Beech Bottom Dyke, Mini Action Day

A slippery steep slope made access difficult during our efforts to clear the bottom of Beech Bottom Dyke, and this has now been addressed by clearing a path near the Ancient Briton Junction. The arrow shows where we started.

It proved easy to clear back growth in this area to reveal a gentle slope to the bottom of the Dyke.

For the time being, it is not only the new entrance, but also the only exit, unless you are a mountain goat!

Photos: PC and RM

Beech Bottom Dyke Action Day 1 – FoBH clears the way

Will secateurs and loppers do the job? Maybe we’ll need something more serious!

Friends of Bernards Heath made a big effort to start clearing paths at Beech Bottom Dyke on Saturday morning.  Thank you everyone who took part.

Where, and what is Beech Bottom Dyke?  It is a major pre-Roman ancient earth work that begins at the junction of Townsend Drive and Batchwood Drive and runs for the first part parallel to Beech Road, then on across Valley Road to the railway embankment.  The Dyke is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) under the protection of Historic England and owned and managed by St Albans District Council.  The Google aerial view below makes the prominent part of the location clear and shows where we carried out path clearance work.  Read more about the Dyke here.

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