An Interview with Hepple: Foraging, wildlife, and renewal
To mark the beginning of autumn, we spoke with Richard Thompson, resident guide at Hepple Wilds, to learn more about all of the care that goes into rewilding our stunning landscapes – and just how much they can offer us in return.
Set within the eastern corner of the Northumberland National Park, Hepple’s estate and distillery combine some of England’s cleanest waters, most ancient juniper, and wildest winds. Ecological renewal is at the heart of their work, rewilding the ecosystem through natural processes and light-touch management which seeks to restore the diversity of the landscape. Visitors to Hepple can take part in fascinating foraging walks with Richard, while C&C guests can also enjoy our exclusive Cocktails in the Wilderness experience, where a guided walk through this remarkable estate is followed by drinks at a hidden bar in the moors.
What do you feel sets Northumberland, and Hepple, apart for lovers of foraging and wildlife?
‘I picture Hepple as a miniature Northumberland. This region is amazing as it’s so big and diverse. It’s got some of the best qualities of both Scotland and England and I love that it’s home to such a huge variety of habitats, so no matter what you want to forage for or what wildlife you want to experience, you’re sure to see a lot of it. Northumberland is also one of the least densely populated counties in the country, which really helps the wildlife to thrive.
My partner and I walked the St Oswald’s Way a few years ago – the long-distance path running from Hexham to Holy Island – and we were amazed by how many habitats you move through in that period. You go from farmland into big conifer plantations, through moorland and heathland over the back of Hepple, into ancient deciduous woodland along the Coquet to arable farmland on the coast, before finally reaching the sea and the beach dunes. In just a matter of a few days we’d gone through all these different habitats and spotted over a hundred bird species, all thanks to this truly special degree of diversity.
It’s the same with foraging – with all those different habitats you’re likely to find whatever you want somewhere in the county. Hepple is exactly this on a smaller scale. We have ponds, heathland, and big woodlands, as well as miles of the juniper, farmland, and fields. It’s the perfect mix of different habitats all intermingled.’
What can foragers expect to find in each season?
‘We pick the juniper berries for Hepple Gin in the summer when the berries are green, to capture their fresher taste. This is also the season for sorrel leaves with their lemon-like flavour, as well as lime leaves and then blackcurrant leaves in late summer.
Autumn is my favourite time of the year to go foraging as I really love elder berries, sloe berries, and brambles, which are great for our gins as well as being amazing in sauces and vinaigrettes. This season also brings the harvest of plenty of fungi. Chicken of the woods come out in late summer, whereas early autumn is a good time for chanterelles.
With spring comes nettles, bog myrtle, the Douglas fir with which we infuse our sherbet and Hepple Douglas Fir Vodka, and of course wild garlic. You can find this from April, typically in ancient woodland. There is also a specific fortnight in April when we drill a hole in the birch trees to collect the sap in a process called Nordic tapping.’
What are the arrivals which you particularly associate with the seasons changing?
‘I like to try and play a game with myself where I think if I was knocked on the head and forgot everything, would I be able to tell what month it was just from my surroundings, and how accurate could I get? I do that quite often around the year to try and spot things that are changing.
One of the first signs spring is arriving is when the pussy willows burst into life. They have these brilliant bright yellow catkins that turn into fuzzy pom poms before the leaves come, so they really stand out against the landscape right at the beginning of the season. All the bees flock to it as it’s the only thing that’s out at that time.
We have some lapwing and curlew on the Hepple Estate which breed in early spring. Hearing them calling and sitting on the hill is another good sign that winter is ending at last.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons for new arrivals. We get more migrants coming through as well as young birds and animals looking for food, whereas in summer they all feel much more settled.’
What wildlife do you enjoy spotting when out walking on the estate?
‘Wild Exmoor ponies, highland cows, and black-haired pigs all roam the estate. We’re also occasionally lucky enough to spot merlins, peregrine falcons, and adders.
I’m always keeping an eye out for dragonflies – we spotted ten different species in one pond this year, which is amazing. The Hepple Wilds logo is a dragonfly because it was something that Walter (the owner of Hepple) first noticed from being here as a kid and he saw the numbers go through the roof. This was a symbol of the good work that they were doing because that indicates better, higher quality water and more of it, which was the building block of everything that he wanted to achieve here.’
What are the signs which you look out for in the landscape to see that ecological renewal is happening, and what do you hope to see in the coming years?
‘Birch growth spreading across the moorland is something that has been noticeable since we ceased grazing sheep on the estate. At the minute two thirds of the estate is blanket heather, which is very pretty and pink but is just monoculture of a habitat that has been farmed for grouse shooting, so seeing that being broken up is really heartening.
There are some peat bogs on the estate that have historically been drained, so it’s great to see our bogs get boggier. There’s been an increase in wetland species as a result, for example redstarts, which are a migrant bird species that arrive in the summer. We’ve spotted around 20 this year across the estate, which was a record number, and as an invertebrate feeder they tell us that the habitat is improving which is amazing.
We’re hoping that this trend continues and we start to see more species popping up. As we get less monocultural we look forward to new species moving in, such as the pine martens and ospreys that are about nearby – both of which are in Kielder so I am hopeful we will see them in the next five years. The estate is home to barn and tawny owls but we should also get short-eared owls – a moorland owl that flies in the day – which would be a great sign of success. For them we need more mice and moles and for that we need more diverse habitat, which our rewilding project will continue to work towards.’
Feeling Inspired?
If you’d like to explore this wonderful landscape yourself, why not add our exclusive Cocktails in the Wilderness experience to your stay. You’ll be taken on a private tour of the Hepple Distillery, followed by a fragrant botanical walk around the estate before heading to a hidden bar in the moors to enjoy a tasting and cocktail. Follow this link to find out more and browse our collection of holiday homes and cottages in Northumberland to find your perfect escape.
Discover three of our favourites below, all within easy reach of Hepple:
