2026 Field Meetings

Booking is Essential for all meetings unless otherwise stated.
Please email or ring the leader before each meeting to say you are coming. This helps with
planning and can be useful if there are changes to the programme. Parking is sometimes limited
so please lift share where possible. Please bring your GPS or mobile phone to field meetings if you have one.
Meet from 10.30am for an 11am start unless stated otherwise.

We always like to see photos taken at meetings which can also be submitted to our photo competition. There is now an online storage area for SRPG photographs. Contact the Website Manager for details.

A meeting to explore and record plants of woodland, rocky outcrops, calcareous grassland and limestone heath, where we will search for Heath Dog-violet (Viola canina). We will also hunt for Cheddar Bedstraw (Galium fleurotii) again, last seen here in 2016. This is a rich and varied site, but there are steep rocky paths, particularly in the gorge, and these may be muddy and slippery.

Meet: in the free car park (ST52084843)

What3Words: ///originate.blink.punchy Google Map

Leader: Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 07773 037001

A walk along the beach and dunes to search for Sea Holly and early sand dune annuals.

Meet: At West Somerset Railway Station in Minehead (SS974463)

What3Words: ///bring.flopping.aquatic Google Map

Leader: Steve Parker stephenjparker1710@gmail.com or 07450 691712 & Simon Leach

An evening meeting in the company of the Course Manager of Burnham and Berrow Golf Club to explore more of this large coastal SSSI.  We will particularly be monitoring colonisation of some new dune scrapes, but will also explore areas of damp grassland, ditches and dune slacks.

Meet: by 6.30pm in the small car park at the junction of Brent Road and Berrow Road (ST30005151).  If the car park is full, it is possible to park along Brent Road.

What3Words: ///lecturing.firmly.rare Google Map

Leaders: Liam Pigden & Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 07773 037001

A visit to this Mendip SSSI, exploring limestone grassland and woodland, updating records for several RPR species including Cheddar Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) and Cheddar Bedstraw (Galium fleurotii).

Meet: in the SWT First Ecology car park at Callow Rock Quarry, Shipham Road, Cheddar (ST44775599). Parking for ten cars here; additional space in layby across the road.

What3Words: ///gems.habit.mavericks Google Map

Leaders: Barbra Lakin & Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 07773 037001

Recording at The Meads, a small wetland recently improved for the local community.

Meet: Outside of Morrisons supermarket - don’t park in their carpark! (ST299366)

What3Words: ///shuts.tins.racing Google Map

Leaders: Steve Parker stephenjparker1710@gmail.com or 07450 691712 & Simon Leach

 

A walk up above the gorge on the south side to see Cheddar Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus), Cheddar Bedstraw (Galium fleurotii) Rock Stonecrop (Petrosedum forsterianum), several rare or endemic Whitebeams (Sorbus spp.) and to search for Cut-leaved Selfheal (Prunella laciniata).

Meet: Cliff Street car park (£6.40 all day) at the bottom of the gorge (ST46115358)

What3Words: ///archduke.plot.tricks (Google Map)

Leaders: Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 07773 037001 & Libby Houston

 

A training meeting to focus on vegetative identification of key grassland habitat indicators, primarily aimed at those members building skills for their professional development. Limit: 12 participants.

Meet: in the small car park on N side of Halse Road (ST15072890). There is additional parking in the larger car park on the S side of Halse Road, 0.5km E of the meeting place (ST15512886).

What3Words: ///ruins.cries.linked Google Map

Additional parking: ///reception.sketch.cubes Google Map

Leaders: Liz Biron liz.biron99@gmail.com & Ellen McDouall

A coastal walk to seek Sea Clover (Trifolium squamosum), Sea Wormwood (Artemisia maritima) and many other saltmarsh species.

Meet: park locally and meet by entrance to Clevedon Cemetery in Old Church Road (ST39347070)

What3Words: ///globe.fishery.truly Google Map

Leaders: Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 07773 037001 & Dee Holladay

A meet and scatter meeting to search for and count Lesser Twayblade orchids at three sites.

