Cawston Greenway

We Are Now Squirrel-Proof!

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Thanks to a fantastic Father-in-Law, John, we have squirrel-proof feeders and can now offer fat-balls and peanuts.

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This will save us a lot of money in fat-balls. I just need to remember to bring the right food for them now.

Arron, Reece, Dave, Kerrie and myself then went on and planted the rest of the tree saplings around bench #3…

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…and cut away existing tree branches to allow a decent view across Lawford Heath or the other way, towards the Newt Protection Area.

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A quick look, up and down, shows how lovely it is here.

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And lastly, our all-important coffee and cookie break!

Next week we are on Sunday 15th December, and then possibly try and squeeze one more workday in before Christmas.

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged coffee and cookies, cycling, fun, mental well being, nature, NCN 41, picnic benches, rambling, running, tree planting, volunteering | 2 Comments

Putting our mark on the Earth

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Well, we did that alright. To plant a tree for the next generation or two to enjoy, is a good thing.

Kerrie, David, Marcus and Paul planted about 55 tree saplings. It is pretty cool to think about how we will watch these young trees grow over the years.

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We have another 50’odd tree saplings to plant. They are a mixture of Rowan, Hazel, Elder, Crab Apple and other native trees. Come along and place a legacy in the ground…

Looking up…

And down…

A bit muddy, but that is how we like it.

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged c, community, cycling, friendship, fun, hobbies, mental health, Mountain-biking, nature, photography, rambling, running, tree planting | 1 Comment

Taking Green to the Extreme!

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

We have been keeping this path clear, open and as a nice nature-walk for about ten years now.

We have had a lot of people pass through, joining work parties for a few weeks, a few months, a few years, or been on it since the start. It is nice to know that everyone who has helped out has found the calming and therapeutic aspect of getting out into the countryside, as well as the physical exercise and just making friends with like-minded people.

It is also a bit worrying when I look at my wardrobe and almost every garment is a shade of green or brown!!

However, the greenway is not the only outdoor project that I have. I also do Dunchurch Nature Trail. A bridleway that connects Dunchurch to Cawston, and most of my working life is spent outside in green spaces, so maybe I am not as obsessed as it first appears!!

We have another project that is an off-shoot of all of these green spaces. It is making benches and aimed at helping young adults to gain skills and confidence, as well as helping the users of the benches to enjoy the green spaces that we are creating.

Find out more here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paul-hayden-hart-2?utm_term=4Be68ky2d

This week we had Marcus, Reece, David, Mick and Paul pushing back the bramble scrub in our first greenway open space. We have four open spaces with picnic benches along this bit, and each one offers something different.

As you can see, coffee and cookies have become an important aspect of our workdays.

We are creating habitat piles for spiders, insects and small mammals.

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Our good friend, Andrew, gifted us a load of English Bluebell bulbs and a dibber to put them in with. Hopefully, as they spread, the nettle growth will be suppressed a little bit.

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Everyone hard at work clearing bramble and pulling up the roots.

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Or chatting to passers-by, explaining what we are doing and hoping they join us in the future.

All-in-all, a nice open space with bird-feeders. Great for a coffee or picnic, for walkers, runners or cyclists, or just to stop and feel the benefits of being in the countryside and connecting with nature.

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Next week we are planting trees given to us by The Woodland Trust. Start at bench #1 and work down towards bench #4. there are 105 of them in total.

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged bluebell, community, cycling, friendship, fun, mental health, Mountain-biking, nature, nature reserve, nature trail, photography, rambling, running, scrub clearance | Leave a comment

A Long Walk….

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

I had a job on in Woodlands, close to Sainsbury’s, on Wednesday morning so I gave myself a good 25 minutes to walk from that to the greenway – 45 minutes later I got there, totally knackered – and no tools to do any work!!! But I did have a flask of coffee and Marcus brought cookies – that made the long walk worth it!!

Marcus and David started at bench #1 digging out bramble roots. I joined them at bench #2 where we moved the bench so that it gets some sun. Under a tree is lovely, but the bench goes damp and green, which makes it a bit useless for sitting at and eating food from.

Mick joined us at bench #3 and we did a bit of work on our hedge and pulled nettles from under the bench.

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We need to cut the hedge to about 4 foot high and extend it. We have a Woodland Trust 105 tree, tree-pack to plant into it. We also have a load of Bluebell bulbs to put in… It’s going to be busy over the next few weeks.

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Looking up and down from bench #3 and I think it looks pretty good.

