Hinksey Heights Nature Trail, Saturday 17th September 2022

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This week's blog post was written by Abingdon Green Gym chair, Eleanor D!: 

Eleven of us gathered in the Golf Club car park ready to work on the Nature Trail. We were met by the owner, John Brimble, who outlined the tasks to us, that was, to scythe around the young trees and to dig roundels for the new trees, which would be planted shortly.

We set off with two wheelbarrows, one of them very heavily laden with tools, on the long trek to the work site. Fortunately we had a strong young volunteer, D of E Max to pull this barrow. The only hitch came when we reached the raised boardwalk and some of the tools slid off. 


At last we reached the site by the Lower Lake. The scythers set to work, clearing around the trees and  the others raked up the grass and piled it up under some bushes. The morning, which had started off quite chilly, grew warm and sunny and many layers of clothing were discarded. 


We were grateful for the two picnic tables and benches when it was time for the break. John has chosen the sites for the new trees, which had been donated by the Botanic Gardens, marking them with stakes, and asked for scythers to cut the grass short around the stakes, and diggers to remove the top layer of vegetation, making one metre diameter patches. This was very hard work, especially when working on a slope and we only managed to do about half of the number required. The journey back to the car park with the big wheelbarrow was tougher. Max and his Mum, Nicky, had to go early, but somehow we ladies managed it, taking turns to pull and push the barrow. It was the end of a morning’s hard work.


This is a lovely nature trail and one day I will take a nice, gentle walk through it.




A veritable sea of sapling guards


A valiant digger

John watches on


You can't beat Hinksey Heights for a good bench!



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