Cothill Fen - 4th November 2023

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 Blog by Eleanor   -   Photos by Sally, Kevin and Eleanor                                                                                                                                                                                                        Despite the blog's title, the work this session was not to be on the fen itself but in the woods behind it. It was raining as we set off on the footpath to the fen and the path was the wetter and muddier the we have ever seen it. When we arrived in the wood, Steph from Natural England explained that the main work was to get rid of brambles. There was also a secondary task of cleaning moss and debris off the board walk.
We set to work, some with scythes and the rest with loppers and mattocks. As the ground was so wet, we found it was fairly easy to pull many of the brambles up by the roots. If not, we used mattocks to dig as many of the roots out as possible. We then transported them to a heap near the edge of the wood.
As we worked, the rain eased off and the sky brightened somewhat. We were glad of our tea break and then it was back to work. By the end of the morning a good area had been cleared of brambles and it was time to gather up our tools and head back to the car park.
We look forward to the Spring, when the bluebells in this wood are a wonderful sight.


The wood




Adrian scything





Bramble clearing





Carrying a load





Another load





The sun is coming out




Tea break




Back to work





Fungus on trees





Ladybirds trying to hibernate




Work finished

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