Past Helford VMCA events
5th December 2009
Wreck and Torpedoes to Coastwatch – the extraordinary history of Nare Point.
Nare Point, at the south-east corner of the Helford estuary, appears to be unremarkable, just another of the many Cornish headlands although with a look-out post on top. But if an author had decided to weave a story about it, such as was about to be told by our two speakers from the National Coastwatch Institution, Paul Phillips and Len Jepp, he would be accused of having a fevered imagination. Paul began with a brief reference to early times. A few place names, referring to barrows and a fort, provided hints of Prehistoric settlement and, more tangibly, Prehistoric potters had used an unusual gabbroic clay from St Keverne. A mention in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 987 AD shows that by Medieval times the district was occupied by farming communities, working the land in family-owned strips, a pattern well seen on an 1847 map of land holdings.
Moving to the years of the Second World War, Paul expanded on the important role played by the Helford in general and Nare Point in particular as men and machines were mobilised for the opening of the Second Front. The shot-blaster from Porthoustock Quarry was placed in charge of building the roads, piers and jetties needed for embarkation. Meanwhile Barnes Wallis was conducting experiments with a football at Predannack Pool, leading to his development of the bouncing bomb. The Dam Busters Raid, famously led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, the grandson of a Cornishman, was the successful outcome of his work. The massive build-up of men and equipment, fears that this would be discovered by the enemy and the all-important need to protect Falmouth Docks, led to Nare Point being developed as a Falmouth Decoy site. One might imagine that mock buildings, railway sidings and docks would be erected, but the truth was stranger. The constructions were fake street lights and a variety of fire-making devices, designed to delude a night bomber pilot that there was a town below with incomplete blackout and that his bombs had hit targets. Fire trays, fifteen feet long and ten inches deep, were filled with mixtures of diesel, paraffin, water, wood pulp, wood, coal and coke, with flash bags beneath. The mixtures could be varied for effect, to simulate, say, a direct incendiary hit on a ship or train. Other devices included tanks with tar and sand bags with cordite. The decoy site, which operated from 1940 to 1944, was wired to a control bunker manned by Royal Navy personnel on the cliff above Men-Aver beach. In May 1944, Falmouth’s last and most destructive air raid, Nare Point decoy took 9 heavy bombs.
A little-known aspect of the war years was the existence of the Secret Army, auxiliary units which formed a specially trained body of resistance fighters tasked with defending a 30 mile-wide strip around the UK shores, except those facing Ireland. They were undercover agents, selected for their intimate knowledge of the district, carefully screened and trained in special combat, demolition and sabotage. Separate from the Home Guard, although issued with the same uniform to avoid suspicion, this region had about 190 men in 28 patrols. The Manaccan patrol consisted of 2 farmers, 2 farm labourers, a fisherman and a blacksmith, operating from a tunnelled hideout in a field. The leader, Mr Eva, was supplied with pistols, limpet mines, a special telephone, iron rations and an emergency keg of rum. When the time came to return the equipment, the rum had mysteriously changed to a keg of water, but a clue to this strange phenomenon may have been the neat hole in the bung, plugged with sealing wax.
The observation post at Nare Point, now occupied by Coastwatch, was built after the war by the Ministry of Defence and functioned between 1952 and 1993 as part of a torpedo testing range run by an RAF unit, the Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit (ATDU), and subsequently by the Admiralty. The concept of airborne torpedoes originated before the First World War and there had been an earlier testing range in the Scillies, but Falmouth Bay had proximity to Culdrose. Nare Point was the secondary (slave) station to the main control centre at Porthkerris. Cameras at both posts tracked the trajectories, entry angles and paths of dummy torpedoes and mines dropped from south to north by a variety of aeroplanes and helicopters. A pinnace with Docklands staff helped with recovery of the ordnance.
