Halls Cleave - A Quiet Corner
Deep in Fingle Woods, in a quiet corner of Hall’s Cleave, a pint-sized stream carries pure Dartmoor water from the springs in the hills above. Day and night, it babbles enthusiastically to itself, tumbling through the woods along its 2-mile journey to the River Teign. For so long it has been neglected in the darkness of the shading conifer plantation but now, this little backwater has become the focus of restoration efforts to open up the waterside zones and give the riparian ecology a helping hand. There are fragments of ancient broadleaved woodland along the banks of the stream and revealing these from the shrouding conifers will breathe life into the stream and the surrounding woodlands.
Last year, some of the bank side conifers were felled by the contractors, increasing the sunlight reaching the stream but this year, the finishing touches are being applied by the careful hooves of the heavy horses and the willing hands of the Fingle volunteers.
Last year, some of the bank side conifers were felled by the contractors, increasing the sunlight reaching the stream but this year, the finishing touches are being applied by the careful hooves of the heavy horses and the willing hands of the Fingle volunteers.
Once this quiet corner falls silent again the restorative powers of nature will take over and reclaim a wild corridor, enhancing life along the stream.by Matt Parkins
