Repairs Continue

It's been a great help to have had two workdays this week instead of one.  The heavy and persistent rain of late, coupled with the increase in visitors to the wood, have left paths in a sorry state. Also, due to the vandalism of the handrail on the upper path by the kissing gate next to Cox's Walk bridge, the slope has become a mudslide and is in serious danger of being damaged beyond repair.  

 

During the  two workdays, volunteers and the conservation officer have worked hard to try to rectify some of the more urgent issues. 

 

The Tennis Court Glade

The Tennis Court glade on the upper path is a part of the wood where native bluebells bloom in spring, wild raspberries fruit in the summer and various fungi in the autumn. It is a particularly special part of the Wood. However, this area has seen a noticeable and worrying widening of the path, which has been encroaching ever more into the glade itself. To encourage people to stay on the path and allow the vegetation a chance to recover and avoid being trampled out of existence, a small dead hedge has been built to delineate the path.

 

 

The Main Glade

In the main glade by the old railway alignment, trampling has created a quagmire in the wet conditions. This is especially worrying as this is the largest open space in the wood and in the summer, the knee-high vegetation provides foraging grounds for most of the butterflies found in the Wood, including the Silver-washed Fritillary. 

 

Silver-washed Fritillary

 

Being woodland, the variety and number of butterflies is quite limited so the main glade is an area which is especially important with high ecological value. During lockdown, the old railway embankment by the pond became trampled so badly that this summer, there was barely any vegetation where before, a mix of grasses and wild clematis, Old Man's Beard, had covered the slope. A new and completely unnecessary path has been trampled into existence just a few metres from the purpose- built path alongside the small pond.  If this area is to recover, some serious management has to be undertaken.

The path alongside the pond which had become so muddy and sludgy, people were avoiding it. therefore a new surface has been laid in the worst part and the path widened slightly. A hard core was laid onto the mud and a layer of self-binding path material called hoggin was laid on top of it. It is hoped that this will provide a better surface and encourage people to stick to the path. 

 

Laying the new path surface. The damage to the bank can be seen clearly in the background. Its is hoped that the temporary tape might be enough at this stage to encourage people to use the proper paths.

The Upper Path by Cox's Walk Bridge

As documented in a previous post, someone took it upon themselves to rip up the handrail bordering the steps down to the kissing gate on the eastern side of Cox's Walk Bridge. This has opened up the steep slope to the side and an extraordinary amount of damage has been done to it. People, dogs and heavy rain have stripped any vegetation off the slope leaving a muddy scar which is open to gullying and washing away the soil. This is a serious situation that needs a remedy that protects the slope but also looks appropriate to the Wood. So, a new dead hedge has been built. It is hoped to stabilise the slope with planting of native species found in this particular part of the Wood. However, any new planting needs to be protected from trampling, being broken or being pulled up. Hopefully, a sturdy barrier will do its job in protecting the slope. 

The dead hedge in the process of being built. The serious damage to the slope on the right can be seen clearly in the photo.

It is hoped that a sturdy barrier like this will prevent further deterioration of the slope