110. A Watery Weekend, 6-8 April 2019

A round of social visits took the Mistress and I to Essex over the weekend and we were able to get some good walking in at the same time, nearly all of it involving water in some way!

A trip to RHS Hyde Hall Gardens near Chelmsford was very interesting as they have created a dry garden on the side of a hill with a vast range of drought tolerant plants which seem to be thriving (see picture). They take great pride minimising water usage across the whole garden which is just as well as the average rainfall around there is only 565mm pa. Despite that it did rain when we were there. But it’s a great garden.

Next was a visit to Hanningfield Reservoir operated by Essex and Suffolk Water (part of Northumbrian Water). They have leased a 100-acre woodland on the waters edge to Essex Wildlife Trust who have created a wonderful nature reserve meandering through ancient woodland. The walk takes in marvellous views of the reservoir with several hides for extensive bird watching. Bluebells abounded but we were a couple of weeks too early to enjoy the best display. Interestingly the reservoir (pumped catchment) was at 75.3% capacity as at 1 April. And the shoreline suggested that it had been a long time since it was last full.

Finally, a visit to Wallasea Island on the River Crouch. This vast wetland area is owned by the RSPB and I was given a VIP tour of the recent developments to which a charity of which I am a Trustee had made a significant grant. Using spoil from the Crossrail project brought down river by barge, a huge area called Jubilee Marsh has been created and sluices and water control measure are now installed (see picture) to convert once cultivated farmland into over 650 ha of saltmarsh, mud flats and nesting areas for countless indigenous and migrating birds (and as it turned out, dozens of hares!). A magnificent, tranquil space right on the edge of London and demonstrates how big business, charities and membership organisations can work together to protect and enhance our environment. And all utilising water at its best.