Some things never change, it seems. Since the beginning, humans have been inclined to cross terrain guaranteed to make one’s socks wet. Despite this, we have always fought against the dampness, often with boardwalks. The oldest boardwalk in the UK has been dated to 4100BC, about 1500 years before the stones were erected at Stonehenge. Archaeologists discovered the remains of timbers 4.7 metres below the surface of a peat bog in Greenwich. The wetland surrounding the river Thames was rich in species and materials; not a dissimilar world to the wetland habitat that Worcestershire Wildlife Trust manages today. This ancient boardwalk is early evidence of humans adapting nature for their own needs.
Keeping your socks dry
Mending a boardwalk by Romy Clarke
Romy gets to grips with mending a boardwalk (or two)...
I feel comforted knowing that my ancient ancestors tried their best to avoid the fate I faced today.
The boardwalk at Ipsley Alders Marsh resides over the marshy ground. It seems that at some point in a traineeship with the Trust, each of us gets a go at repairing this essential structure. This time it was my turn! Iain, our supervisor at the time, and I were joined by long-time volunteer Andy. By the time we’d reached the beginning of the boardwalk, we were already tired as much of the walk there had involved weaving a heavy wheelbarrow over roots and through gates. The marsh stretched out before us but, despite the blistering summer heat, the spring-fed marsh remained wet and created somewhat of an oasis. The air was adrift with willow seed and buzzing insects. Tufts of rushes swayed in the breeze, dispersed by white-pink froths of hemp-agrimony and fen bedstraw.
Iain and Romy thumbs-up to the boardwalk by Andy Bucklitch
We made camp on the boardwalk and set to work. The boardwalk is made of four long posts buried vertically into the marsh, forming the corners of a rectangle. Each remaining foot or so left above the surface supports two, roughly two-metre beams, which lay across lengthways. Upon these, around 10 flat boards are laid widthways. Iain and Andy reached for the crowbars and began lifting the flat boards from the support beams. Each one was attached with nails that, despite their rustiness, were still good to use. We generally try our best to reuse whatever we can but, although the boards were in good condition, there was no saving the support beam. It was slimy and fungi-ridden; a gentle scrape with a nail saw the softened wood fibres crumble away. The beam was a time bomb, made worse by the heavy bombardment from a small group of longhorn cattle, which we caught playfully jumping on the boardwalk. Replacing the beam was one of the most arduous experiences I’ve had at the Trust - 10 boards levered off, the new beam sawed and 10 boards nailed back on. I suppose the feeling of accomplishment was worth it. However, the experience was essential, as I've gone on to fix several boardwalks in this way since.
Soon, autumn arrived. Iain moved on and Andy had applied for his job and taken his place. Andy’s arrival coincided with the arrival of our new trainees, Catharine, Carolyn and Katie. They hadn’t been long with us before the boardwalk at Ipsley had broken again (in a different place, of course)! Just as humans have been fixing boardwalks for thousands of years, it seems that we are destined to fix them for thousands more. I conveniently had other things to do that day but I wished them the best of luck on their first mission.