Biblical rainfall leads to Inert shiftingA to Cormorant lake (north). 11th October 2021

A busy weekend, means this update was delayed.

The headline says it all. Boy did it rain, and rain, and rain. Just for good measure, it rained some more (lots more) over night. All this rain on top of what had already fallen.

The going on the site was soft to boggy for a human to walk on. I had to exercise a lot of caution whilst walking over the up fill built over the past few weeks. Some places I would place my foot gingerly on the ground, ready to step back sharply if it sank in too far. I didn't have to retrace my steps, but I did take a couple of tiny detours.  The area would be lethal for lorries, I reckon. They would cut deep ruts pretty quickly. I didn't even bother walking along the south vehicle track, this week; surmising it would be water logged.

Unsurprisingly, Inert have switched their theatre of operation - though this switch might have been intentional i.e. they have finished with the current phase of up fill around the northern half of what was Finch pond.

Inert have spent the past week or so working on raising the land levels on the west shore of Cormorant lake (north). I say week or two, as I forgot to visit Cormorant lake (north) last week, to see how tree felling was progressing. Whether the up fill took place over a week or two weeks, I can say that Inert et al have put a tremendous amount of work in raising land levels.

I am, as ever, perplexed as to why this work was done. Without access to plans, I can only assume that this area is supposed to be raised, though it is odd as the land would be a fair bit higher than the ground and fields to the north of the site. Very curious, indeed.

Inert have also started to build a tongue of land into the shallow ponds to the west of the copse. I have some old plans which show this area having several small ponds, through which flows the Colebrook stream. However, plans for the site have, I am reliably informed, changed several times over the decades. Only time will tell what happens.

I guess, the land bridges have come into their own, in allowing tipper and grab loader lorries safe and fast access to the site. The amount of mud, squished up the sides of the bridges, is testament as to how wet the area has become, due to the heavy rains.

It should be interesting what happens this week. Progress seems to be rattling along, nicely. The weather is set to remain fine.

Note: I have to keep reiterating that Inert do a lot more than I report in this blog. I only have a small snapshot, of a small part of the total site. I haven't peeked at Chandlers farm, and haven't been on Fleet Hill farm in ages. I should make a recce - especially to see if a kissing gate has been reinstated on a footpath (leading to Finchanpstead Village) on Fleet Hill farm, to stop the arrogant horse riders from riding along narrow footpaths.