The Ouse Washes are a key feature of the landscape where I live, representing both the country’s greatest ecological disaster and one its most enduring feats of engineering … the draining of the fens.
It is a 40 mile long rip in the fabric of the land from south to north, designed to hold billions of litres of water that would otherwise flood the fields, villages and cities in a large swathe of low-lying East Anglia.
At Welney, the WWT manage a section of the Washes to provide a sanctuary for some of the wildlife that used to thrive in the wetlands before they were drained. It’s one of the most peaceful places I know, and yet goes through a complete transformation each year, reflecting the extremes of each season and, therefore, of our changing climate.
I started to come back to Welney as a way of returning to a part of myself that I had missed for 30 years or so, and to re-connect with some the things that were important in my formation. I have found so much more, and this is my attempt to document my experience of this.
13th September ‘24
It all begins with an idea.
A reminder of warmth …
Cope to follow here about my visit to Welney …