About us

Keepers of a Wet, Difficult, Beautiful Place

The trust behind these trails was formed by farmers, a hydrologist and a group of local birdwatchers who disagreed about almost everything except that the meadows should keep flooding. Drainage had been proposed twice; both times the objection was the same, that wet grassland feeds birds no arable field ever will. Instead of arguing indefinitely, the group leased the land, restored the sluices, reinstated summer grazing at low density and opened a modest network of paths so that visitors could see what was being protected.

Everything we build is designed to be submerged. Boardwalks float on pontoon sections and are re-tied each spring, hides stand on stilts with removable steps, signs are set at a height that survives the highest recorded level, and gravel paths are laid on geotextile so they can be raked back into shape rather than rebuilt. Winter closures are announced honestly: when the water is over the boards, the route is shut, and nobody is encouraged to wade through a nesting area to prove otherwise.

Guiding is done by people who count these birds in their own time. Between walks we run breeding surveys, ring waders under licence, maintain water levels through the sluices with the hydrologist's advice, and publish annual figures showing what is nesting and what is not. Visitors are welcome on survey mornings, and school groups come free of charge throughout the spring term.