare twigs or in clumps
of cypresses, ignoring birdwatchers and passing visitors with
dogs and children. A wonderful sight. Bedgebury is one of the
most important winter roosts for hawfinches and crossbills in
the country.
Adults £8.00, FOBP and Concessions £7.00. Children under
12 - £6.00
Marie Curie Tree of Lights
Sunday 9 December -
3.00pm - 4.30pm
Friends of Bedgebury Pinetum
Annual Boxing Day walk
Wednesday 26 December
11.00 -
1.00pm
 .jpg) 
Why sit in front of the television feeling bloated when you can
have a brisk walk round the Pinetum and warm yourself up
afterwards with mulled wine and mince pies.
For more details from Malcolm Dove on 01580 211321.
Essential booking
on
01580 879820
For details of these or any other events please
Contact Visitor services 01580
879820
For children's events for 2007
Click Here
Weekly events 2007
Click Here
Planning your visit to
Bedgebury Click Here
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