{"id":2618,"date":"2023-03-25T01:33:21","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T00:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2618"},"modified":"2023-03-21T08:50:53","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T07:50:53","slug":"stodmarsh-nnr-and-grove-ferry-kent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2618","title":{"rendered":"Stodmarsh NNR and Grove Ferry, Kent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1220,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('Stodmarsh.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698570745_099c48ed96_z.jpg\" title= \"Stodmarsh - shoveler and teal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698570745_099c48ed96_s.jpg\" alt=\"Stodmarsh - shoveler and teal\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698411649_1e180a7a19_z.jpg\" title= \"path through the wet woodland\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698411649_1e180a7a19_s.jpg\" alt=\"path through the wet woodland\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698151351_acf456bfec_z.jpg\" title= \"reeds and a ridge\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698151351_acf456bfec_s.jpg\" alt=\"reeds and a ridge\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698151341_baf7a56396_z.jpg\" title= \"path through the reedbeds\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698151341_baf7a56396_s.jpg\" alt=\"path through the reedbeds\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698570850_0a3db9acf5_z.jpg\" title= \"path through the reedbeds 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698570850_0a3db9acf5_s.jpg\" alt=\"path through the reedbeds 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698151196_390036c1b8_z.jpg\" title= \"reeds and marsh\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698151196_390036c1b8_s.jpg\" alt=\"reeds and marsh\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52697635882_28d07ff4fc_z.jpg\" title= \"many waterways through the reedbeds\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52697635882_28d07ff4fc_s.jpg\" alt=\"many waterways through the reedbeds\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698411284_d8a469fc97_z.jpg\" title= \"gnawing marks from beaver incisors\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52698411284_d8a469fc97_s.jpg\" alt=\"gnawing marks from beaver incisors\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2618','pwin','height=700,width=1000,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\n\u2018Keep an eye out for the beavers,\u2019 advised a man festooned with wildlife cameras whom we passed in the car park at Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve. \u2018Lots of signs around \u2013 look for those toothmarks of theirs, eh?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>We didn\u2019t see any of the recently reintroduced rodents on our walk round the East Kent reserve under cloudy winter skies. But evidence of their presence was widespread in the shape of young trees felled with a curious hinged effect, the severed parts gnawed white and smooth with fine patterns of chiselling by beaver incisors.<\/p>\n<p>The first creature we did see was another species of aquatic rodent, a little grey-brown water vole scuttling along the bank of the Lampen Stream. We heard other voles too, plopping into ditches at our approach. So much of nature is secret, hidden or only momentarily glimpsed, especially in the \u2018downtime\u2019 of winter. But if you have an eye for the birds, Stodmarsh NNR is bursting with overt life, loud and proud.<\/p>\n<p>In the still grey afternoon, perched in the Reedbed Hide, we looked out on a bay between enormous stretches of creamy-white reeds \u2013 the reserve has the largest area of reedbeds in the southeast of England. Shoveler drakes with snowy breasts and chestnut wings went dabbling beside their drab brown mates, their long spatulate bills giving them a solemn air of consequence. Among them swam teal with yellow flashes on their afterparts, and breasts very delicately patterned in ash-grey and black.<\/p>\n<p>A sudden panic had them all dashing into mid-pool with agitated squawking and a might clatter of wings on water. What had caused the upheaval? \u2018Probably a fox,\u2019 grunted one of the twitchers from behind an immense telescopic lens. \u2018Spooked \u2019em and scarpered\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>We followed a broad and muddy path north between reed pool, ditches and sodden green acres of freshwater marsh. Stodmarsh\u2019s watery landscape was formed partly through subsidence of old mine workings below ground, a reminder of the now-vanished Kentish coalfield.<\/p>\n<p>Seduction smells of Sunday roast emanated from the Grove Ferry Inn, where we turned back along the wide and muddy River Great Stour. An angler on the far bank hooked a roach and lifted it out, a wriggling strip of silver. We watched another hunter of the waterways, a big marsh harrier, cruising low above the reedbeds, looking for frogs or water voles.<\/p>\n<p>The light began to seep out of the afternoon as we followed the homeward path, serenaded by the harsh pig-like screech and snuffle of a water rail creeping through the reeds, another winter sound of this magical place.<\/p>\n<p>\fHow hard is it? 4\u00be miles; easy; flat walking, can be muddy. Bring binoculars!<\/p>\n<p>Start: Stodmarsh NNR car park, near Canterbury CT3 4BB (OS ref TR 222609)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Reserve is signed from A257 (Canterbury to Littlebourne).<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer 150): From bottom right corner of car park pass info board; follow track for \u00bc mile to cross bridge to T-junction (223610). Left; follow \u2018Reedbed Hide\u2019 signs to hide (222612). Return to pass bridge (don\u2019t cross); follow path (\u2018Footpath\u2019, yellow arrows) past Undertrees Farm. In \u00be mile pass Marsh Hide (226618); in \u00bd mile dogleg right\/left across track (233623, red arrow); follow \u2018Grove Ferry car park\u2019 signs for \u2154 mile to road (236630). Left (Grove Ferry Inn is opposite); in 40m, left (\u2018Stour Valley Walk\u2019). Follow riverbank path. In 1\u00bd miles path veers inland (221620); follow it past Tower Hide (222617), then follow signs to car park. <\/p>\n<p>Lunch\/Accommodation: Grove Ferry Inn, Upstreet, Canterbury CT3 4BP (01227-860302, <a href=\"http:\/\/groveferryinn.co.uk\">groveferryinn.co.uk<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info: Stodmarsh NNR \u2013 0845-600-3078; <a href=\"http:\/\/explorekent.org\">explorekent.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018Keep an eye out for the beavers,\u2019 advised a man festooned with wildlife cameras whom we passed in the car park at Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve. \u2018Lots of signs around \u2013 look for those toothmarks of theirs, eh?\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}