Our Ninth Year

See also our second year (September 2012 – August 2013), third year (September 2013 – August 2014), fourth year (September 2014 – August 2015), fifth year (September 2015 – August 2016), sixth year (September 2016 – 2017), seventh year (September 2017 – 2018) and our eighth year (September 2018- 2019)

September 2020

Shaggy parasol Chlorophyllum rhacodes Wain's Hill Sept 2020

widening the coast path by clearing back vegetation

Nettles are cleared along the path to the battery site and access along the coast path at the headland is improved. A large and beautiful mushroom is found in Wain’s Hill woodland.

weeding and tidying of Hack's Way completed

The weeding and tidying of Hack’s Way is completed. This path has Right of Way status and predates the section of formal path that leads past the flats towards Salthouse carpark.

More weeding and tidying at Wain’s Hill battery site to improve the overall appearance

rebuilding a short, seperate section of the perimeter wall

adding to a previously consolidated section of the retaining wall

Volunteers from Clevedon Civic Society rebuilding and consolidating vulnerable sections of wall at Wain’s Hill battery site. See also the Battery Diary page.

August 2020

More tidying along Hack’s Way. The approach from Old Church Road is a trap for rubbish!

Weeding the gun battery steps prior to more remedial building work, and digging out large tufts of Cockfoot grass to allow smaller, ground covering grass species to establish.

invasive Russian Vine along the coastal path

Russian vine (Fallopia baldschuanica) is a seriously invasive alien also known as Mile a minute plant. It must be removed to save trees along the coast path from being smothered.

The formal path to Church Hill from Salthouse carpark is cleared of weeds and debris while vegetation is trimmed at the top of Hack’s Way leading up from Old Church Road.

Clearing nettles & brambles along the path above the Pill and removing a young Holm oak

July 2020

nettle pulling beside the formal path to Wain's Hill

Pulling nettles beside the formal path to Wain’s Hill & along a path to the Battery site

Cutting back encroaching bramble shoots at the edge of Church Hill grassland. The paths team are happy to return to work after a long break due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

'weeding' out over-vigorous plants to encourage grass and low-growing species

Selective ‘weeding’ at Wain’s Hill battery site to encourage grass & low-growing species

Pulling nettles in the quarry glade. An informal trail leads from here up to the hilltop.

June 2020

Church Hill – nettles & dock are pulled or forked out in the old quarry while overhanging blackthorn is cut back along the path and the green gate bank is scythed & raked off.

trimming back bramble from the 1921 path

The 1923 path and zigzag steps on Church Hill are made fully accessible again by trimming back overgrown vegetation. Long grass bordering Hack’s Way is also trimmed.

Regrowth of sycamore from stumps of recently felled saplings is cut back to promote the development of this Church Hill slope as a sunny, species-rich grass and scrub habitat.

nettles cut beside path behind cemetery allotments

Mowing and raking off nettles on the lower rampart slope on Wain’s Hill. Nettles are also cut and raked off beside the path behind the cemetery allotments to restore good access.

enlarging the glade by forking out more brambles & nettles

grassland with wild flowers will gradually become established here

This Church Hill glade is further enlarged by forking out nettles and brambles. With continued scrub control, this area will become colonised by grasses & wild flower species.

May 2020

nettles forked away from path at entrance to Church Hill

Prickly sow thistles & nettles are pulled from the recently cleared glade on Church Hill. Banks of nettles are forked out beside the formal path leading up from Salthouse carpark.

nettles overhanging the path are forked or pulled out

Forking out nettles on the bank near St Andrew’s Church and along the formal path

Hack’s Way and the 1923 path over Church Hill are mown to improve access.

nettles threaten to block the path to Wain's Hill Battery site

Nettles spreading into the woodland path up to Wain’s Hill gun battery site are forked out.

cutting back brambles at an access point

Cutting back encroaching brambles on Church Hill, and wild radish grubbing

A socially-distanced team of three grub out invasive wild radish. Plants that were missed last year have produced multiple, tall flowering shoots from stems trailing on the ground.

cow parsley in Church Hlll woodland glade

blackthorn - almost a scene from Tolkien

Beauty on Church Hill in early May

April 2020

Hack’s Way and the 1923 grass path over Church Hill are mown to maintain good access. The edges of the green gate bank at St Andrew’s and the grassy triangle are also mown.

This enhanced woodland glade on Church Hill looks very green and inviting this month. The adjacent patch that was first cleared during the winter of 2018/19 is coming on well.

Mid March 2020

On Monday, March 16th the Government announced a national lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and all working parties had to be suspended till further notice. This did not stop single volunteers litter picking or bramble trimming while exercising!

