We are blessed in Wilmslow, not only in having spaces such as Lindow Common and the Carrs, but in having the people who can ‘interpret’ them for us; that is, explain clearly why they are special and how best to look after them. No one does this better than John Handley. Anyone who has had a chance to hear him speak about the habitats of Wilmslow has felt the pleasurable surge of knowledge, and with it, greater affection and attachment.

So too on this occasion. On Saturday, 11 June, a round score of people walked the length of the Carrs while John scattered the stardust of illumination on sward, copse and fen. Just a couple of the revelations. The land stretching from the river up towards Broad Walk, just before the second bridge, displays to the instructed eye the contours of ridge and furrow agriculture that probably date back to before the Black Death (1348). And secondly, the current Norwegian pronunciation of kjarr would be ‘share’. But there was much, much more.

The walking tour was arranged by Emma Houghton of the Bollin Valley Trust, and she has promised to persuade John to repeat the experience next year. Do come. You won’t regret it.