At long last it’s possible to walk all the way around the marsh. It’s been a three sided affair for 25 years, with the fourth side being alongside the dual carriageway
The imaginatively named “Footpath 7” is the path mostly closely associated with the marsh. It’s the one alongside the water works. When it was first created in the late 90s it was a swampy challenge to both walk along and maintain.
The council put down 200 tons of stone so it would be possible to walk along it without sinking. A year it put down 200 more as the first lot sank. It hasn’t sunk much since. It’s a lovely path for wildflowers and views of the marsh. Once upon a time the guy who was hired to cut the grass along the path was actually worried about all the wildflowers he was cutting down. He’s moved on now. Conscientious grass cutters are rare and much sought after, but not by councils.
The much more conscientious Marshians look after it now.
It has those wildflowers and more and it’s just a delight just to walk along it, admiring them and the butterflies, and to sit on one of the three Marshian benches.
Perhaps it should be known as “Footpath heaven”.
Footpath 6 crosses the marshes from the canal to the Holy Brook. It was a long disputed path, the landowners all claimed there wasn’t a right of way but the local folks said otherwise.
It was added to the “Definitive Map” in 2000 and has become so popular it’s wearing away in the muddy places. It’s impassable without wellies when it’s wet. Occasionally it’s impassable even with wellies.
It gets cut from time to time and it’s a lovely path in the dry season. Not so good in the wet though.
It passes under the old Coley branch line, which was abandoned in 1984.
If you walk up the steep slope and on to the old track you can walk along a raised embankment from Southcote to Rose Kiln Lane. It’s a terrific walk in its own right, and great when everywhere else is flooded.
The missing link is a nice path across the marsh as the only way back to footpath heaven is (or was) along the always busy main road. Which is horrid.
Noisy and stressful even to walk along. I’ve always walked it because it makes me appreciate how much nicer the other three paths are.
Now though there’s another way. The Marshian way! We’ve cut and stomped a way across the marsh to avoid the main road and get back to the start. Footpath heaven.
This new route is still a bit challenging. It’s narrow and the grasses are tall. As tall as me in places.
We’ve built a couple of “bridges” to get across ditches.
But the difference between the main road and Marshian way is extraordinary. It’s wild and peaceful. You can hear the sedge warblers sing and the noise of transport can easily be forgotten.
The path passes close to a long forgotten stream, probably the bed of the original river Kennet. It makes a nice spot to sit and watch the dragonflies and listen to the birdsong.
We’ve planted some willows along part of it too, and we’ll be planting tons more so it will be even more pleasant the more we use it.
But the rain will come one day and it will flood and I’m sure at some point we’ll have to go back to using the main road. I’m sure with wellies we’ll be able to use it till it’s pretty deep, and then we’ll impatiently wait for the water to go down again.
We’re busy pondering ways to make the path usable for longer, raising it a bit perhaps, and making it more attractive and enjoyable.
But for the rest of the dry season I’m going to really enjoy this lovely new walk across the marsh.
Rural Reading 