Riff Raff Diary: June 2019

Published on: 14 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 14 Jun, 2019

Riff Raff Cottage and Weir

Riverbank tales from the local St Catherine’s lengthsman and weir keeper

By Robert Craig

It’s definitely mowing season! In recent weeks I’ve mown St Catherine’s and Millmead locks, as well as the visitor moorings. The grassed areas and moorings at Stonebridge Wharf have also had a cut.

But it has not been all mowing. With the help of Chris (Triggs lengthsman) I’ve put up several small nesting boxes on his length of the navigation. Another small job that I’ve done, thanks to the dry weather, is getting the barrier on our access track painted – having first strimmed the track!

The towpath roller bar at the apex of the river bend, underneath St Catherine’s Hill.

As well as mowing I’ve been busy strimming those narrow sections of the towpath, such as the area around Ferry Lane and downstream to Guildford. Also, I have cut down the vegetation on the bend in the river by the roller, upstream of Ferry Lane. As I have mentioned before this aids navigation ensuring boaters can see any oncoming vessels.

Flag irses.

As well as mowing season, it’s also balsam pulling season and I’m aiming to get as much of the invasive Himalayan balsam pulled up as possible. This will continue through July and into August.

The maintenance team are getting on well with the towpath improvements between Broadford Bridge and the Reading-Redhill railway bridge. I am sure their work will be much appreciated this coming winter.

Along the river, this has been a good year for yellow flag iris and in the surrounding meadows there are some beautiful southern marsh orchids now.

Common whitethroat – photo Malcolm Fincham.

The bramble and gorse bushes are also full of nesting birds. Look out for whitethroats, linnets, goldfinches, greenfinch, and blackcaps to name a few.

See you by the river.