Cawston Greenway

…it really was. We had great weather, a roaring bonfire and just about finished the main clearing. We cleared so much scrub and it really was noticeable. The only thing missing was some jacket potatoes and sausages on that bonfire!!

Eight or so of us turned out and cracked on with things. Good to see two new faces and it’s nice that a few people who were dog-walking on the greenway knew about our group and were very complimentary about what we were doing and how it was looking. It’s also good to see that our week-day workdays are proving to be really successful.

There are just a few trees left to take down on the north side of the bridge and a small amount of stump removal, and we formulated a plan for the south side.

It’s hard to imagine that this area was dense canopy a few weeks ago.

This is the view on the south side looking north. We are going to clear the area on the south side for about fifteen feet and there is a superb oak tree that we can keep. After this is gets quite dense with trees and scrub. We can widen the path and create a few more clearings down to Potford’s Dam. There are some lovely specimen trees and shrubs that we can cut around. With regards to a bench, I am still trying to get one but it does pose the risk of it being stolen or burned. I am wondering if somehow we could make a bench out of some of the wood that we cut down? The big logs that I moved make a decent seat!

Great meeting with the Youth Offending team this afternoon. My car is full of bird boxes, bat boxes and insect houses. I am setting up a partnership with them where youths who are ordered to do Community Service can do scrub clearance on the greenway. This will be a great help and hopefully get us some publicity too.

That’s it for now. Next workday is this Sunday. Come along for a bit, or all (I know that everybody is starting to get busy with Christmas). Mainly working on that south side and maybe put up a few nesting-boxes. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust are coming along to help and give us a bit of welcomed guidance.

See you on Sunday!

Wednesday 24th November 11am to 1pm

I want this to be a sort of mini-workday, just a bit of tidying and burning off the rest of the brash that was left ftom the last workday on Monday. Maybe take a few more trees down but nothing too heavy. Meet at the Victorian bridge picnic clearing. Also look at what needs to be done on the other side of the bridge and start to put a plan together.

Remember to bring something to eat and drink. A packed lunch would be good.

Sunday 28th November 10:30am to 1:30pm

Meet at the picnic clearing again. Come along for the full shift, or just part of the shift if you have other things to do.

We have aquired a litter-picker from the litter-pick in Cawston Wood (www.cawstonwood.wordpress.com) a few weeks ago so one of us can clear the bit of litter that has appeared. We also have two bird nesting boxes and a bat box very kindly donated by C J Wildlife Ltd that we can put up. I am also getting some bird nesting boxes from the Youth Offending Service so we need to think about where we put them, bearing in mind they need to be cleaned out once a year.

Other work that can be done: start to clear the area on the south side of the bridge, rake up all the bits on the ground, burn off any brash that we take out, finish the steps that lead up to Cawston Bridleway and, make another log pile.

Christmas will be on us soon and I am very aware that everyone will have a lot to do in December. I will do my best to keep the momentum going but understand that we all have a limited amount of time to give.   

Fantastic progress made this year so far, loads learnt and loads more to learn, plenty going on with the link into Cawston Wood, Sustrans connecting the greenway with Route 41 at Potford’s Dam, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Warwickshire Butterfly Conservation taking a keen interest in what we are doing. It’s all good!

This was our first workday held on a week day and everything was perfect. We had fabulous weather, two roaring bonfires, six or so volunteers and boy did we clear a whole load of trees in the picnic clearing.

Standing under the Victorian footbridge looking northwards

I am working on the Sunday so Monday makes an interesting change. 11am start at the picnic clearing by the Victorian bridge, where we have been working on the last few workdays.

I felled a few more trees on Monday and pulled them under the bridge to dry them out. I would like to burn off the brash, and the pile of brash left from last Sunday (I burned a bit of it off on Monday but the rain finally put my small bonfire out).

A very wet and cold picture of the picnic clearing!

I would also like to build a log pile with the tree trunks. This needs to be in dappled shade to maintain humidity so it becomes a valuable source of habitat for mosses, lichens and fungi, but not too cold for the many insects that it will also attract.

I walked along a lot of the path yesterday and it really is a quagmire in places with my feet sinking ankle-deep into the mud. This led me to think about the way that we widen it, and the curving path dilemma. I wonder if we should cut a new path on the slightly higher ground that is next to the existing narrow path and use the existing path as a sort of drainage ditch. We can follow the natural curves of the existing path and switch from side to side as these natural curves also switch. There are plenty of dry patches to facilitate the cross-over points. If anybody has a better idea, or can expand on this idea, please share it!!

