Mid-September 2020 marked the start of our tenth year of volunteering on Poets’ Walk. The following entries illustrate our work month by month in reverse chronological order.
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), eighth year (September 2018- 2019) and our ninth year.
September 2021
The badger bridge and coastal path are regularly weeded, tidied and swept.
The access to Hack’s Way from Church Hill is made more attractive by clearing vegetation.
August 2021
Another section of the coast path on Wain’s Hill is cleared of encroaching vegetation.
This bank by St Andrew’s Church is scythed after nettles are pulled & elder shoots cut.
The Friends complement the work done by the MARLENS at Marine Lake by maintaining the nearby paths, steps & seats on a regular basis – much appreciated by visitors.
July 2021
The paths team keep the coastal path thoroughly tidied & swept to maintain proper access.
The formal path around Wain’s Hill has become more overgrown than usual this summer due to the exceptional growing season, and needs clearing back. Ragwort needs pulling.
Wain’s Hill – raking cut and hand-pulled nettles into the woodland to create habitat piles
June 2021
Mowing the 1923 path over Church Hill to encourage walkers to use this route. Brush-cutting invasive nettles and goosegrass on the shaded lower parts of Wain’s Hill rampart.
Deep-rooted Sea Beet has colonised the wall above Marine Lake, weakening the stonework, and must be removed. The promenade and stone steps are weeded and swept.
Hack’s Way is mown with a brushcutter and the formal path from Salthouse Road weeded and swept.
The access path to Wain’s Hill battery is cleared of nettles. At the battery site and in the glade below its boundary wall, invasive species such as sow thistles and nettles are pulled to allow grasses and other species to flourish.
The seats along the coast path are regularly maintained. The zigzag steps on Church Hill are cleared of encroaching vegetation and the memorial seat & viewing area above tidied.
The top of Hack’s Way and the path above are cleared of nettles, and branches trimmed.
May 2021
Church Hill – nettles are pulled and bramble shoots trimmed in a recently scrub-cleared glade that now supports a wide variety of flowering species. The adjacent path is tidied.
After flowering, the popular wild damson ‘arch’ on the south side of Church Hill is trimmed and the path edges tidied, while nettles are pulled and wild radish grubbed beside the path.
April 2021
Controlling the spread of bramble and wild raspberry in grassland and woodland glade
Improving access along the coast path at the headland by trimming, shovelling & sweeping
Weeding and sweeping the coastal path near the cemetery and the badger bridge
Pruning buddleia on the south-facing slope of Church Hill and cutting marginal brambles
Accumulated mud and encroaching vegetation cleared along the coast path on Wain’s Hill
On 1st April, our volunteers were finally able to get back to work after Covid 19 restrictions were eased to allow six people to meet outdoors.
December 2020
Returning to work after the second Covid 19 lockdown, volunteers clear accumulated mud and autumn leaves from the approach path to Wain’s Hill as well as from steps and all the formal paths near Marine Lake, to benefit crowds of Christmas visitors.
November 2020
A month-long second Covid 19 lockdown prevents our volunteers from turning out.
Church Hill – pulling nettles, scything grass & tidying the zigzag steps to improve access.
October 2020
The spread of scrub on Church Hill is controlled by selective cutting back while grassland quality is improved by autumn scything and raking.
Church Hill above the Salthouse – a steep bank is scythed and raked while access is improved along two paths by cutting back encroaching brambles and pulling nettles.
The coast path is cleared of encroaching vegetation & soil, and the seats tidied & weeded.
Wain’s Hill ramparts – grass recently cut by the contractor Green Mantle has been left as a long row and needs to be raked off the slope into the woodland to create habitat piles.
Raking off the cut grass on a Church Hill slope to promote a good grassland habitat. Cutting back encroaching brambles and pulling nettles on a bank beside the 1923 path.
September 2020
With the consent of St Andrew’s PCC, invasive Russian vine growing unchecked in the cemetery is cut down. The vine had almost killed the shrub that it was smothering.
Late summer mowing on the two steep slopes of Church Hill begins. The tops of both hills have now been tractor mown by a North Somerset Council contractor.
Our paths team are steadily catching up with cutting back overgrown vegetation and tidying along the coastal path.
See earlier entries from 2019/20 here
ClevedonConservationVolunteers 