Early March 2020

scything old growth before the spring flush

Wain’s Hill – a section of the rampart slope, left uncut last year, needs scything to control scrub regrowth. Brambles encroaching into the grassland above are cut and grubbed out.

grubbing out and cutting remaining brambles

Enhancing a woodland glade on Church Hill (behind Salthouse Flats)

Enhancing a woodland glade on Church Hill by grubbing out bramble roots. An elder is pollarded to prevent toppling over, and non-native, invasive 3-cornered leek is removed.

February 2020

The area around the coast path seats is tidied, and ivy is cut back from the rock face.

cutting back brambles beside the 1923 path

multiple stems of Holm oak arising from a stump

Trimming back brambles along the 1923 path. Cutting out Holm oak on the slope above the coast path to promote growth of native species including hawthorn and blackthorn.

Enhancing the rocky slope habitat above the coastal path by trimming back invasive ivy, and restoring the path width by removing accumulated soil and debris along the sides

cutting non-native Holm oak (foreground wild privet)

cutting up Holm oak branches for habitat piles

Cutting out invasive, non-native Holm oak on Church Hill to restore good scrub habitat

widenening the path and clipping back ivy

coastal path at the headland overlooking Clevedon Pill

Improving the coastal path at Wain’s Hill headland by trimming and widening

a young buddleia shortened back (a downy birch to the left)

cutting out dead branches of a field maple

The woodland glade behind the Salthouse Flats is improved by cutting out brambles and some invasive tree suckers, trimming buddleia and removing dangerous dead branches.

January 2020

tidying the coast path beside the Glebe field

tidying the coast path beside the Glebe field 2

Tidying the coastal path beside St Andrew’s Church Glebe field.

Pollarding elder trees along the path to the Wain’s Hill battery site to rejuvinate them and prevent these shallow-rooted trees collapsing over the path under their own weight.

the coast path approaching St Andrew's glebe field

the wall below St Andrew's cemetery with Wall Pennywort (Umbilicus rupestris

The coastal path is routinely tidied to maintain good access for walkers by trimming back vegetation, removing mud from the edges and sweeping.

sycamore shoots growing from an old stump

Church Hill – shoots of sycamore arising from old stumps are removed in order to maintain this dense thicket as a valuable habitat and shelter for wildlife.

cutting wild cherry suckers and brambles

shrubby vegetation cut back to improve the view towards the Pier

Church Hill – the spread of wild cherry suckers is controlled, and the view to the Pier from the top of the zig zag path is improved by reducing the height of shrubby vegetation.

December 2019

The coastal path past the cemetery, leading towards Wain’s Hill, is well maintained.

clearing nettles and ivy in the old quarry

cutting back brambles to improve access from quarry to hilltop

Enhancing the site of the old quarry on Church Hill

November 2019

The edges of the coast path are cleared of mud and debris and vegetation trimmed back.

cemetery allotment path in need of clearing

tidying the right of way behind the cemetery allotments

Clearing nettles and brambles along the right of way behind the cemetery allotments

The badger bridge on the coast path is regularly tidied and swept.

Weeding and tidying at Wain’s Hill battery and clearing nettles beside the approach path

ready to clear autumn leaves and mud

pulling nettles

the final rake up

Church Hill – clearing autumn leaves, mud & weeds, and pulling nettles beside the path

disentangling brambles from a hawthorn bush

Scrub control on Church Hill – clearing marginal brambles and removing sycamore shoots

October 2019

The coastal path to Wain’s Hill is cleared of accumulated mud and weeds.

weeding and tidying the green bank and path

the arch trimmed to remove lowest branches

Maintaining good access along a Church Hill path by clearing nettles and low branches

raking up cut nettles along the central path

cutting back brambles along the 1923 path on Church Hill

Church Hill – clearing away strimmed nettles along the central path and raking off mown grass on the steep slope above; cutting back brambles encroaching on the 1923 grass path

cut grass to be raked down into the woodland for habitat piles

Grass on Wain’s Hill ramparts, recently mown and partly raked down by Green Mantle, is taken further into the woodland to create habitat piles. More nettles are hand pulled.

cut nettles raked off the central formal path

Overgrown nettles bordering the central formal path are strimmed and then raked off.

The coastal path near the lookout tidied and swept and an old seat cleared of weeds

Wain's Hill rampart mown by Green Mantle contractor

raking off cut grass and cutting back bramble shoots

Wain’s Hill rampart grassland, much improved by twice-yearly scything, has been mown this autumn by the council contractor Green Mantle. Steep grassland on Church Hill is mown, and arisings then raked off, by our volunteers. Marginal brambles are cut back.