The curved nature of the path that we need to try and keep

Other news:

I am trying to get some bird nesting-boxes for the picnic clearing. Hopefully have some news soon. 

The work that we did in Cawston Wood will be in The Observer this week. Remember that I am trying to get the unofficial footpath that runs off the greenway and into the woods made into a proper Right of Way. If this happens we can make a ramp to get down the embankment. You can find the blog at www.cawstonwood.wordpress.com. It will be a lovely circular walk in the summer.

I have the Licence Agreement from Railway Paths Ltd (Sustrans) and the agreement will be officially set up within the next couple of weeks. This will then allow us to apply for funding from charity groups who support the sort of project that we are working on. The really big one is getting the path made proper with a loose gravel type of surface. This opens up the greenway to people who maybe are not quite as agile as they would like to be, so a very welcomed step forwards. It would also be good to get some benches similar to the ones on the footpath that runs around Cawston, put into some of the clearings. It would be great if the greenway becomes a place for people to visit and enjoy, rather that somewhere that they just walk or cycle through.

That’s it for now. Bit of a ramble but hey-ho. Look forward to seeing who can make it on the Monday.

Paul

…and we didn’t burn down the greenway!!!

Thanks Ed for making this happen. It made life so much easier.

Ed tending the bonfire

We had about 10 people turn out and had a really good day pushing on with the central glade that is going to become the picnic area. Still a bit to do but most of the work is now done.

Busy clearing the brash

Great to see some new faces today, conservation work makes you feel so good!!!

This area was totally covered with thick canopy three weeks ago

I am working next Sunday and have the Monday off so next workday Monday 15th November 11am to whenever we have had enough. I hope to have the hedge trimmer by then so I can push back the paths between the glades a bit.

Great day, fantastic effort from everyone, really starting to see some rewards from all our efforts. Well done!

Remember our sister-site at www.cawstonwood.wordpress.com

Until next time.

Paul

Wow!! What a workday!

Great to see some new faces along with the regulars. Twelve or so of us turned out, we had great weather and a good clear work objective.

We cleared a whole load of trees around the Victorian bridge and really let some light in. Still a fair bit to do on this clearing, but we made such a massive difference.

Jason doing a bit of logging

I would like this section of the greenway to be the centre of it. As I have blogged before, I want pub style picnic benches put in and make a feature of the Victorian bridge because it connects the greenway with its historical past as a busy commuter railway-line between Rugby and Leamington Spa. It is also the crossroads with Cawston Bridleway, which brings me to the fantastic steps that Brian has started to build up the side of the cutting, so access to the bridleway is a whole lot easier. There is a circular walk that is on www.cawstongreenway.org that starts and finishes at The Bear and incorporates both the greenway and the bridleway.

John posing with a branch

We want to leave some of the fantastic specimen trees, but clear out the bulk of the canopy. It will be great to see what grows next year, and what wildlife is then attracted. We will have to keep back nettles and bramble to allow the wild flowers to really get going.

I have another project which is clearing Cawston Wood of all the litter. I am trying to get the unofficial path that runs off the greenway, just past the bridge that crosses the A4071, and goes around the edge of a field before connecting with the path that runs around Cawston Reservoir, made into an official Right of Way. This will then connect  the greenway with the woods and make another fantastic circular walk.

You can find details at www.cawstonwood.wordpress.com

Lastly, I am looking into how we can incorporate the unfarmed triangular field that is at the end of the run of fields that lie between the greenway and the Western Relief Road, into a wild flower meadow.  This is just before the bridge that crosses the A4071. Early days but it will be a real bonus if we can get this to work out.

Next workday Sunday 7th November (next week!!). I will have the litter pickers from the Cawston Wood litter pick so we may as well make use of them. Meet at the Victorian bridge and finish clearing it plus do a bit of litter picking along the greenway so something for everyone next week. We can have a bonfire so we can get rid of a lot of the brash by burning it. 10am to 12 noon or longer, if we really get into it.

Thanks to everybody who turned out today. We really worked hard and got loads done.