Paul concluded his piece with a harrowing account of a legendary shipwreck, the loss of the Bay of Panama in the Great Storm of 1891. Built by Harland and Wolff at Belfast in 1883, the Bay of Panama was a 2,282 ton, four-masted, square-rigged steel ship, one of the finest sailing vessels ever built. In November 1890 she left Calcutta with 13,000 bales of jute, destined for mills at Dundee, and by early March 1891 she was near Cornwall. The weather was deteriorating fast and on March 9th there were signs of an approaching blizzard, with a strong north-easterly gale and driving snow. The captain thought that he was near the Lizard and throughout the day had been proceeding under two topsails, but now all sail was furled. The weather worsened and became a ferocious blizzard, the worst in the West Country for 200 years. Animals died in the fields in hundreds. Four ships were wrecked on the Manacles. At about 1.30am on March 10th a huge wave swept along the deck, smashing all the boats. In driving snow, with visibility almost nil, further waves hurled the ship headlong into the cliff just south of Nare Point. She slewed round, pointing east and listing to starboard. One mast came down, two topmasts broke and fell. Waves swept along the deck, swamping the cabin and carrying off the captain, his wife, second mate, steward, cook and four apprentices. The mate ordered the rest of the crew into the rigging and there they clung through the night, their wet clothing freezing in the icy wind. Some lost their grip and fell. At daybreak, a farmer searching for his sheep on the cliff spotted the wreck and went for help and by 9am coastguards from St Keverne had rigged a breeches buoy. Some in the rigging had frozen to death. The survivors, 17 from a crew of 40, were lifted ashore, taken to St Keverne, warmed, fed and put to bed. Next day they were taken in a horse-drawn bus to Gweek on the way to Falmouth, but snowdrifts blocked the road and they struggled the remainder of the way on foot, some without shoes. As the Falmouth Packet reported, they ‘endured as much privation in that walk as they did in the actual shipwreck’.
Len Jepp, Acting Station Manager at Nare Point, picked up the story of the observation post. In 1992 the Coastguard station at Bass Point was abandoned as part of a nationwide programme of closures. Shortly afterwards a fishing boat was seen to be in difficulties off the coast, but persons attempting to report it and get help were unable to do so because the station had been boarded up. Two fishermen drowned. Appalled at this incident, locals at Cadgwith in 1994 decided to set up their own watch station, with help from Lloyds of London, and thus began what is now the National Coastwatch Institution, a volunteer organisation which currently has 42 stations around the country with 1700 observers watching our coastal waters in 4-hour shifts. In 1993, after the MOD closed its torpedo testing facility, the building at Nare Point had little use, other than as a potato store. It was derelict when taken over by the NCI in 2005, leased from the National Trust at a peppercorn rent. With the help of several organisations and local residents the station was renovated and new windows were added to give it a 290 degree field of view, enabling powerful telescopes to sweep from Trebah and Gillan in the west, to Falmouth in the north, along the coast to Dodman Point and around south to Porthkerris and the Manacles. The station has radar, radio and Automatic Identification System equipment, but the main activity is ‘looking out of the window’. Radar can show the position of a vessel, but only a watcher can see if it is in trouble. The observers log the movement and anchoring of all vessels, large and small. Twelve were on duty on the day of the Tall Ships race when there were 2000 boats in Falmouth Bay. Weather conditions are logged, of use to the coastguard and yachtsmen; and the observers can give visual guidance to lifeboats. Apart from the routine observations, the telescopes provide a wonderful opportunity for looking at birds, dolphins, whales and other wildlife. Presently the station has 52 observers and operates every day. It is aiming for 65 to enable 3 watches per day, with 2 people (for 2 windows) at any time. Len said that volunteers would be most welcome.
The HMC Group would like to thank Paul Phillips and Len Jepp very much for their extremely interesting talks, delivered with humour and packed with information about what we once thought was just an ordinary Cornish headland.
Dive Bahamas
14th November 2009
Reality sometimes exceeds expectations, sometimes it does not.
When Helford River diver and expert photographer, Tony Sutton was invited by the Bahamas Tourist Board to dive on the reefs of this Caribbean Archipelago his feelings of good luck and expectations were, not surprisingly, high. Likewise, his audience of Helford River supporters, who, braving the frost, gathered at Mawgan Village Hall expecting to escape in, if only in their imaginations, visions of blue tropical waters, multi-coloured corals and fish of innumerable shapes and sizes.
The introduction was promising. Fabulous hotels and tourist facilities. Climate perfect and the sea very, very blue.
First day out was the dolphin experience. Who can resist the grace and intelligence of these playful animals? The dolphins live on pools near the hotel – not exactly ‘farmed’ but not really free. They are ‘produced’ to order into the tourist pool so that visitors can admire their routines and bond with them. It did seem that their movements were somewhat habituated and, worryingly, Tony thought that their noses seemed to have suffered from much patting by human hands.
