Ponden is set in a stunning position and valley and even without any intervention from man is a wonderful place to wander around. To make this easier work has begun on a series of trails around the grounds. Several fields are being slowly turned into wild flower meadows and others are going to slowly migrate into being an edible forest.
There is a whole host of wildlife, along with some not so wildlife, at Ponden. Herons, Kingfishers, Owls, and even the occasional peacock have been sighted at the mill. There are also deer, including an Albino White deer, and enough rabbits to keep Beatrix Potter happy for years.
Some of our more unusual inhabitants are Lamprey. These are a type of jawless vampire fish resembling an eel. They only live in perfectly clean river water and therefore have become extinct through much of Europe. In the middle ages they were a delicacy and Henry I of England died after gorging himself on too many. They have a bad reputation as the Vampire bat of the fish world since some species do feed on the blood of other fish.