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Skills in the wild: Heart of Durham volunteers take learning outdoors.

Heart of Durham volunteers on wildlife walk at Grassholme Reservoir.

High above Teesdale, where rolling pasture meets wide open skies, Heart of Durham volunteers spent a day circling the four‑mile path around Grassholme Reservoir. As they walked, they put their wildlife identification skills to the test.

Heart of Durham project volunteers spent the day walking the circular path around Grassholme Reservoir recently.

Grassholme Reservoir sits high above Teesdale and is surrounded by rolling pasture, open countryside and wide skies. A four-mile circular footpath takes visitors around the edge of the water and offers magnificent views in all directions.

The Heart of Durham Project is a partnership project between Durham Wildlife Trust and Northumbrian Water Limited. It has been working to restore and recreate areas of habitat over a period of many years, creating areas where wildlife can thrive on a landscape scale.

A small group of walkers follow a grassy path beside Grassholme Reservoir under a dramatic sky of thick, rolling clouds. The water glints to the right, while green hills rise in the distance, creating a peaceful scene of volunteers exploring Teesdale’s open countryside.

Heart of Durham volunteers walking around Grassholme Reservoir.

A close-up of a woolly caterpillar resting among green leaves and grass. Its body is covered in dense hairs—rusty orange at the front and black toward the middle and rear—standing out brightly against the sunlit foliage.

Garden tiger moth caterpillar spotted at Grassholme Reservoir.

During the walk, the group collected data on flora and fauna in the area. This information will be used to set up a self-guided wildlife spotting walk around the reservoir. 

This event gave the group the opportunity to practice the identification skills they had developed during the Trust’s Nature Training Days sessions. The group spent time botanising, identifying bumblebees, butterflies and birds, taking techniques learnt in the classroom outdoors.  

The Nature Training Days programme was developed to introduce Trust volunteers to new species, habitats, projects and skills, all through beginner-friendly workshops and training sessions led by Durham Wildlife Trust staff and specialists.

Discover more about becoming a Durham Wildlife Trust volunteer. 

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