Those looking to escape from the noise of Newcastle needn't go all the way to Northumberland to find their corner of peace - it's possible to get lost in nature less than three miles from the traffic of the Central Motorway and the blaring horns of rush-hour traffic.
The oldest nature reserve in Newcastle, Gosforth Nature Reserve was established in 1829, but most people who come to this part of the city are heading for a day at the racecourse, which backs onto the site. Nevertheless, as I parked in the layby outside the reserve, there were a few in muddy boots, cameras with extremely long lenses, and binoculars around necks of the members and volunteers, at the well-loved site (at least if social media is anything to go by).
More than 1,600 species have been recorded by visitors across the 61 hectare reserve, which encompasses several different habitats including reed beds, conifer woodlands, scrub - as well as a large lake with a birding hide on its edge. Now managed by the Natural History Society of Northumbria, otter, deer, and foxes are among the mammals that can be spotted here, whilst a board at the update shows the multiple species of birds that have been stopped by each month, including rare sightings such as the tree sparrow.
