Informal survey of Frome Valley Walkway from Frampton Cotterell to Yate - 29 June 2016

A long stroll from St Peters Church, along the Frome Valley Walkway (FVW) up to Yate to check for Himalayan balsam along the way.

River Frome near stables north of Hover's Lane

I found balsam growing on the banksides in several places.  It enjoys unshaded stretches with sloping banks.  It takes hold on any nearby flat area which floods.  In heavily shaded areas with a good overhead canopy and/or stretches of the river with fast running water and steep banks with thick vegetation it is less common.

In several places the FVW takes the walker away from the river itself.   Near Algars Manor; and the long stretch from just beyond Tubbs Bottom Bridge to Nibley will only be accessible from the river itself, requiring a canoe or waders!    In some areas access to the river is restricted due to fencing (e.g. near the stables north of Hovers Lane) or natural obstacles and dense vegetation.  

There is significant growth in the following locations :-

Large stand just off FVW between Hope Lane and Yate Road

Field bordering on FVW just west of Algar's Manor

FVW between Hope lane and Yate Rd

FVW near railway crossing by before Celestine Rd

Further photos and locations can be found by viewing the map on the right. Red markers indicate spots with noticeable HB growth.

See below for album of photos taken on walk.

Revisit Area between Nightingale Bridge and Bridge House

A sunnier day than of late but recent rain mean that river levels remain quite high. We revisited the area between Bridge House and Nightingale Bridge which we tackled a few weeks ago. We knew there were some clumps of balsam which we hadn't tackled on our previous visit and were interested to see how much regrowth there had been.

The nettles were 2 metres tall in some places but balsam was beginning to appear above them. A lot of slashing was needed to get through the nettles to tackle the balsam but we cleared a lot from the boundary with Bridge House down to the first gate.

In the areas we cleared last time, there had been some new growth and the odd one we'd missed but the plants were a lot smaller than the clumps which we hadn't tackled.

We sowed some seeds given to us by AIWF to see whether native wild flowers and grasses can be encouraged to re-establish themselves. I'm not sure how they'll get on competing with the nettles and comfrey but it's worth a try.

Bridge House and St Peter's Field

A group of volunteers from Eurovia UK joined us for what turned out to be a very showery but very productive day.

Safety briefing in the rain

Starting at Meadow Mead in a heavy shower we cleared some large clumps of balsam before moving on to the field behind St Peter's Church.  The group made short work of the balsam there so we gathered for a coffee break before splitting up again.

One group went upriver but found little balsam to tackle. The other group went to Bridge House where the river bank is covered in balsam. However we worked along the bank by the side of the miniature railway and eventually cleared right to the far end of Bridge House grounds. The river was barely visible before we started but could be clearly seen afterwards

The river from Bridge House grounds

The river level is still high which prevents us from reaching some of the balsam near to river level. We need it to drop and for the mud to settle so that we can get in and tackle some of that.

Some of the Eurovia volunteers hoping the trains aren't running!

Another good day on the Frome

Despite the overnight and morning rain, we decided to have another go at the balsam on the far bank of the Frome between Black Rocks and Cogmill. Although the river yesterday was probably wadeable, it had risen by at least a foot by today so once again we decided to cross using the metal footbridge near Cogmill.

Returning to the same spot we cleared last week, we were pleased to see that there were very few stragglers which we'd missed. We were slightly less pleased to see that the island which we wanted to work on seemed even more inaccessible than last week.

The Route across to the Island

However, donning waders and wellie boots we were able to get across without getting our feet wet. We were then able to clear the majority of the balsam some of which had reached more than 2 metres tall and were beginning to form flower buds.

At the same time some of the group worked along the river bank and cleared a large swathe of balsam growing between the edge of the field and the river.

There's still more to do but we have cleared a huge amount on this section of the river which in previous years had seemed both inaccessible and insurmountable.

Upstream from Black Rocks

In previous years, we had seen large clumps of balsam upstream from Black Rocks out of reach on the side of the river opposite the Frome Valley Walkway. We were determined to tackle that this year so, carrying our waders, we walked up there today. Unfortunately the recent rain had raised the water level and stirred up mud so that we couldn't even see the river bed so wading across was not an option.

Undeterred we crossed the river via the metal footbridge near Cogmill and then managed to find a way down from the field onto the river bank. Cutting our way through the undergrowth we found and pulled out lots of balsam including one very large clump near to the fallen tree.

Last week- Large clumps of balsam to the right of the fallen tree

After clearing

There is another large clump on a small island near to this point (see photo) and a lot around the field edges behind, so we'll return next week and see what we can do to clear that. Hopefully the water level will have gone down again so we'll be able to wade across the river rather than take the longer route.

Still work to do

A very satisfying day with lots of balsam pulled out!!

Survey with AIWF

On Monday, we joined Neil Green of Avon Invasive Weeds Forum on a survey of the spread of balsam along the Frome upstream from St Peter's Church to Cogmill. It was a hot day and the undergrowth along the riverbank was very lush. Surprisingly the river level is still quite high despite not having had rain for quite a while.

The lower stretch of the river just beyond Drew's yard is largely balsam free. One or two patches will need clearing but won't require a large working party.

Around Black Rocks we have seen large infestations in previous years but as yet there is little sign. Further up the river there are some large clumps on the opposite side of the river to the Frome Valley Walkway. We'll have to either wade across, use the fallen log (see photo) or find a path down through the fields on the other side.

Also after crossing the metal footbridge near to Cogmill, there are some large clumps on the opposite bank which will be difficult to get at.

After returning to St Peter's we took a look at the area along Meadow View where there have previously been heavy infestations (see photo below). As yet there is not a huge amount of Himalayan Balsam which gives some encouragement that our clearance activities are having an effect.

Working Party 2013 standing in front of 2m+ tall balsam

Nightingale Bridge to Parsonage Bridge

Last year the river bank along this part of the Frome was covered with balsam (see photo). 

Yesterday John and I went along to clear a few patches which were beginning to show amongst the nettles.  Once we started looking it was evident that there was a lot more growing than was first apparent. Some were already three to four feet tall so our intervention was timely.

We cleared a few hundred plants which hopefully should make a difference. They were growing in dense clumps so clearing led to quite a lot of bare soil which raises the question of recolonisation and how do we encourage native plants to replace the balsam.