The next day, a shark encounter in the open sea – that will be better! The diving party were taken out beyond the harbour and seated on the sea floor. Fishy material was then cast about and sure enough the reef sharks appeared to order cruising gracefully about and snapping up the bait. To most tourists this would be the highlight of the Bahama marine experience but to our Tony, hoping for visions of diverse wildlife on a pristine coral reef it fell well short of what he had hoped to see.
It seems that over-fishing, industry (they make a lot of cement there) and sea temperature rise may have taken their toll of the coastal marine life. Doubtless most tourists would have marvelled at what was on show but to Tony a different concern weighed on his mind, namely the wording of his report to the Bahama Board of Tourism!
Andrew Tompsett
17th October 2009
The Private Life of Cornish Seals by Sue Sayer
Around 35 members were treated to a fascinating evening on Saturday, 17th October 2009 at Gweek Village Hall, when Sue Sayer of the Cornwall Seal Group spoke with great enthusiasm on The Private Life of Cornish Seals, illustrating her talk with a large number of photographs, drawings and video clips.
Most of the seals around this coast are Grey Seals, one of the rarest of seal species and the UK’s largest land-breeding mammal, averaging 2.3m in length and weighing around 230kg. Common Seals, which are smaller, with different head shape, nostrils and patterns, are rare in Cornish waters, with only 14 sightings since 2001. Grey Seals can be found in the eastern USA and around the coasts of Greenland, Iceland and Scandinavia, but the UK has 40% of the World’s Grey Seals, mostly around Scotland but with Cornwall being one of its strongholds and a hub for movements to France, Wales and Ireland. The Cornish seals are genetically different from the Scottish ones. Seals have to haul out on beaches and rocks to moult, breed, rest and digest their food. If disturbed by humans, for example by noise or leisure craft, a panicked return to the sea can be harmful, particularly for pregnant females. Consequently they are studied from a distance, using binoculars and telephoto lenses, and their favoured haul out sites are kept secret to minimise disruption. Some sites may contain over a hundred seals.
Each Grey Seal has a unique fur pattern of spots, blotches and irregular shapes which has enabled the Seal Group to compile a data base of 700 animals and thus chart their movements around Cornwall and beyond, as well as recording parentage of the offspring. Colours range from white through creamy, grey and chocolate to black. Males tend to be dark and females paler and more spotty. Moulting occurs in the Spring and breeding peaks in October, on beaches where a dominant male ‘beachmaster’ is the sire. A seal pup is suckled for 18-21 days, rapidly becoming larger and fatter, and then left to fend for itself. Mating occurs shortly after birth, but the fertilised egg remains dormant until the female has regained strength and is then implanted. With about 9 months of gestation the birth cycle becomes annual.
The audience were amused and impressed at the imagination shown in name selection based on the fur patterns!
Powerful shoulders and claws enable seals to haul out on steep slippery rocks and, if necessary, to move with considerable speed across the beach. In the water the animals are flexible and agile, swimming by sideways movements of the rear flippers and reaching speeds of 4km per hour. They can dive to 70m for up to 12 minutes. On returning to the surface, muscles open the nostrils to breathe. They can sleep in the sea, either vertically (‘bottling’), or horizontally (‘logging’). When bottling, seals sink between breaths. A reflex twitch of the rear flippers returns them to the surface for the next breath. The food for Grey Seals consists of sand eels, cod, other white fish, plaice and other flat fish. However, they learn that easier meals are obtainable by following boats for jettisoned fish and food waste and this can create problems between the boat owners and the animals. Being naturally curious, seals will explore old discarded nets and can become entangled, occasionally, also, in current working nets. At present about 65 seals in Cornwall live with entangled netting.
The Cornwall Seal Group collaborates closely with British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the National Seal Sanctuary to locate and rescue animals in distress, for example because of net entanglement, oiling or injury. A dated information tag attached to the rear flipper of a released animal provides a further means of identification in future sightings. Seals can live 20-30 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity.
Sunday, 6th September 2009
Bats know best!
Over 30 friends and members of the Helford MCG gathered at Mawgan Village Hall for an evening “bat talk and walk”. Dr Carol Williams, with her characteristic enthusiasm, delivered a 30 min. crash course in bat identification, life-cycle and habits before we ventured out into the gathering gloom assembling in the woodland car park on the Trelowarren Estate. Bat detectors swung into action immediately and to our delight we heard several pipistrelle bats as they hunted for insects overhead using their stuttering echo-location calls.
