Section 4
Buxton Road to Sandsfoot

© Bob Ford/Nature Portfolio     Above Old Castle Road

As well as lots of trees with their associated woodland birds this section benifits from the first glimpse of Portland Harbour across Old Castle Road. The large gardens to the east of the trail here are home to more woodland birds such as woodpeckers and Jays, although the latter species does not feature on my list of birds seen since Sept 2007 - yet. The botanical highlight is probably the patch of Winter Heliotrope which provides just about the only colour along the trail in December. The sunny side of Sandsfoot Halt has a few garden escapes such as Tall Tutsan, Escallonia and Hedge Veronica. A few species of fungi can sometimes be seen here, such as the Dryad's Saddle which appeared on an old stump in Sandsfoot Halt in October 2008.