Bicton & Oxon WI had its 2021 annual summer outing on 4th August and what a wonderful afternoon it was.
39 members, partners and friends visited the Isle Estate near Shrewsbury, where Edward Tate educated and entertained us about the Isle's history before leading us on a two-mile walk around part of the estate.
We passed by the sites of both iron-age and Roman settlements, and were told about finding evidence of a Roman temple, newly discovered in the potato field. Edward also explained how he intends to leave the land better than when he first took it on: regenerating the soil, using less artificial fertilisers, encouraging bio-diversity by planting undercrops of insect-friendly 'weeds' and so on.
We also learnt that our kerbside green waste collected by Veolia is taken to the Isle where it is sorted, processed and composted before being added to the soil using some very clever satnav-aided kit.
We walked to Isle Pool - a lake formed by a melting 'ice cube' from the last ice age - before heading back to the walled vegetable garden to tuck into tea, coffee and the huge array of cakes that some of our members had brought along.
This map shows where we walked (the dotted line a shortcut for those who couldn't manage the full walk)
What's more, the weather was perfect! A lovely afternoon. Thank you, Edward.