Reviving a river
BBC Countryfile Magazine|August 2023
Good news stories about Britain's rivers are hard to find in 2023, but in the Lake District, heroic efforts are being made to restore life to lost streams. And the transformation of Goldrill Beck near Ullswater is the jewel in the crown.
Tanya Jackson
Reviving a river

It is a still, sunny spring day in Goldrill Beck, a meandering river in the Ullswater Valley in Cumbria's magnificent Lake District. Cradled by mountains, this Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is slowly waking up after winter. Brown and white Herdwick sheep graze in a neighbouring paddock, while clumps of soft rushes poke up through the waterlogged grassland.

The unpolluted river trickles fast but shallow, leaving gravel deposits along every bend, 'redds' for critically endangered Atlantic salmon to lay their eggs, which will become nurseries for fry as they emerge. And like the baby salmon, this environment is in its infancy - at the start of a journey of transformation. At a time when the UK's rivers are at their most vulnerable, it's a sight for sore eyes.

Of course, you would expect a bucolic scene like this in the Lake District, one of the UK's most popular natural beauty spots. But it's surprisingly rare to see a river meandering along its natural course here - and just a year ago, this one didn't. In fact, the last time this river looked like this was three centuries ago, before the whole floodplain was straight-jacketed into a canal.

In the late 1700s, Goldrill Beck was canalised to free up upland for grazing. Running parallel to the A592, the water ran deep and fast and persistently gnawed away at the underside of the road over the years. Walking along the road, you can glimpse the former condition of the beck where a section of the canal still remains - the water hurtles through, too swiftly for wildlife or plants to inhabit, leaving only large boulders on the river bed. But this is not unusual in the Lake District.

RIVER RESTRICTION

Bu hikaye BBC Countryfile Magazine dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye BBC Countryfile Magazine dergisinin August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

BBC COUNTRYFILE MAGAZINE DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians

Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians. Livestock farming around the world is facing scrutiny because of its greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the sector contributes somewhere between 11.1% and 19.6% of total emissions. Meat production is roughly twice as bad as the production of plant-based food, according to some analyses. And beef is the worst of all. Study after study has suggested that, in order to curtail the devastating effects of climate change, we ought to shift to a diet containing less meat - or even go vegetarian or vegan.

time-read
8 dak  |
October 2024
Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks

Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.

time-read
7 dak  |
October 2024
TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS
BBC Countryfile Magazine

TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS

Make the most of seasonal abundance with foraging tips and recipe ideas from wild food expert Liz Knight

time-read
10 dak  |
October 2024
The taste of England
BBC Countryfile Magazine

The taste of England

Amid pastures farmed by her family for more than four centuries, Mary Quicke is reviving forgotten dairy traditions to produce delicious Devon cheeses

time-read
6 dak  |
October 2024
How to eat 30 plants a week
BBC Countryfile Magazine

How to eat 30 plants a week

As science proves the many health-boosting benefits of eating at least 30 different plants each week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares recipes to help you meet the magic target

time-read
5 dak  |
October 2024
RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK
BBC Countryfile Magazine

RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK

Thanks to dedicated conservation work, this impressive but vulnerable arachnid is resurgent in East Anglia

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS
BBC Countryfile Magazine

SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS

Following the latest astonishing revelation about the Stonehenge Altar Stone's Scottish origins, Dixe Wills looks at recent discoveries that have changed the way we view this impressive and enigmatic Neolithic monument

time-read
4 dak  |
October 2024
GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE
BBC Countryfile Magazine

GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE

Would this protected status bring welcome recognition and attention - or overcrowding and problems for farmers?

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?

For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.

time-read
2 dak  |
October 2024
Pumpkin patches
BBC Countryfile Magazine

Pumpkin patches

Find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for Halloween at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Some are simple affairs in tranquil countryside; others offer activities ranging from ghost trains to spooky mazes.

time-read
2 dak  |
October 2024