Carol had stressed the richness of the Helford River woodlands for 16 species of bat so we set out with great expectations from the car park to the lawns and buildings adjacent to the main house. The moon rose as we toured the extensive grounds and the tawny owls hooted in the woods but bats – they were silent! With ears fully attuned and waiting we quietly discussed the habits of bats, when are the young born - early summer, hopefully as the weather warms and insects are on the wing? How far from the roost do bats hunt for food – most within 1km but others, such as the robust high-flying noctules can travel much further? Do males and non- breeding females frequent the nursery roosts – no?
Perhaps the strong evening breeze had deterred the insects? We headed back to the car park woodland and WOW! Immediately we heard the Common pipistrelle echo-locating at 45khz and hunting overhead. Our detectors positively vibrated with the sound. At one stage there were also social calls indicating that there were male bats in the vicinity displaying and courting over-head. This was the moment that the sensitive infra-red binoculars swung into action and some people were lucky enough to catch glimpse of the aerial displays.
The sheltered car park may have been warmer that night favouring the insects or was this a chance encounter with a courting area (or ‘lec’) frequented by male bats strutting their stuff for the benefit of the ladies? It was an evening to remember, confirming what Carol had told us, that bats really do know best when it comes to finding the best places for a good night out.
Andrew Tompsett
Sunday, 23rd August 2009
Explore the Shore
“Dare you to put your finger in this bucket!”. Then came a yelp, and a rapid withdrawal of the hand. The Velvet Swimming Crab had instantly reared up, arms wide, claws open, its bright red eyes glistening. Only later, when it had subsided, did we see the flattened back legs, with hair-like fringes, that enable it to swim. There were crabs in abundance, small Broad-Clawed Porcelain Crabs, Hermit Crabs, Edible Crabs, nicknamed ‘pasty crab’ because of the crimped edge to the shell; and another nicknamed ‘bodybuilder crab’ because of its tenacious grip and a shell looking like a rippled torso. The rock pools at Prisk Cove were proving to be a productive hunting ground for the 38 people in attendance, half of them children, and Ruth Williams, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Officer, was kept busy identifying the finds.
Dare you to put your finger in this bucket
With a very low tide, the full spread of the shore was available, from the barnacle- and limpet-encrusted rocks in the upper parts to the slippery mats of spaghetti-like Thongweed, Kelp and invasive Japweed at the water’s edge. Squat Lobster, Prawns and Shore Urchin were added to the collection, plus numerous Brittlestars of all sizes and an occasional Cushion Star. As the rocks were turned over, small fish darted out, too fast to be netted, but the slower-moving Cornish Clingfish was easier to catch. The tally for the day included a Snakelocks Anemone, which preferred to stay where it was, not moved to a bucket, and the egg case of a Dogfish. The weather had been just right – breezy, overcast, but rain-free, but there were numerous wet feet to be dried out at the end. The HMCG is indebted to Ruth for yet another rewarding and enjoyable afternoon.
Saturday, 25th July 2009
Seashore Safari
Clearly something interesting was about to happen as a group of nearly 30 people, adults and children, gathered on the beach at Helford Passage for a short introductory talk by Ruth Williams, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Officer. Then, armed with an assortment of nets, buckets and trays, we set off, clambering over limpet- and barnacle-strewn rocks to the shallow pools left by the receding tide. The Seashore Safari had begun. Weather conditions were ideal – sunny and warm with a slight breeze. Intrigued holidaying families joined in; and by now the numbers had swelled to 40, of whom half were children.
Success was ensured as 20 young, sharp-eyed explorers scoured the area, moving the seaweed, probing crevices, carefully turning over stones (and replacing them afterwards) and bringing anything that moved to Ruth for identification. “That’s a pipe fish. See its horsey face, it’s related to seahorses. Feel how bony it is. In some areas puffins collect these to feed their young, because there is a shortage of sand eels, but there is not much nutrition in a pipe fish and the young birds die”. “That fish is a blenny. Its top fin is continuous along the body, whereas the goby has a notch in the top fin”.
There were crabs galore, mostly small green shore crabs, a few small brown edible crabs and several finds of hermit crabs. One could tell the sex of the crab by looking at the underside, the female having a broad tail to cover her eggs. Ruth gave a graphic account of how a crab withdraws its body from its outgrown shell and then expands, so that its newly forming shell will have space for further growth. Her role-play so impressed a young lad that he repeated it an hour later. Common starfish, anemones and various top shells had now been added to the collection.
