Nightingale's Bridge and Hilly Fields

After all the recent hot weather the temperature was a bit more comfortable this afternoon. We walked down to Nightingale's Bridge then waded back upstream to clear a few clumps of big plants which were beginning to set seeds though none were yet ripe. Despite the long spell of dry weather, there were still a few deep spots in the river which were only passable with chest waders.

We then moved on to the patch of riverbank at the corner of Hilly Fields. Again there were some very big plants but there was less than half the quantity of them that we've seen in previous years and we were able to clear them relatively quickly despite the surrounding nettles putting up some resistance.

Before

After
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We then returned to Parsonage Bridge and cleared up a few stragglers which we missed last week along Glebeland

Parsonage Bridge to Church Road

Although we cleared this area at the beginning of June, we inevitably missed some plants which have now become visible above the surrounding undergrowth and new seedlings have also developed in some areas.

Starting early to avoid the worst of the summer heat, we worked our way up the river bed and along the river bank to Church Road clearing some large clumps on the way.

Mid season survey

At Nightingales's Bridge there's a small amount of balsam by the bridge; downstream, in the horse paddock, there seems to be a fair amount on the river bank but not too much in the paddock itself. Upstream there's a big clump on the river bank.

The corner of Hilly Fields has a big clump despite Dave's heroic efforts last year.

There's none visible along the field edge between Nightingales's Bridge and Bridge House.

Between Rectory Road and Church Road there's quite a bit growing along the riverbank. At Meadow Mead where we cleared earlier there are a few large plants, some of which I cleared.

The field behind St Peters has a nice new "Trespassers will be Prosecuted " sign! There wasn't any  sign of balsam from the gate apart from some big clumps along the river bank.

On the way up to Black Rocks I couldn't see any sign of balsam. At Black Rocks itself there were a few plants some of which I cleared.

Between Black Rocks and Cogmill there were a few isolated plants.

Algars Manor to Tubbs Bottom

My earlier survey of this stretch didn't reveal the extent of the balsam growing along the river bank as a lot of it wasn't visible from the path. Only by wading along the river were we able to see the full extent of it.



However, we were able to clear a fair amount of it from the river bed and by scrambling along the river bank.

Iron Acton

Last year there was a lot of balsam growing along both sides of the footpath between Tubbs Bottom and Frampton End Road. This year there were signs that someone had been clearing the balsam along the path.

However there was still rather a lot along the edge of the riverbank and on the opposite bank of the river.

Further downstream on the way to the Hover's Lane ford, there were clumps of balsam growing in various places.

Mill Lane to Black Rocks

Another very hot day, perfect for wading upstream from Mill Lane.

There were a few plants along the first stretch from the footbridge up to the measuring station but far fewer than last year. The river was full of fish (chub?) of various sizes and although it was mostly quite shallow, there was a deep patch below the weir which forced us to retreat and find a way up to the bridge.

We continued via Drew's Yard and the Frome Valley Walkway before spotting a small clump of balsam down by the river which we cleared and then carried on along the river bank, seeing very few signs of balsam. After a while we crossed over the river and continued upstream clearing a few small clumps of balsam on the way up to Black Rocks.

In the open area at Black Rocks we couldn't see any balsam growing amongst the meadow sweet and comfrey. There was a small amount growing in the undergrowth just above Black Rocks but again in much smaller quantities than previous years.