The developers have made this area for newts (Newt Protection Area) which is why I thought it was OK with the steps a bit further down…

Anyhow – just a quick one about volunteering, sure I get a buzz out of helping others to enjoy the green space – but boy-o-boy, I get so much for myself in terms of mental well-being. I could witter on about it, but really I would rather just say that it fills a need for me, and probably will do for you, too. So feel free to come on down and join us.

And that leads me to another project that we are working on. Young adults who need additional support – making benches for the greenway and as we get experienced, other public places and gardens. We could do with a bit of cash to help our start-up.

Check out our crowdfunding page here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paul-hayden-hart-2?utm_term=wyxQXdRYR

Or find us on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Autiskills-106474564128648/

Thanks for sticking with us on this incredible journey.

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged benches, blokes, clearing, crowdfunding, helping others, mental health, mental well being, newts, path, picnic benches, sustrans, wildflowers | Leave a comment

Basecamp Operational

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

With the forecast rain, I thought it would be a good idea to put up some cover. Thankfully Marcus and Aaron came along to assist.

As it happened, the monsoon held off until the afternoon! It’s always good fun to make a bit of a den though…

Absolutely loads of people walking past today, and we could see that most wanted to join in with the laughter, coffee, and cookies.

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We scalloped a new clearing on the northern end of this section, leaving a little nub of scrub to separate it from the main clearing, and next week we will flip over to the other side of the path and carry it on for a few meters more.

In my excitement, I forgot to take a photo, so instead, here is a picture of some fungi that we found.

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Candlesnuff, if I am not mistaken.

The bird-feeders are full, so the squirrels are probably having a feast.

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As the path flora shuts down for the winter, we need to find a way to keep feeding the birds. We probably need squirrel-proof feeders – I will scrounge some from somewhere.

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And lastly, looking down on our camp from the observation bench. And yes, with practice I will get the tarp fully over the picnic bench…

Next week, same area, grubbing out bramble roots, putting in Bluebell bulbs given to us by our good friend, Andrew, and maybe mow the grass if it is dry enough.

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged basecamp, community, cycling, friendship, fun, fungi, mental health, Mountain-biking, nature, photography, rambling, running, Saturday Morning | Leave a comment

New Month – New Mission

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Aaron, Marcus, Reece, Dave and myself got back to basics this week at the bird-feeder clearing.

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We cleared out all the encroaching scrub and plants that had gone over from the summer. We’re a bit late in the year to be doing this but hey-ho! When it’s a little drier we just need to mow the grass short and rake-off.

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Things to take away from this year? We need a bit more sun hitting the ground, we need to weed out the encroaching scrub during the summer (easier said than done) and we need to be collecting the seeds from the flowers already present and sow them into the ground bared from scrub removal.

Hopefully, we can extend this clearing with a new scallop at each end.

We have had some lovely photos of birds, and the cheeky squirrels, from our observation bench over the summer. Next year I want to spend more time observing and recording, and less time working!!

Lastly, a log-pile that we put down eight or so years ago…

Whenever we cut back we always seem to come across it and marvel at the fungi and lichen.

We are back in the same place on the next workday to keep pushing the scrub back.

This side of Christmas we are working south of the underpass, on our four picnic bench areas, and installing a couple of basic perch benches in the area where the Cawston Bridleway crosses the greenway. After Christmas we will be working north of the underpass, just scalloping, tidying up and putting in a perch bench or two at Berrybanks. And then in March, we can seed the newly cleared areas around the picnic benches with a colourful wildflower seed mix.

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged coffee, community, conservation, cookies, cycling, friendship, hobbies, mental health, Mountain-biking, nature, outdoors, photography, rambling, Rugby, running, squirrels, summer, trail, volunteering, walking, wildlife | Leave a comment

The New Steps Had To Go…

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

I made an error when putting the new steps in, and for reasons way too complicated to go into here, they had to come out.

Thanks to Aaron, Marcus and Reece for helping to dismantle them, and a massive sorry to Tim and Martin who helped the team to make them.

Amazingly, we just kinda shrugged and moved on.

We now have a pretty awesome picnic area in the cleared section.

Plenty of banter about how we should have the benches angled, I kid you not!!

We then got back to our mini-wildflower patch and started clearing it of brambles. We really need to mow or brushcut the grass or it will just take over. We agreed to extend this area by a couple of meters at each end. It did really well over the summer and next year we can set up some proper surveys for flora and fauna. Butterflies are my secret passion and I have had to put that on hold because I never seem to have the time to just sit and observe them.

The views from our last picnic bench…

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Amazing to have this on our door-step!

Next week we are in the bird-feeder area. We are just clearing out the wildflower bed and having a general tidy up.

Anyone who wants to get involved – please do. You will be welcomed with open arms. We also have a number of other projects that, whilst not totally dependent on the greenway, certainly add to the enjoyment for people using outside green spaces. Come along for a chat if you want to find out more!!

