Eight of us made it today and we started to try and dig channels from the path to the edge, where it drops away, in an attempt to drain all the standing, stagnant, stinky water. It was going nowhere, so we decided to switch to plan B.

There is a narrow ridge of ballast that I assume is from when they took up the railway tracks. This is hard compacted and very dry. It is a sliver of a path through the bog. We worked on this and cleared off a load of ash trees and scrub.

This picture shows how boggy and wet it is.

For now we just need to keep clearing the ridge. It breaks out onto dry ground very quickly, so just another 50 meters or so to go towards the NCN 41 marker.

It is getting harder and harder as we narrow down to the last bit. The A45 to the golf club is so wet but looking at how resourceful we were today, I am sure we will find a way through.

If we can just follow the ad-hoc path on the higher ground and work around the wet bits for now. When we have a clear path through, we can widen it and work out how to drain it at a later date, if we decide that this is what we want to do, or maybe just keep it as wetland habitat and walk or cycle around it.

Thanks to all who made it today. Next three workdays are Wednesdays on the Cawston section, then back to weekend/weekday alternating workdays.

Paul