Crow Lane is an attractive medieval trackway leading down to the Rattlesden River. Within only 15 minutes walk of the museum entrance, you can be in the peace and quiet of the open countryside. Stroll along the riverside path and enjoy this special meadowland managed by a Countryside Stewardship Agreement. Look for the pink flowers of the Southern Marsh orchid in June, the Speckled Wood butterflies so fond of dappled light, Pipistrelle bats, birds such as the Spotted Flycatcher, water voles and occasional visiting otter. This area has remained unchanged for hundreds of years and supports a rich and diverse range of plants and animals.

Within the meadowland, the Alder Carr (an area of wet woodland dominated by Alder trees) supports its own unique plants. If you crush a Ramsons flower for example, you’ll understand why ploughmen traditionally ate it for their lunch; its smell is stronger than garlic.

Meadowland like this was once typical of the region. It was mainly used for a combination of animal grazing and cutting hay. Notice too the old ridges of ploughed land (called Stitch and Furrow) in the Spring that show where hops once grew. See if you can spot the old osier beds that provided the materials for local basket makers.

The heavy chalky boulder clay of the main museum site was difficult to cultivate until the advent of the iron plough and the Agricultural Revolution of the eighteenth century. This area then traditionally supported mixed farms of dairy, livestock and arable. The museum celebrates this history in its displays and collections but it also protects the sensitive and ecologically diverse land it has inherited.