Nature Trail Back open and plenty of work to do

After all the wet weather we have only just managed to get the whole of our Nature Trail open at Wicken Fen. The main problem was a couple of sections that were still very soft under foot, or more importantly under wheel. As we couldn’t get through them without causing a lot of damage we kept away, but eventually they dried out enough to get the mower over and small enough for us to put our portable boardwalk sections over the worst bits. 

With the Nature Trail open and some of the droves dry enough to take our small RTV and trailer we have started work on putting a small section of permanent boardwalk to the Old Tower Hide. For many years we have made do with a temporary solution for the wetter months, but the last year or so has left us with no choice but to take the pressure of the ground all together. With materials provided by Ridgeons at a very favourable rate we have been able to move from the old bodge to a proper structure which I hope will last many years to come. We are currently just about to put the top boards on, then there is a bit of snagging and chicken wire to add and we can use it.

On Burwell JW Fencing have started building the second batch of fences. The current job is to put a fence along the bottom of Burwell Lode’s bank. The map below shows where, and with a spot of luck our Highland bulls and Konic Ponies will be able to roam there in a few months. 8 cows are already on Burwell in an area where the existing fences have been repaired by JW fencing, they can often be seen next to the Environment Agency’s Cock Up Bridge.

With our Senior Warden position still vacant we are a member of staff short. As a result there is a lot of zooming about to keep up with general upkeep and projects like getting our grazing stock over to Burwell Fen. Some jobs are not that great, like strimming our fire site to keep the various bits and bobs from being buried under the grass. Anita and Helen spent the whole morning there, in today’s heat and humidity so a massive thanks to them. A bit no one really sees, and to be honest we don’t even want to see, so as the year goes on we will be working to chuck the junk and store the bits we want to keep. Maybe by the end of the Summer I will be able to post a before and after picture!

As usual here are some pics from down then Fen and you can find me on Twitter @vision_warden: