Banking on the River Bovey
After successive wet winters, a section of woodland track along the bank of the river Bovey in Pullabrook Woods has suffered some serious erosion. Each year as the river level has risen, the surface has gradually been lifted and rolled downstream by the flood water. In places the track has been made impassable by the sharp ridges of bedrock, jutting from the ground. The river Bovey claims the track at Pullabrook WoodsAccess along this route is not only needed for those enjoying a walk in the valley but is crucial for the woodland management team. Other than a mountainously steep climb at the far end of the wood, the only way to reach a meadow by the riverside is by this 100 metre stretch of track lying in the flood zone. The wildflower meadow is a key element of the conservation plan in Pullabrook Woods as it makes up part of the wider patchwork of habitats across the East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve and provides a home for many butterflies and the various species of oil beetles. Until recently, this meadow was a dark and shady plantation of conifers and has now been opened up to bathe in the sun, providing homes for a range of interesting invertebrates. The meadow has also proved to be an ideal venue for people to meet and events to take place, including the recent woodland weekend where traditional crafts of charcoal making, green woodworking, hazel hurdling and horse logging were on display and visitors learned about the woodland restoration work through a guided walk.
As the winter floods did their worst and the ensuing work to reinstate the track surface progressed, an interesting discovery was made. Among the boulders alongside the original track, a few clues were uncovered, revealing that this stretch of track had been eroded away many years before. History was clearly repeating itself as hand-cut granite tramway stones from the Templer Way had been used to build up this very same length of bank in years gone by. This is obviously not the first time the high river levels have taken the track away here. The contractor working for the Woodland Trust used his skill to place these heritage features on top of the newly positioned granite boulders, telling a story for future visitors about the life and times of the river Bovey. With this well-planned and sensitively constructed hard engineering feature it should be many years before the river takes this track away again.
Now, after a minor disturbance, the life around the river will be able to re-establish itself and the story of the Bovey river bank will carry on.
Written by Matt Parkins
Images by Dave Rickwood and Matt Parkins
