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We knew that it was going to be colder this week, but 2 degrees C (35.6 F) and the needle not budging all morning kept us busy, even if it was just to stay warm.

Amazingly, nine of us turned out. Marcus, Steve, Matt, Reece, Mark, Ian, Dave, Martin, and Paul, with the continued aim of removing some of the hawthorn tree overhang and pushing the scrub back.

Despite the gloomy weather forecast, we actually had periods of lovely crisp sunshine.

The more we push back the scrub, the more we are seeing wildflowers start to pop up in the newly cleared areas.

According to the ID app on my phone, the first photo is Creeping Buttercup and, sorry to go all lavatorial on you, the second photo is Sticky Willy.

There is loads and loads of it. I’m not sure if it will all get wiped out when we start to get frosts. I guess it wouldn’t have come up if it relied on spring weather? Whatever happens, it’s nice to see the rewards of pushing the scrub back. We just have to remember not to strim it all off as we try to keep the path width.

At half-time, I decided that we could do with some hot food to go with our hot coffee.

The bacon seemed to take ages to cook, and I remembered that butane gas is not so good in cold weather. Luckily, I had a spare canister, so I put it under my armpit for ten minutes to warm it up, and then switched them over. Before long, we were back on track and stuffing our faces…

After the break, we made brash piles and Ian did a litter pick.

The more we push the scrub back, the more we are finding old bits of litter.

We also chopped down a load of stumps that I felt were a bit high.

There were loads of them, and there is an argument that they are less of a trip hazard if left high, but when they start to re-shoot, they look really odd and very unnatural.

Matt made a secret doorway to a hidden world.

Again, it’s just trying to make the trail as interesting and enjoyable for everyone, including children.

And the end result…

I think we did about 200 metres or so today, and probably just 100 metres left until we get to the end next week, so we are very much on track.

Next month, we are working on the section from The Bear Bridge to the Underpass. Quite handy because we will be popping into The Bear for our Christmas lunch at some point in December.

Dunchurch Bridleway

Just me and Ian this week, and everything was very wet due to the torrential rain at the back end of the week.

We pushed on, but it was hard going.

Looking forward to the task ahead, my weapons of choice, and looking back. It needs to be a lot wider, but there is always a trade-off between distance and width.

We broke for coffee and some rather nice chocolate-covered ginger biscuits.

And then litter picked and called it a day.

There are just 250 metres to get to the end, and then we rotate back to the start, so we are bang on target. With the second pass, we will be pushing the width out a bit more.

Fungi Feature

Today we are looking at the beautiful oyster mushroom. These shell-shaped fungi grow horizontally in tiers or fabulous clusters on dead or dying wood of deciduous trees, especially beech. Unlike many fungi, these mushrooms are not seasonal and can be found all year round, especially after a cold snap which can trigger the fungus into fruiting.

Oyster mushrooms are a saprobe, which means they live off decaying organic matter, and are specialists in breaking down some of nature’s toughest materials – cellulose and lignin. In the process, they release vital nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Scientific name: Pleurotus ostreatus

How to identify: This fungus starts out a beautiful grey-blue colour with a cap edge that rolls slightly inward, gradually opening out turning grey brown and wavy with age. Look underneath, and you’ll find they have crowded whitish gills that are decurrent – meaning they run right from the cap edge and down the stem. In this case, the stem is rudimentary, a short (often fluffy) number that’s only a few centimetres long.

A handful of other oyster mushrooms exist, but are often much paler in colour. If they’re much smaller, they’re likely to be the oysterling family. A similar, all white version known as angel’s wings is a great find as it’s quite rare, but be warned, it’s poisonous!

Where to spot: Woodlands, towns, parks and gardens

When to spot: All year round

Did you know? These mushrooms are carnivores! In order to obtain the nitrogen they need, oyster mushrooms secrete a powerful toxin that stuns passing microscopic nematode worms, whereupon their sprawling fibres will seek out and enter their mouths and suck out their guts!

And on that delightful note, that’s about it for this week.

Until next time!

Paul