Tag: Creek

#365daysofbiking This world of water

February 23rd – Chasewater Country Park is currently astoundingly wet. The reservoir has overtopped now and is sending a continuous deluge over the weir and down the spillway into the Crane Brook culvert.

The network of creeks and ditches across the heaths are all swamped, and pools and huge puddles are on every trail.

Even the old mine spring that normally trickles a red, rust-tinted flow of water through the marsh at the foot of the dam is flowing pure and clear through it’s gap in the trail concrete block that acts as a crossing.

This is going to take a very long, dry spell to restore to normal.

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/32OHpgw
via IFTTT

#365daysofbiking The rising

 

February 10th – A real four seasons in one day experience, with rain, snow, hail and bright warm sunshine that made for a great afternoon at Chasewater. From the snowdrop glade near the derelict dam house to the view over the fields from the canal to Hammerwich, they day was just bursting with spring.

The water level is rising fast now too, with Fly Creek and the feed from Jeffrey’s swag now enlarged by recent rains.

This spring thing. It’s happening. And most welcome it is too.

This journal is moving home. Please find out more by clicking here.

from Tumblr http://bit.ly/2Drigw0
via IFTTT

November 20th – A dreadfully great and damp afternoon saw me head out with a heavy heart – but hitting the fresh air, I took a spin over Brownhills Common for the first time in ages. it’s looking good, despite the autumnal decay; the heathland restoration here has clearly been beneficial, and it’s lovely to see so many self-seeded deciduous trees like oaks and sycamores growing well.

On to Chasewater, a circuit around the lake was wet but rewarding; the huge number of birds on the lake were mesmerising and the gull roost was massive. Fly Creek is flowing well with the recent rains and the area of the boardwalk crossing is as enchanting as ever.

As dusk fell, heading back to Brownhills, the blue light caught the canal at Catshill, and for a moment at least, was magical.

Sometimes, you set out for a ride in miserable weather and it turns out to be better than you’d ever imagine.

March 10th – Spring is certainly climbing onto her throne. Zipping up through Chasewater yesterday, I saw the first frogspawn of the season in the creek between Jeffrey’s Swag and the (still depleted) main lake. The creek is healthy, and flows again. There were one of two frogs around, but unlike the more laconic common toads, they scarper on seeing humans. This is a good sign: better days are on the way. Hello, frogs, welcome back!

February 4th – I noticed as I passed through Chasewater that Jeffrey’s Swag, the north-eastern body of Chasewater bordering the railway causeway, had now refilled. Lowered considerably last year to construct a new spillway between it and Chasewater itself, it has now refilled to such a level that water is flowing from the Swag into Chasewater. This is really positive news and means that Chasewater is now being effectively fed by local streams that run into the Swag, so hopefully it will refill a tad quicker. It’s also good news for the frogs and toads that spawn in the creek between the two come spring.