Meet: Webber’s Post car park (SS90274390)

What3Words: ///soggy.digit.dumpling Google Map

Leaders: Steve Parker stephenjparker1710@gmail.com or 07450 691712 & Cath Shellswell

This post-industrial area includes woodland, a disused railway, rock-faces, a stream and a small quarry which has been colonised by orchids and is the only Somerset site for Round-leaved Wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia).

Meet: car park at Woven café at Rock Farm (ST61634527) for coffee before the walk

What3Words: ///emulated.graph.dime Google Map

Leaders: Val Graham grahamval57@gmail.com or 07749 056788 & Jane Cummings

A species rich heathland with Bog-myrtle Myrica gale, Bog Bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) and non-native Blueberry (V. corymbosum) and Checkerberry (Gaultheria procumbens).

Meet: At Haddon Hill Car Park (SS96902849)

What3Words: ///jazzy.canoe.onions Google Map

Leader: Steve Parker stephenjparker1710@gmail.com or 07450 691712

A visit to record around the treatment works and Reservoir 3 of this Bristol Water site, updating records for the area which was surveyed extensively by Liz and Clive in 2017. The site includes species-rich grassland, woodland and the reservoir shore. Target species include Fan-leaved Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus circinatus) and Northern Yellow-cress (Rorippa islandica).

Meet: in the Bristol Water car park on the N side of the A38. You need to be heading towards Bristol, then just after the traffic lights at the A38/B3130 junction, turn left into a driveway and parking is on the right (ST53806772)

What3Words: ///audit.label.yarn Google Map

Leaders: Neil Burstow & Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 0773 037001

Recording Meadow Saffron Colchicum autmnale and other species on the banks of the reservoir.

Meet: at car park (ST54781117)

What3Words: ///grandson.district.procured Google Map

Leader: Steve Parker stephenjparker1710@gmail.com or 07450 691712

A visit to record a range of saltmarsh species along the Pill foreshore and search for Slender Hare’s-ear (Bupleurum tenuissimum) and Stiff Saltmarsh-grass (Puccinellia rupestris).

Meet: park locally and meet by the viewpoint near the slipway at (ST52557613)

What3Words: ///being.shin.status Google Map

Leader: Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 07773 037001

Following the excellent workshop in 2023, Nick Stewart, aquatic plant specialist, will lead another workshop at Southlake, this time focusing on the southern parts of the site which are poorly recorded recently. The site has a range of pondweeds (Potamogeton spp) and Stoneworts and many other aquatic species. We will search for Greater Water-parsnip, last recorded here in 2015.

Meet: in the Environment Agency car park on Aller Drove (ST38133034) to walk to the site

What3Words: ///ticking.hello.manly Google Map

Leaders: Nick Stewart & Helena Crouch helenacrouch@sky.com or 07773 037001

 

An annual event to see how many species we can find still flowering in the last week of October. Timed to coincide with the Wild Flower Society’s ‘Autumn Hunt’. Quite a long walk, but we will aim to include a café en route. Come along for part or the whole of the day. No limit on numbers: the more the merrier!

Meet: Silk Mills Park & Ride car park (ST20862554)

What3Words: ///packet.pines.melon Google Map

Leader: Simon Leach simonleach@phonecoop.coop

 

Somerset County Herbarium Tour #3, 10.15am start, finish by 1pm

Meet: at the Somerset Heritage Centre (ST20302581)

What3Words: ///gives.leads.stand Google Map

Leaders: Simon Leach simonleach@phonecoop.coop, Ian Salmon, Ro FitzGerald & Pat Wolseley

Numbers strictly limited to 8. Booking essential, anyone can book but in the event of the meeting being oversubscribed priority will be given to those who were not able to attend either of the previous Herbarium Tours