Moving down to the sands of the lower shore we came across various wracks, kelp and sea lettuce and were assailed by pulses of water expelled by sea squirts. Sediment-crusted tubes of the peacock worm were in evidence. The young explorers were still bringing their finds: a couple of razor shells, the shells of oyster and scallop and a cluster of slipper limpets, an alien species that competes with the oyster. All too soon, it seemed, the afternoon drew to a close and the participants departed, but not without sincere thanks to Ruth who had made it such an enjoyable and worthwhile outing.
Sunday, 21st June 2009
Helford Conservation Cruise
It was a glorious day – the sort of weather one always hopes for, with a warm sun, hardly a cloud in the sky and negligible breeze. The boat was unfortunately late in arriving, but the 100 passengers were very patient, enjoying the sunshine, watching holidaymakers and having an occasional ice cream. Setting off, we motored up Porth Navas Creek to see the Duchy Oyster Farm and Childrens’ Sailing Club, then across to the mouth of Frenchman’s Creek, where Justin Whitehouse of the National Trust took up the commentary. The house overlooking the creek is ‘Powders’, built in the 1920s by Powders Thorburn, a colourful character, part author, part artist, part (alleged) gun-runner. It has been converted by the National Trust into an eco-friendly holiday cottage. On, westwards, to Tremayne Quay, said to have been built for a possible visit by Queen Victoria, and then to a boathouse, which is home to Greater Horseshoe Bats and Barn Owls, now living in relative harmony since the Trust provided them with separate ‘apartments’. The woods on either side, Tremayne Woods on the south and Merthen Woods on the north, are SSSIs, fine examples of ancient sessile oak woodlands reaching down to the water’s edge. A few non-native trees such as beech and sweet chestnut occur. Tremayne Woods contains six species of bat, including the rare Daubenton’s bat.
The boat weaved its way up the channel to Gweek, where Rhiannon pointed out the National Seal Sanctuary and the beds of Spartina grass, a nursery for young bass. Gweek gained importance after the growth of Loe Bar ended the days of Helston as a port. It now deals mainly with leisure craft, but Seacore, the offshore drilling company with headquarters in Falmouth, still uses its original site and quay; and it was there that the captain deftly turned the boat for the return journey. Moving up Polwheveral Creek, Andrew Tompsett at the microphone became increasingly excited as we approached the heronry-cum-egretry on the west bank. There were 6, or was it 12, or possibly 20 Little Egrets in the trees. They came to this area about 10 years ago, joined the herons and are now a breeding colony with about 7 nests. Another U-turn and we moved out of the creek, disturbing three shelduck and a pair of mallards. Pamela recalled the beginning of the HVMCA and spoke of the importance of the thick muddy sediments, home to a great variety of sea creatures. An initial worry was the level of contamination caused by TBT antifouling on boats, but thankfully this is no longer permitted.
The creek opened out and we threaded our way through a host of moored boats, mostly expensive yachts, but including boats from the fishing fleet. David Muirhead gave us a lot of details – owners, where built, what type of fishing – and then went on to speak of the new Marine Bill currently being formulated. Within a few years it is expected that fisheries will be organised into Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities and that there will be more Marine Protected Areas. Helford fishermen are already operating voluntary restrictions in an area from Falmouth Bay to Manacle Point. Continuing to the mouth of the estuary, Justin drew attention to the building on Nare Point, a look-out and torpedo-testing station in WWII and now occupied by Coastwatch to monitor shipping. During the war, Ealing Studios had built a replica of Falmouth docks and railway in this area as a decoy, clearly successful as it had been bombed twice. At the entrance to Gillan Creek were two small National Trust properties, one containing ancient pottery remains.
On the return journey now, we heard about the geology. The rocks on either side of the Helford are about 380 million years old, a group of mudstones, siltstones and sandstones laid down on the sea bed and derived from the erosion of mountains in Wales. About 300 million years ago they were folded, tilted and intruded by large granites. The major rivers in Cornwall all drain south, the Tamar and Fal opening into magnificent harbours. Wave-cut platforms at different elevations, for example the top of the Lizard peninsula, about 2.5 million years old, indicate a rise in the land relative to sea level. During the Ice Age, sea level fell dramatically, to about 120m lower than today. When the ice melted, 17,000 to 7,000 years ago, sea level rose quickly, flooded the valleys and caused the rivers to drop their sediments in the valleys, producing today’s muddy creeks.
