EAST ANGLIAN FENS & MARSHES
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Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is one of England’s very few remaining pieces of original fenland. It is a protected wetland site of international standing. The wind pump here, a smock mill, was originally at nearby Adventurer’s Fen and is the last survivor of the many thousands that once dotted the fenlands.
A fen is a waterlogged place with reeds and other plants growing in standing water, beneath which are peats and, nearer the sea, marine silts. These flat wetlands were interspersed by islands (like Ely) carrying villages and small towns. Transport was by boat.
That was the original Fenland. Much of what is now called the Fens in eastern England is a modern landscape. The original fenland was drained from 1629 onwards by Dutch engineers to give very rich farmland.
An unexpected long-term result was that the underlying peat beds dried out and shrank. Fields sank by 2m or so and became lower than the drainage channels and rivers! Continuous pumping was then needed - first by wind pumps like this survivor at Wicken. Eventually the picturesque windpumps were replaced by steam power, then by diesel or electrically driven pumps.
The Fen orchid (Liparis loeselii) is rare and endangered orchid species in the UK with a strong population at Kenfig NNR. Dry weather takes it tall and I couldn’t spot any in the place I visited from pre-pandemic times. So, I was very happy to get away with couple images of one plant thanks to some tips from another orchid lover passing by and a guided tour as the marker of the right spot. Here is the result. Kenfig Pool National Nature Reserve. Bridgend, Wales, U.K.
Wicken Fen
Saw these three cygnets when out on a walk in the National trust land at Wicken Fen, in Cambridgeshire, England and managed to grab a quick shot with the drainage windmill in the background.
Wicken Fen is the National Trust's oldest nature reserve and England's biggest fen.
Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is one of England’s very few remaining pieces of original fenland. It is a protected wetland site of international standing. The wind pump here, a smock mill, was originally at nearby Adventurer’s Fen and is the last survivor of the many thousands that once dotted the fenlands.
A fen is a waterlogged place with reeds and other plants growing in standing water, beneath which are peats and, nearer the sea, marine silts. These flat wetlands were interspersed by islands (like Ely) carrying villages and small towns. Transport was by boat.
That was the original Fenland. Much of what is now called the Fens in eastern England is a modern landscape. The original fenland was drained from 1629 onwards by Dutch engineers to give very rich farmland.
An unexpected long-term result was that the underlying peat beds dried out and shrank. Fields sank by 2m or so and became lower than the drainage channels and rivers! Continuous pumping was then needed - first by wind pumps like this survivor at Wicken. Eventually the picturesque windpumps were replaced by steam power, then by diesel or electrically driven pumps.
Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is one of England’s very few remaining pieces of original fenland. The wind pump here, a smock mill, was originally at nearby Adventurer’s Fen and is the last survivor of the many thousands that once dotted the fenlands.
A fen is a waterlogged place with reeds and other plants growing in standing water, beneath which are peats and, nearer the sea, marine silts. These flat wetlands were interspersed by islands (like Ely) carrying villages and small towns. Transport was by boat.
That was the original Fenland. Much of what is now called the Fens in eastern England is a modern landscape. The original fenland was drained from 1629 onwards by Dutch engineers to give very rich farmland.
An unexpected long-term result was that the underlying peat beds dried out and shrank. Fields sank by 2m or so and became lower than the drainage channels and rivers! Continuous pumping was then needed - first by wind pumps like this survivor at Wicken. Eventually the picturesque windpumps were replaced by steam power, then by diesel or electrically driven pumps.
Wicken Fen:
www.flickr.com/photos/lesc/albums/72177720300900318
Windmills and pumps:
Fen Drayton is a small village between Cambridge and St. Ives in Cambridgeshire, England, and between the villages of Fenstanton and Swavesey.
Wicken fen
A boggy fenland ride in October. Taken at Wicken Fen nature reserve in Cambridgeshire, England. It is one of my favourite places, full of big skies and huge, wide open space
Long exposition of the Sawe creek, next to the High Fens, Belgium.
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Fen Drayton is a small village between Cambridge and St. Ives in Cambridgeshire, England, and between the villages of Fenstanton and Swavesey.
The Fen Orchid (Liparis loeselii) is rare and endangered orchid species in the UK. Kenfig's broad-leaved variety (Liparis loeselii var. ovata) thought to be different from the Norfolk population of Fen orchids in the UK. Kenfig Pool National Nature Reserve. Kenfig, Bridgend, Wales
Large view to flowing water among a mossy gorge. The Trôs Marets stream takes its source in the High Fens.
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taken on an afternoon walk through the Hatertse Vennen (fens). It began sunny, but after an hour the sky changed colour and I could not resist grabbing a few shots.
Large view to flowing water among a mossy gorge. The Trôs Marets stream takes its source in the High Fens.
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A female reed bunting (I think) seen at Wicken Fen Nature Reserve near Cambridge... but after a suggestion from Philip Male I think it could well be a whinchat...
HFF!
The year ended with a fantastic morning on the Norfolk Broads. One of the highlights of my year, the rest can be seen on my blog looking back at 2016. www.justinminns.co.uk/blog/2016/12/2016review
A visit to Norfolk would never be complete without the obligatory shot of one of the many Water Mills. I didn't have much luck with sunrises or sunsets during my weeks stay. However, the forecast for sunset on my last night looked favourable. I made my way to the River Ant and walked out to Turf Fen Drainage Mill, which I had passed the day previously on a rented Boat. You cannot get across to the mill without a boat, but there is a footpath and mooring opposite. The mooring was pretty busy with boats but there was a decent gap to get this shot across the River Ant. There was very little cloud, but just enough to give a little bit of sky interest and colour.
Turf Fen Drainage Mill was built around 1875 to drain the Horning Marsh into the River Ant to make the land available for grazing. The Mill is 31 feet high and had a unique double scooped wheel. It went out of service in 1920 and like all the other Broads Mills has been replaced by modern pumping systems.
Large view to flowing water among a mossy gorge. The Trôs Marets stream takes its source in the High Fens.
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A misty day by the Forty Foot or Vermuyden's Drain in the Cambridgeshire Fens, near Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, UK.