Boardwalks and Gentlemen in Velvet

15th July 2023

It's a pleasantly warm day for a walk in the woods, but I have got some serious work to do. A couple of weeks ago we hosted a field meeting with two officers from the High Weald AONB unit. They had come to give us advice on seeking funding for a boardwalk across the ponds we restored last October.

Stephanie and Simon suggested a possible source of funding, advised us about the construction of the boardwalk and left me with the task of drawing up detailed plans. So today its all about measuring.

I pause briefly to chat to Nick, who is leading a group from Global Generation. I'll be working with some of their 10 to 16 year olds next month, building leaky dams. As they start their morning warm-up routine, a spot of yoga on The Middle Paddock, I head off to Bat Park to collect some spare bamboo canes from the work we did there last Stewsat. I get a certain buzz out of rescuing spent materials from one job and reusing them on another. Along with 30 metres of baler twine left-over from the deer fence completion, I'm going to use the canes to mark out the footprint of the boardwalk.

With several dozen canes under my left arm I am passing Owl Wood when a sudden movement catches my eye. From out of Owl Wood a small, black, velvet-clad animal is scuttling across the path. You read about moles, see pictures of them and even share the joy that a patient camera-man must feel when he captures one on film, but to see one in the flesh is something special. For me it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel compelled to capture it on video. I drop my bundle of canes and whip out my mobile phone. The resultant video is pretty poor quality when compared to BBC Wildlife, but for me it is a scoop right up there with the best Fleet Street can only dream about.

I am ecstatic. Moles are the bane of green-keepers lives, likewise retired colonels who mow their lawn every week. Both are desperate to keep their turf immaculate and constantly do battle with the little chap in velvet. But you are just as likely to have moles in your woodland as you are under your lawn. The key difference is that the mass of tree roots prevents their tunnels from collapsing in a woodland, so they don't need to keep repairing them and you subsequently don't see the main indicator of their existence – mole hills

As I walk down Hemlock Valley I come to the new bridge that Dan has been working on. He had a day working on it over the weekend with some of his old architecture buddies and they have made great strides with it (you’ll need great strides to cross it, judging by the large gaps currently in it!).

Having had my daily fix of wildlife I am now set fair to repay Mother Nature and do some conservation work down at the New Ponds. I have a pretty clear picture in my head about where the boardwalk, bridges and attendant access paths should go, but this needs to be completed by measuring the distances as precisely as possible in order to get a quote. Without a quote you can't apply for funding.

“Could you give us about fifteen-farsand quid? That should do it Guvner.” Won't cut the mustard when it comes to convincing people to part with the spare cash jingling in their pockets.

Over the next 2 hours I work methodically putting bamboo canes in place to mark the position of the proposed boardwalk. The addition of orange baler twine gives a clearer picture on the ground, but is invisible in the photos I take. Never mind, I now know the amount of boardwalk required to do the job. All I have to do is draw up a map of the site, provide the measurements and a contractor will be able to give me a price.

In fact you realise the importance of field work whenever you do it, since all the desk-work in China won't reveal the myriad of problems the real world throws up when you walk-the-walk on-site. Three hours of careful measuring in the depths of Wilderness Wood, topped-off with the excitement of seeing my first live mole are ample recompense for the work done and I can return to ordinary life feeling refreshed and rewarded.

Bamboo canes mark the position of the approach path to the boardwalk

Artists impression of the finished boardwalk

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