This is the first film in a series of six, featuring poet and environmentalist Professor John Wedgwood Clarke as he embarks on an eco-poetic journey through protected sites and the breathtaking landscapes of the South West.
John begins his journey at Kynance Cove, a nature rich yet delicate natural gem on The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Amid golden sands and towering cliffs, he discovers invasive species alongside rare spring flora, endangered butterflies and birds, and the iconic chough, once extinct in this area.
What appears to be a natural wonder is, in fact, a fragile man-made environment. Through his poetry, John celebrates the diversity of nature and the conservation efforts of Natural England, the National Trust, and local farmers, to preserve this precious landscape.
All images copyright Simon Willis Films | All music copyright Audio Networks | Poems copyright John Wedgwood Clarke
This is the second film in a series of six, featuring poet and environmentalist Professor John Wedgwood Clarke as he embarks on an eco-poetic journey through protected sites and the breathtaking landscapes of the South West. From the cliffs to the inland heathlands, John explores Goonhilly, part of The Lizard National Nature Reserve.
In the shadow of satellite dishes, rare orchids bloom, and marsh fritillaries flutter. Farming partnerships help preserve delicate ecosystems, while abandoned quarries teem with dragonflies. Through poetry and wildlife photography, John contrasts ancient ritual stones with modern technology, reflecting on nature’s timeless resilience.
All images copyright Simon Willis Films | Marsh Fritillary shots 1.18 to 1.30 copyright Steve Jones licensed to SW Films | All music copyright Audio Networks
In the third film of his Wild Westcountry Odyssey John visits Challacombe Farm in Dartmoor; an extensively farmed landscape, rich in history and biodiversity, with part of it designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The film features landscape aerial views and close-ups of precious habitats, including trees, hay meadows, bogs, and ponds. Poetic reflections celebrate rare and common species of an abundance of birds, plants, butterflies, dragonflies, and the extraordinary sphagnum moss. The film highlights the conservation efforts of the farmers who manage the farm, supported by: the Duchy of Cornwall — the farm’s owner — the Landscape Recovery Scheme, and Natural England. It shows how a mix of sheep and cattle farming all managed to help nature thrive.
Music: All the world by Paul Mottram
In the fourth film of the Wild Westcountry Odyssey Prof J.W. Clarke wanders in Westhay in the Somerset Levels. He explores a wetland that is rich in wildlife and a forward-looking peat restoration project that is tackling climate change.
All images copyright Simon Willis Films Marsh and Hen Harrier shots 2.27 to 2.34 copyright Andrew Kirby licenced to SW FILMS | All music copyright Audio Networks as listed on music details | Poems copyright John Wedgwood Clarke
The focus of the fifth film in our Wild Westcountry Odyssey series is the Exe Estuary in Devon, a vital refuge for many of our most threatened bird species. Professor John Wedgwood Clarke observes the extensive mudflats and the thousands of wintering birds that feed on the nutritious mud before they move into the marshes as the tide rises. He highlights how this mud sustains fragile creatures, including the beautiful avocets, elegant egrets, and red listed black-tailed godwits, among others.
Through stunning flight sequences and poetic reflections, the film celebrates the Estuary’s critical role in providing refuge for threatened wildlife and its fragility to the prospect of rising sea levels. John praises the conservation efforts of RSPB working in partnership with the Environment Agency along with coordinated actions by Devon Wildlife Trust and the Teignbridge Council that manage the Estuary and address the challenges posed by climate change.
All images copyright Simon Willis Films | All music copyright Audio Networks as listed on music details | Poems copyright John Wedgwood Clarke
On the final stop of his poetic journey across the South West, Prof. John Wedgwood Clarke travels to the beautiful Otter Estuary in Devon. The film features the newly created wetland where tidal mud flats attract thousands of migratory of birds and salt marches host a variety of salt-tolerant plants such as sea purslane, sea spray, and sea aster, creating habitats for more wildlife. John stops and takes it all in; his poetic reflections weave through the beauty of the wildlife haven and the flat expanse of the newly created wetland that additionally provides adaptation to climate change revealing how conservation efforts can bring hope for successful nature recovery in the future.
The film brings to an end John’s eco-poetic odyssey that has taken in some of the best wildlife and most beautiful places the South West has to offer. The Wild Westcountry Odyssey film series is a collaboration between @naturalengland’s Protected Site Strategies Research and Development Programme and the University of Exeter’s RENEW Biodiversity project, which brings together major conservation partners including the National Trust, RSPB, Environment Agency, Somerset Wildlife Trust and Clinton Devon Estates.
All images copyright Simon Willis Films | 1.03-1.09 aerial Lower Otter Restoration Project copyright licensed | 8.50 -8.53 Andrew Kirby copyright licenced | All music copyright Audio Networks as listed on music details | Poems copyright John Wedgwood Clarke
