30 Days Wild: Day 10 - My little peace of heaven

My life is usually pretty hectic, racing from one end of the country to the other and being on my feet all day delivering training courses.  Like most folks I need a little down time, somewhere I can relax and unwind and, ideally, enjoy a bit of cake.  Whenever it all gets a bit too much, Leighton Moss is where I head for, the entire reserve is a haven of peace and quiet, but I have my favourite spots - most of which I'll tell you about...

The sensory garden is a fantastic place and greets you as you arrive - in the summer it's alive with bugs and bees and an absolute riot of colour.

Lillian's Hide - the big one everyone heads for and perfect for panoramic views across the reserve.

Next up is Pubic Hide - busy during the day but deserted from around 5pm - great for otter spotting and the occasional bittern...

THIS is my absolutely favourite spot - I love this bench.  I love it so much I'm not even telling you where it is - if you know the reserve well you might know where it is, just promise not to tell anyone else... 

And if you're going to hide away on your favourite bench, you need some fabulous food to nibble on!

Lower Hide - just how I like it.

During the course of a few hours I spotted buzzards, a variety of ducks, little egrets, black headed gulls by the score, marsh harriers, wrens, a tawny owl and some whopping great dragon flies.  Sometimes you don't need to go out there and chase nature, sometimes you can just sit still, enjoy the peace and quiet, and let nature come to you.