Viva Lewes Issue #162 March 2020

ON THIS MONTH: FAMILY
Family fun on the Railway Land
and a repurposed signal box
Hidden away in the heart of Lewes is the 27-
acre site of the Railway Land Nature Reserve.
And it’s recently become accessible to a wider
range of people, thanks to the latest development
of the Egrets Way.
The broad, wheelchair and buggy-friendly path
will eventually run from Newhaven to Lewes,
(following the course of the River Ouse, before
detouring inland via Kingston, Swanborough
and Iford and rejoining the river at Rodmell).
The route now includes a section through the
Railway Land, the opening of which will be celebrated
with a family fun day on 22nd March.
“There will be a range of family-friendly activities
on offer,” says Helen Meade, programme
co-ordinator of the Railway Land Wildlife
Trust, which manages the nature reserve. “We
want to make people realise how much there is
to see and do here, and how accessible it now
is. One of the things we will be doing is lending
people lenses that clip to cameras on mobile
phones, and encouraging them to go out and
take photos that show things from a different
perspective: long distance, fish-eye view etc.
“The Railway Land is just a stone’s throw from
the town centre, and, for such a small nature
reserve, we have a huge mosaic of wildlife habitats,
with woodlands, reed beds, chalk streams,
ponds, ditches, wildflower meadows and water
meadows.”
“There is so much to see here,” agrees Helen’s
colleague, Jackie Ralph, “and now even more
people can enjoy it. The newly-concreted part
is great for wheelchairs and buggies, and we can
now offer supported walks through the nature
reserve to people who need help.”
Those keen to visit regularly, and to offer support
to the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, can
become Friends of Railway Land. One benefit
of membership, says Helen, is access to the
newly repurposed Signal Box, which has been
restored and repainted to become a wildlife hide.
A flap in its side now allows views over the water
meadows that extend down to the River Ouse,
and which are home to a host of wildlife.
“The water meadows are one of the most
biodiverse areas of the nature reserve,” explains
Helen. “People will be able to see the herons
and egrets that live there, as well as the peregrine
falcons that nest on the cliffs opposite.
We’ve built up the hedgerows around the Signal
Box to attract smaller birds too, and we’ve put
up swift and swallow boxes. We’ve also made the
loft into a bat loft – so, if you’re there at dusk,
you might see bats as well!”
“Every time you visit, you discover something
new,” adds Jackie. “You never get bored...”
Anita Hall
Family fun afternoon, 22nd March, 2-5pm.
railwaylandproject.org
Photo by Anita Hall
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