Motoring past Durgan, Rhiannon pointed out the ‘no anchoring’ buoys, protecting important eel grass beds, and talked about the broader Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation, with its varied range of rocky, sandy and muddy habitats. David Muirhead wound up, with thanks to the captain and crew of Enterprise Boats, Nick Bailey and his team for use of the jetty, Justin Whitehouse and National Trust helpers for live tank displays, Derek Goodwin who had brought live young bass, the speakers; and the members, who had supported a very enjoyable cruise.
Thursday 29th January 2009
Seacore Ltd – from Gweek Quay to Far-off Seas
The boardroom at Fugro Seacore in Falmouth was packed as 40 members squeezed in to hear John Gleadowe’s re-scheduled talk. Seacore began in 1976 as the concept of two CSM mining engineers to develop underwater drilling equipment for tin exploration off the north Cornish coast. A prototype was tested in a creek in Zambia. ~
However, the original tension leg design was replaced by a jack-up rig and the company gained its first contract, drilling in the Shetlands. Success led to more contracts and Seacore grew steadily, building up a reputation for innovative solutions and its ability to deliver results on time. To amusement, John said that in the early stages there was an element of “scrap heap challenge” as the company designed and constructed rigs to fit on a variety of vessels. But the experience helped towards developing modular rigs in which the components could be packed as, or into, containers and hence transported anywhere in the world. With all activities on one site – design, manufacture and drill operatives – there was rapid feedback when equipment needed modifying.
The work became increasingly varied. Geological and geotechnical investigations, foundations for bridges, offshore wind farms, nuclear coolant outfall and sampling underwater ‘black smokers’ have been among the contracts. The sites, near-shore and offshore, have literally been worldwide, from both poles to the equator. Seacore now owns a range of jack-up platforms and barges, including walking rigs, plus large diameter drills capable of drilling up to 7m diameter holes and marine drills that can be mounted on sea-going vessels that are dynamically positioned via GPS. With a staff of some 250, of whom 25% have 15 or more years of experience, the company is one of the world leaders in marine drilling and has built an enviable and justified reputation for inventive and speedy operation and successful results. About 3 years ago it was taken over by Fugro, the Dutch drilling conglomerate.
John’s talk was followed by refreshments and then a tour of the workshops, where all were impressed by the welded heavy steel frames in course of construction.
This evening will long be remembered, an excellent, highly informative and well-illustrated talk plus the bonus of a workshop visit. The HMCG is extremely grateful to John Gleadowe and Fugro Seacore for giving us this wonderful opportunity.
Spring Wild Flowers At Merthern
The previous day’s rain and a sunny sky combined to make the wild flower walk a memorable one for 42 people. Keith Spurgin led the group past the earthworks and alongside woodland, where elms had survived Dutch Elm Disease. The first big event was the vista of a downhill path, winding through woods brimming with bluebells, a small group of them white-flowered. A few wood anemones were also in flower.
Taking the deep-cut track carved from bedrock down towards the creek, we could examine mosses and liverworts at eye level. Badger tracks crossed our path and we speculated on how long it had been used by our forebears, to reach the shore below or to carry fish back up from the creek.
Merthern Quay, a scattering of giant granite blocks, and some old stone buildings, was an ideal resting place, with views of the creek, some more open woodland and the chance to investigate the varied wildlife of the Helford. Egrets and whimbrels (‘may birds’, as one enthusiast called them) were spotted, while a young naturalist found a shore crab shell and her father fished up the head of an enormous conger! The egg-mass of a whelk looked out of place on the woodland path.
Once again we were given a botanical treat, with Woodrush, Cow-wheat and Early Purple Orchid at eye level. At the margin of the woods where there was more light, the ground flora included roses, Honeysuckle and Sanicle. Selina Bates had explored the path ahead on Saturday, and the leaders had decided that it was too difficult and hazardous to press on. So, after we had enjoyed a break foraging on the shore, we climbed the path and reached fields where spring grasses were admired – Cock’s-foot, Sweet Vernal-grass and Soft-brome enlivening the uphill path back to the lane, the banks and verges full of Red Campion, Stitchwort and Cow Parsley.
Questions such as whether there was any pure Sessile Oak in Cornwall were left unresolved; after all, it was a Sunday in springtime and there was so much else to do.
The bluebell path through Merthern Woods © Selina Bates
Foraging at Merthern Quay © Selina Bates
Past events archive:-