NATURE lovers have an opportunity to explore the great outdoors thanks to a series of upcoming ecology tours in Finchingfield.

The tours will be led by Sarah Brockless, the estate ecologist at the Spains Hall Estate.

The first two-hour walking tour will be on Saturday, February 11 and sets off at 10am.

Sarah has more than 30 years of experience and thorough knowledge to help her lead visitors through the landscape.

Innovations include creating wood pasture through to a beaver-created wetland mosaic, with insights into how farming and historic land use have influenced wildlife and habitats. 

The tour will also provide an insight to benefits for creatures such as harvest mice, hares and skylarks.

Further tours will be held on March 17 and April 13.

The March event involves a two-hour walk into the beaver enclosures to get up close with the dams and wetlands.

Visitors in April will be taking part in an agroforestry walking tour.

They will be looking at the nut growing system on the estate and how the layout of tree rows were planted.