The Hill

When I first visited St Catherine's Hill is was pretty much all scorched earth and charcoal trees. It was late 1976, after the long hot summer and its accompanying fires, and it remained charred for the next few years. Then in subsequent years self seeded pine, gorse and the dreaded rhododendron invaded, colonized and eventually consumed the hill. It remained like that for years, all choked up. Though in recent times, through the work mostly of volunteers, the hill has been born again. Gone are the invasive flora, the landscape opened up, the heathland flora and fauna are recolonizing.  I imagine the landscape looks much as it should do. It was nice to see it so invigorated, something long overdue.