Straidkilly Nature Reserve in Autumn
We want you to set yourself a walking challenge from 26th October to 1st November, to raise money for Ulster Wildlife as part of our #BigWildWalk. Start out by choosing your own challenge, whether it’s walking a certain amount of steps per day or setting out on a distance challenge.
You can either set up a JustGiving page or make a one off donation. Every little helps to support our conservation projects across Northern Ireland.
We’ve some ideas to inspire you. The level of difficulty is completely up to you, make it simple or challenge yourself. All you need to take part is a way to count your steps or record your walks.
(c) Tom Marshall
The hedgehog challenge: for little legs. Try 3km a day; the distance that this much-loved mammal can travel around the neighbourhood in just one night, searching for food and a mate.
(c) Tom Hibbert
The spotters challenge: See how many species you can cross off on your walks throughout the week with our Big Wild Walk spotter sheets (you’ll get these when you sign up!).
Porbeagle Shark (c) Doug Perrine
The porbeagle challenge: Take a 3,300 step walk, every day, over the week? The first record of a porbeagle sharks transatlantic movement from Irish waters to near Newfoundland in Canada was at least 3,300km! The shark was originally tagged by an angler and found 10 years later by fishing vessels in Canada.
(c) Andy Rouse
The barn owl challenge: In the winter a barn owl’s home range (the area it covers for hunting, breeding and roosting) can be up to 50km! Could you walk 50km (32 miles) - that’s about 65,000 steps - as your Big Wild Walk Challenge?
Explore your local wild spaces such as parks, tow paths, coastal walkways and forrest parks. Why not discover one of our nature reserves that are open to the public:
A stroll through this small and long-established woodland offers a pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of Bangor.
An award-winning urban nature reserve, in the heart of Belfast, for people and wildlife.
A disused railway cutting that hosts an impressive variety of orchids and the largest colony of a very rare tree - the Irish whitebeam.
A short riverside woodland walk that provides access to the Lough Neagh shore – the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles.
A grassland paradise in the Belfast Hills, home to a stunning variety of rare wildlife.
A small but important semi-natural woodland in Co Antrim with a variety of interesting flora and fauna.
Straidkilly Nature Reserve in Autumn
Moyola Waterfoot Nature Reserve
Balloo Woodland (c) Romy Weller
Bog Meadows Belfast
Millford Cutting in Winter
Slievenacloy in Autumn
Ulster Wildlife is working hard on a variety of projects to kick start the great green recovery, preventing nature loss in Northern Ireland. Donations raised will go towards local projects including:
.
Get active, discover your local wild spaces, make memories and raise money for Ulster Wildlife! By taking part in the Big Wild Walk, you will be helping us kick start the great green recovery, preventing nature loss in Northern Ireland
We'd love you to take part and for more information and details on how to fundraise visit our website: www.ulsterwildlife.org/big-wild-walk .
