Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve stars in best-selling and award-winning author M G Leonards’ books, Twitch and Spark. The reserve is the setting for all three of her  books, named Aves Wood in the books, as M G Leonard is a regular visitor and has spent many happy hours at the reserve in her earlier days.

Twitch is a twelve-year-old with three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for bird-spotting. On the first day of summer holidays, he arrives at his secret bird-watching hide in the local nature reserve to find police everywhere: a convicted bank-robber and murderer has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Twitch soon finds himself entangled in the hunt for the dangerous prisoner. Can he turn his talents for bird-spotting to detective skills, and find the missing loot?

No spoilers here –  we have copies of Spark available at a discounted price in our Visitor Centre and all three books can be bought online.  We remain very proud of our association with M G Leonard and her passion for nature.