Festival of nature

The Festival of Nature takes place at Talkin Tarn on Saturday 18 June, 12 noon – 11.30pm, and Sunday 19 June, 7am-4pm. The festival is free to enter and will celebrate nature through the themes of water, woodland, meadow, and climate around the picturesque tarn.

Schedule

There are stands and drop-in activities open throughout the day (see the map of the tarn), as well as scheduled activities as below. Please note: all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Saturday 18 June
10:30  RSPB Walk to Geltsdale, meet at the welcome tent.
12:00  Festival opens
12:30  Family woodland activity session (1hr), meet at the OASES gazebo.
13:00  Pond dipping / Sensory Walk, meet at the Eden Rivers Trust gazebo.
13:35   Family woodland activity session (1hr), meet at the OASES gazebo.
14:00  Dragonfly walk, meet at the welcome tent near the cafe.
14:30  Pond dipping / Sensory walk, meet at the Eden Rivers Trust gazebo.
15:00  Water beetles in the tarn, meet at the welcome tent / Family woodland activity session (1hr), meet at the OASES gazebo.
22:00 Bat walk, meet at the education cabin.

Sunday 19 June
07:00  Moth traps and moth ID, meet at the education cabin.
09:00  Camera traps, meet at the education cabin.
10:00  Looking at lichens, meet at the welcome tent.
11:00  Pond dipping / Sensory walk, meet at the Eden Rivers Trust gazebo.
12:30  Family woodland activity session (1hr), meet at the OASES gazebo.
13:00  Pond dipping / Sensory walk, meet at the Eden Rivers Trust gazebo.
13:45  Family woodland activity session (1hr), meet at the OASES gazebo.
14:00  Wildflower walk, meet at the welcome tent.
14:30  Pond dipping / Sensory walk, meet at the Eden Rivers Trust gazebo.
15:00  Dragonfly walk, meet at the welcome tent / Family woodland activity session (1hr), meet at the OASES gazebo.
16:00  Festival closes

Free shuttle bus from Brampton, picking up at William Howard School car park, where there is free parking available, and the cottage hospital before dropping off at Talkin Tarn car park, and returning via the same route.
Saturday: first bus leaves William Howard at 12:10, return to Brampton leaves at 13:00. Buses hourly until 16:10 with the return to Brampton leaving the tarn car park at 17:00.
Sunday: first bus leaves William Howard School at 9:10, return to Brampton leaves at 10:00. Buses hourly until 15:10 with the return to Brampton leaving the tarn car park at 16:00.

Free bus on Sunday from Carlisle, leaving from Tullie House Museum at 11:30. The return bus will leave Talkin Tarn car park at 15:30.

Please note: the cafe at Talkin Tarn is takeaway only and it will be short staffed over the weekend, so expect long queues. We recommend bringing your own food and drink with you, especially if you are planning to stay for a few hours.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust Planting for pollinators

Discover the world of pollinators and the plants they pollinate, with Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Planting for Pollinators team. There will be the opportunity to learn about the diversity of pollinators here in Cumbria, pollinator-friendly gardening, and action we can all take for insects. You will also have the opportunity to get involved in a ‘Buzz BioBlitz’, aiming to record as many insects and plants as possible in meadow world throughout the weekend.

Developed by Cumbria Local Nature Partnership, and delivered by Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Cumbria County Council, Planting for Pollinators aims to reverse pollinator decline across north & west Cumbria. Together with communities, landowners and managers, the project, made possible by the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund, will create, improve, and connect a mosaic of pollinator-friendly habitats at over fifty sites and train communities in pollinator identification and recording in their local area.

Green PLACE project and Carlisle Youth Zone tarn quest

Carlisle Youth Zone have teamed up with Green PLACE to create a quest at Talkin Tarn which will launch at the Festival of Nature. The youth team will be distributing cards with a QR code on your arrival at the festival. You can access the self led virtual challenges around the tarn and, when you complete one, earn a letter of the alphabet. Complete all the challenges and then unscramble the letters which will spell out the word for the day.

The Green Place project focuses on connecting people with nature by focusing on deep connection to place, nature restoration, and nature-based solutions. The project empowers young people as agents of change within their communities, inspiring them to take action through nature-based community projects to enhance biodiversity, heritage and engagement with the natural environment.

RSPB Guided walk

Join the RSPB on a walk from Talkin Tarn Country Park to RSPB Geltsdale Nature Reserve. You will be able to learn about this special landscape and have opportunities to spot a range of wildlife along the way. Please bring your binoculars if you have them.

The route is around seven miles long and follows fairly well trodden footpaths and lanes. A good basic level of fitness is required as the terrain can be uneven and boggy in places. Please dress for the weather and bring sturdy walking boots. Bring your own food and drink to enjoy on the walk. Teas, coffee and cake will be available at the end before a mini bus takes you back to Talkin Tarn car park for around 3pm.

Saturday 18th June, 10.30am to 3pm. Meet in Talkin Tarn Country Park Car Park (Tarn Rd, Brampton CA8 1HN). Places are limited, please book here.

Family resource pack for Talkin Tarn

The OASES (Outdoor and Sustainability Education Specialists) team will be running three drop-in sessions in the woodland zone at the festival based around the Fellfoot Forward scheme’s family resource pack for Talkin Tarn. Families can join in games to get up close with nature and learn more about the tarn.

