Mill Lane to Cogmill

On a hot and humid afternoon it was nice to get down into the cool and shade of the river behind the houses along Mill Lane. There were some tall plants on the river bank by the footbridge which we quickly cleared before making our way up to the measuring station weir, clearing balsam on both sides as we went.

Behind Mill Lane

Approaching the weir

While Neil and John M were able to find a way over the weir, John L and I went round on the bank, before reconvening and clearing lots of balsam on the way up to Blacks Rocks. We then carried on to the little islands further upstream. These were relatively clear compared to previous years so after clearing any remaining balsam we decided to push on to Cogmill.

Balsam on the way up to Cogmill

There were some big clumps mostly on the side opposite the Frome Valley Walkway but we were able to clear these before getting out at the metal footbridge and making our way back after a very satisfying afternoon.

A job well done!

Bridge House revisited

After postponing yesterday's session due to early morning rain and threat of more to come, today we enjoyed a fine, dry afternoon. Starting in the grounds of Bridge House we cleared up any stragglers from our last visit there and also got down into the river to clear the opposite bank and those balsam growing low down on the river bank.

The water wasn't too deep though the river bed was muddy and sticky in places. We cleared all the way down to the clumps we spotted on the way back from Nightingale's Bridge last week. Apart from any stragglers we may have missed and some plants growing on the edges of the gardens stretching down from Park Row, we've now cleared all the way from Nightingale's Bridge to Church Road.

The seeds are popping though many of them are still white.

Kingfishers, woodpeckers and Nightingale's Bridge

Despite forecast of rain, it remained dry and the river level was quite low so we headed down to Nightingale's Bridge. The field edges on the way down there were relatively clear of balsam so we left them for later.

After clearing the balsam around the bridge, John and Andrew waded upstream to clear some big clumps on the river bank,  spotting a kingfisher flashing past as they made their way along the river bed. Meanwhile Dave and Phil spotted a green woodpecker as they crossed the field to clear the big clump of balsam in the far corner.

Before...

... after.

We cleared some more growing amongst the undergrowth by the bridge, then headed back, clearing a few stragglers along the riverbank and spotting lots more on the opposite side which will require a further visit.