I would like to clear the area around the Victorian footbridge which is Cawston Bridleway and, as a matter of interest, leads up towards Lawford Heath. A great circular walk of about 3 miles that incorporates part of Cawston Greenway and starts and finishes at The Bear, so refreshments available upon completion. We started to clear it on the last workday, but due to the size of it, it will need quite a few people. Sustrans suggested that we cut steps up to the Cawston Bridleway and use some of the logs that we cut down as soil retainers for each step, using pegs to hold them in place. An interesting project for someone who enjoys maths and engineering, or maybe Cawston Grange school would like to take this on?

clearing around the bridge to make a feature of it - plenty to do but nice to see more sunlight getting through.

It would be great if we could make this the biggest clearing and eventually get a couple of pub style picnic tables put in, to encourage people to stop and take in the nature and also learn about what we are doing on the greenway. Maybe an information board with a map showing the greenway, the bridleway and the WRR cyclepath and how all three interconnect and maybe the wider picture of how we connect to NCN Route 41??

Remember that we do have a facebook page at  however the best way to keep up to date with workdays and the like is to subscribe to this blog. You will then get a polite reminder by email that the blog has been updated. I am going to email the distribution list twice this time around from two different email addresses, so if you get two emails you will know that your email is OK, if you get one or none, you need to tell your email to accept emails from paul.hart@europe.com. Also if you don’t want to get emails, just let me know and I will remove you from the distribution list.

With regards to power tools, our insurance does not cover power saws, domestic chainsaws or alligator cutters. I have been advised by the insurance company that if people wish to use these tools they do so at their own risk and advise that non-users stay a safe distance away but not so far as to leave anyone lone-working. I hope that is crystal clear.

We should all be really pleased with what we have done so far. It is really starting to take shape and we have all stepped up and taken on board the learning points that Mike and Shirley have been so kind to share with us.

Look forward to seeing you on the day!

Paul

Today we had a little under 20 people turn out. Good to see some old faces returning as well as the regulars.

This blog is where it is at. The email distribution list is so unreliable with various people getting it occasionally and others never getting it. You can subscribe to the blog, or the facebook page (type Cawston Greenway into the facebook search) by clicking on the subscribe button. You will then get a polite reminder by email that the blog has been updated with the next workday.

If anyone wants to be an admin on the blog, just let me know. I will gladly add you.

Today was organised and worked really well. We split into smaller groups and cleared the glades between the meeting point and the Victorian bridge. These glades, or clearings, are so important for the wild flowers. Sunlight will encourage them to grow and they will attract insects and butterflies, which will then attract a whole host of other wildlife such as birds and the like. I really feel that we made some tangible difference on the last couple of workdays.

lots of sunshine on the greenway after making a clearing

another cleared area almost finished

clearing around the bridge to make a feature of it - plenty to do but nice to see more sunlight getting through.

With regards to the paths between the glades, normally known as woodland rides, I will sort out a hedge-trimmer this week and we can gently trim back the paths and follow the existing curves to keep the undulating snaking effect.  I think this will be earlier next year. I feel that it is better to work on the glades first and then work on the paths between them later on.

Thanks Margaret for the First Aid and helping me to A&E. God bless you… Big lesson here – cut away from your hands when sawing.. obvious but in the heat of the moment….

Great work today. Next workday will be in three weeks time on the Sunday, unless someone else would like to organise one beforehand.

Thanks again, it’s starting to look good.

Paul

Slight change to what was agreed at the committee meeting, due to me being back in time for a 2pm start on the 10th.

If we push on down the line to create another glade or two, depending on how many people turn  out. We need to work in small groups of four or five, and take the scrub back. There are a few natural clearings that we have identified and just need a bit of work to open them up again, so a bit of planning beforehand will give us a clear objective.

Meet at the usual place. I will bring the tools that we have, feel free to bring your own if you like.

Look forward to seeing everyone there.

Paul

A fewer number turned out today but we got so much done. We cleared a load of brash and canopy, and made a bright and open glade. We pushed the logs way off the path, cut the stumps neatly and it looked like a really professional job.

Next workday I will bring some polythene tape to tie around the trees and branches that need to be removed and we can break into organised groups, because working in a smaller group with a clear focus on what we were aiming to achieve seemed a lot more productive.

The path between the glades can remain pretty much as they are for now, with just a gentle trim to keep them clear in the summer. There are natural kinks and twists along the path so this keeps it interesting, and also some lovely specimen trees along the way.

 We have a committee meeting at Cawston Grange School on Wednesday 29th September at 7:15 pm. Feel free to come along and see what we are up to or, get involved. We are a new group who are at the bottom of a huge learning curve so any suggestions or direction is always helpful.