As a kid, I remember with great affection going to Sartfield farmhouse for a treat.

It usually meant queuing outside for awhile to wait for a table to become available, but this was not an issue as we knew what was to come. Sausage, egg and chips followed by lemon meringue pie. Simple pleasures!

However, this is Close Sartfield, a totally different place.

Mrs A-B was in Ramsey, at a “knit and natter” group, and this was my time to explore.

As I have never been to this nature reserve before, I had to check the map reference, then the map to try and find the place. It is deep in the Curragh, a place that is best described as a maze, and a difficult maze at that. However, I did eventually find this little gem.

Walking along the boardwalk along side the meadow know as Close Mean, I had the feeling I was being watched. It took awhile, but I eventually found who was watching me. A brown hare.

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Once I found this guy, I soon found his mate, close by , but almost invisible in it’s scrape.

Continuing onto the Curragh, a speckled wood butterfly appeared briefly. Strange forms of fungi were also noticed on the willows.

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It was soon time to return and pick up Mrs A-B in Ramsey, but as I knew she would love to see the hares, so we returned 30 minutes later. Both hares were still in their scrapes, but did offer a relatively close view.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”26″ gal_title=”Close Sartfiled – Hares”]

Showing Mrs A-B the hide, we have decided to return again at a later date, at dawn and late evening to see if we can catch the Hen Harriers at their roosts. Maybe, even wallabies?

This is something we are both looking forward too.