As part of the North Pennines AONB Partnership’s Fellfoot Forward scheme, OASES (Outdoor and Sustainability Education Specialists) have created six education resources to support teachers and outdoor educators to plan and conduct self-guided visits to Talkin Tarn Country Park. These resources are themed around subjects from art, maths, science and history to literature and wildlife, ensuring strong links to the curriculum and offering therapeutic, sustainable and adaptable learning in the outdoors. Although primarily aimed at key stage 2 children, the resources can be adapted for any age group and are perfect for families looking for fun activities to do together.

Eden Rivers Trust

The conservation charity standing up for Eden’s rivers, enhancing and protecting the river environment so that people and nature in Cumbria can thrive. Join Eden Rivers Trust to explore the wonderful world of water:

• Go pond dipping and get close up to some of the fascinating creatures that live underwater and discover why clean and healthy water is essential for these tiny mini beasts (and the bigger creatures that depend on them for survival!)
• Lift the (toilet) lid on how water is used in our homes with games and activities for all the family to explore how we can save water, stop pollution and 💙 rivers. Discover how you can Act for Eden and become a water warrior in your own home!
• Take a sensory walk by the tarn or immerse yourself in a watery soundscape – relax and reconnect with nature’s beautiful blue spaces.

North Pennines AONB Partnership geology

Explore the geology of the North Pennines at the Festival of Nature with:

• Rocks and fossils to handle and discuss
• A demonstration of a ‘kettle hole’, which is how Talkin Tarn formed at the end of the last ice age
• Make your own fossils using natural materials and salt dough
• Geology Jenga which shows how our area’s waterfalls have formed
• Fossil dig – find fossil replicas buried in sand

Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre

Throughout the festival Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC), local natural history experts, and the public will be looking for and identifying as many plants and animals as possible at Talkin Tarn. There will be experts in the biolab who, with the help of microscopes, books, and the internet, will help people identify what they have found during their visit. CBDC staff will also be helping people join iNaturalist so that they can take part in recording wildlife and help create a comprehensive list of the wildlife at Talkin Tarn. Camera traps will help us find out what animals are using the site at night and when the site is quiet.  Film and images from the cameras will be shown in the biolab in the education cabin.

Local experts will lead guided walks around the tarn and share fascinating facts about the lives of dragonflies, wildflowers, lichens, and rare water beetles, and anything else they see. Moth traps will be set up on Saturday night and people are invited to an early morning walk (7am) to collect the traps and identify the moths. A late night bat walk will also take place on Saturday night (10pm) to record the different species of bats foraging and roosting in the woods and over the tarn. Any other night creatures spotted on the walk will also be recorded.

Sustainable Brampton

A community organisation committed to minimising our impact on the environment, Sustainable Brampton promotes local food production and local businesses, building a stronger community through practical activities and campaigning.  They run the monthly Brampton and Carlisle Farmers’ Markets, circulate advice about global and local issues, and about ways to improve both individual and community resilience.  Find their information tent at the festival and hear all about their activities and the local projects they support.

There will be a composting demonstration, an family composting game, flash cards about the sustainability of different foods and their carbon footprints, and a game of ‘bash the rat’ for a bit of fun for all the family.

Carlisle Youth Zone

The North Pennines AONB Partnership delivered the John Muir Award with some of Carlisle Youth Zone’s senior members last year via the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme. After the amazing success and feedback from that group, the John Muir Award is being delivered by Carlisle Youth Zone themselves this year with some of their junior members, who are also exploring the link between nature and wellbeing through the Bee Connected Project. Senior members are also completing their award through the Green PLACE project.

During the Festival of Nature, Carlisle Youth Zone members shall be making mini bee hotels and bird feeders, as well as developing an interactive map/quest of Talkin Tarn for members to explore.

The Rainbow Glade and Gayzebo with Tullie House Museum

Come and view nature through rainbow tinted glasses and relax in the woods at the Festival of Nature. Our LGBTQ+ space is hosted by Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, who invite you to come and explore the diversity which exists in nature and enriches our understanding of what is natural, with examples from their handling collection.

We also offer a safe space and warm welcome in the ‘Gayzebo’ – a hangout space in the woods – to take part in activities like sketching, badge-making, or just to talk about your experiences in/of nature. Artist, Cj Pitcher, will also be collecting oral histories from members of the community. The space will operate on a drop in basis.

Environmental art with Richard Shilling

Join environmental artist, Richard Shilling, at the festival to create all sorts of wonderful sculptures, made only from natural materials. The drop-in sessions are available between 12 – 5pm on Saturday and 11am – 4pm on Sunday. Suitable for all ages, Richard will show you how to make bold and vibrant nature art creations from leaves, sticks, and more.

North Pennines AONB Partnership peatlands

Learn all about peatlands at the Festival of Nature with the North Pennines AONB Partnership’s peat team, who started peatland restoration over sixteen years ago and have restored 35000 hectares of damaged peat. Discover the importance of peat as a carbon store, in flood control, and in providing vital habitats for rare and unique wildlife, with a bog in a bottle, species to look at, and interactive displays.

The Festival of Nature is part of the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme, which is led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Organisations involved in the festival include Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre, Eden Rivers Trust, University of Cumbria, 4Eden, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Green PLACE, Carlisle City Council, RSPB, Sustainable Brampton, and Carlisle Youth Zone.