Another winter of fluctuating river levels and major flooding has left plenty of homes and businesses in tatters and great chunks of the natural world decimated.
When the water levels have eased, a walk along a riverbank can give a startling illustration of just how fierce the currents were. Aside from the mud and remoulding, the subsidence and disappearance, is the debris in the surrounding (and surviving) undergrowth. The high water line can be easily spotted by the tatter tangled in the branches of alders and willows, and once sighted it is sobering to consider that you can be craning your neck to look up at where the torrent so recently roared.
Alarming too is the amount of rubbish left marooned, but take a bin-bag with you on that riverbank walk and you can do your bit for the river and pick up a few treats at the same time.
Last winter when such a situation arose, a short stroll saw Fishpool fill a bag with landfill in next to no time, but also fill his (or her) pockets with seven floats (all drennan loafers interestingly – of varying size) and a couple of soft plastic lures. Just reward I’m sure you’d agree!