The coffee and cookies are always pretty awesome, too…

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged bees, Birdwatching, coffee, coffee and cookies, community, conservation, cookies, cycling, friendship, hobbies, jogging, loneliness, mental health, Mountain-biking, nature, nectar, outdoors, photography, Picnic, railway, rambling, Rugby, running, trail, view, volunteering, wildlife, working together | Leave a comment

“More Than Just a Path…”

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Bit of a weird one this week!!! Marcus, Reece, and myself and an unannounced visit from Sustrans volunteer Nick (Sustrans Volunteer Co-ordinator).

No work done but just talked about some issues around steps, falling down the hazardous slope down the side of the “Potsford Dam” bridge, newts, stiles, communication and a few other things that are probably unmentionable here…

Here are some of the positives of what we are doing:-

We have created a fantastic asset for Cawston, Beechcroft and Bilton.

People can get fit by walking, running or cycling along our greenway.

We have created circular walks at the points just before Potsford Dam, Just after Potsford Dam, and further down just before the old Dunchurch Station to take people back to Cawston, or to Dunchurch, or carry on on NCN 41 to Leamington, via Draycote.

People can picnic on the greenway at one of our many benches and enjoy stunning views across the heath areas.

People can get fit by joining us on workdays.

People can enjoy connecting with others and chat about whatever, whilst on workdays and look after their mental wellbeing.

People can learn about wildflowers, bees, birds, other insects and all the other stuff that nature puts on our door-step.

We are a starter platform for people to go on and get involved with RSPB, Warwickshire Butterfly Conservation, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and various other more specialist groups.

We have free coffee and cookies!!

We have limited funds so have to beg, steal and borrow as much as we can, and have fantastic support from the residents who use the path.

We have developed side-groups to run alongside the greenway to help disadvantaged groups in so many ways. These groups are about to come on-line and will blow you away in how good they are!

I could go on and on…

You know what, we may not be perfect, we are just a bunch of blokes trying to make a decent path that becomes, “more than just a path…”

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Here is a picture of a newt!! Just so we know what we are looking for…

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged community, conversation, cycling, dogs, friendship, hobbies, mental health, Mountain-biking, nature, newts, photography, rambling, Rugby, running | Leave a comment

Picnic Area

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Our new picnic area is starting to shape-up. In my mind’s eye, I can see exactly how this area needs to look.

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To get wildflowers to grow we need plenty of sunshine. The bench also needs to be in sunshine, or it will become damp and eventually covered in moss or lichen. So Aaron, Marcus, and myself went about clearing scrub and removing branches to create windows to allow the sunlight to hit the bare ground.

We also had to pull out the bramble roots to stop the scrub returning.

Fantastic exercise and very rewarding!!

We want two more deep scallops cutting into the scrub between the benches…

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…and then marry the area up to the mini wildflower patch that we created last year.

Possibly in December when everything is in slumber, we can look at how we can bring the reed-bed into play and this just adds to the biodiversity of the area.

Next week we are building a simple stile over the newt fence. We have various lengths of timber that are about 22mm thick and 110mm wide so that should be strong enough to create an approximately 300mm stile.

So next week, electric drills and screwdrivers, woodscrews, a saw, some postfix, a spade, and a bucket will be required!!

Great day today. Loads of banter and cracking on with the task in hand. Decent coffee and cookies, too.

Paul

Posted in Newsreel | Tagged bees, butterflies, community, cycling, Damselflies, nature, newts, permissive path, photography, Picnic, rambling, running, sunlight, volunteering, wildflowers | Leave a comment

Steps Issue

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Unfortunately, we have had to have our new path temporarily closed.

The issue is this – the developers, by law, have to protect any newts that might reside on the greenway. This means that they have to put up a newt fence to keep them off the housing development. Because I have never seen a newt on the greenway, I kinda smashed through the newt fence to create our exit. I didn’t even consider the consequences. However, this puts the developers in an impossible situation because it means they are breaking the law.

Hence the fence.

There are solutions and hopefully, we can work something out like this…

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Nothing was done with intentional damage or malice, and I am sorry for all the upset that I have caused for loads of people!!

So, Marcus, Aaron, Reece, and myself rocked up to try and get the project moving the right way again.

The steps look fantastic and all of this workday was about up on the top.

At the top of the steps, we want to position a picnic bench and start a wildflower mini-meadow.

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As you can see from the slideshow, the steps start where the greenway breaks out of a wooded path and turns to scrubby bramble. We want to scallop most of this scrub back and seed with Corn Cockle, Corn Chamomile, Cornflower, Corn Marigold and Field Poppy.

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