Wild River Walk 11Blue

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conservation of wildlife habitats. wildlife of conservation alluviums and gravel, chalk and clay. Combined clay. and chalk gravel, and alluviums introduction to walking the river’s footpaths. footpaths. river’s the walking to introduction

emoving obstructions, but always with an eye to the to eye an with always but obstructions, emoving r An intricate geology is found along the river: the along found is geology intricate An he Help Shop in Leatherhead High Street, is a good a is Street, High Leatherhead in Shop Help he t

ency takes an active part in managing the river and river the managing in part active an takes ency Ag tpaths. A booklet: ‘Leatherhead Riverside Walk’, available from available Walk’, Riverside ‘Leatherhead booklet: A tpaths. o fo

ough the urban fabric of Leatherhead. of fabric urban the ough r th

may increase the local flooding risk. The Environment The risk. flooding local the increase may ooden fingerposts indicate the routes of the public the of routes the indicate fingerposts ooden W

species into a narrow width of land snaking land of width narrow a into species

time. Some features can cause restrictions in flow that flow in restrictions cause can features Some time. to

natural highway for wildlife concentrates many concentrates wildlife for highway natural ailable nearby. ailable av

Even the course of the river has to be managed from time from managed be to has river the of course the Even

countryside north and south of Leatherhead. This Leatherhead. of south and north countryside suitable for wheelchair users and disabled parking is parking disabled and users wheelchair for suitable

islands themselves forming important wildlife refuges. wildlife important forming themselves islands The river acts as a corridor linking open linking corridor a as acts river The between Town Bridge and Thorncroft Bridge is particularly is Bridge Thorncroft and Bridge Town between

luable shallows for aquatic plants and animals, with the with animals, and plants aquatic for shallows luable va Lower Mole Countryside Management Project. The footpath The Project. Management Countryside Mole Lower

species of dragonflies. dragonflies. of species 15 underlying chalk bedrock. The edges of the islands form islands the of edges The bedrock. chalk underlying undertaken by volunteers under the supervision of the of supervision the under volunteers by undertaken

different butterflies and and butterflies different 20 twist, the river is partly fed by water bubbling up from the from up bubbling water by fed partly is river the twist, wn centre. Much of the work to maintain these paths is paths these maintain to work the of Much centre. wn to

species of mammals, mammals, of species 20 more sluggish flows of wider, deeper waters. In a further a In waters. deeper wider, of flows sluggish more tpaths that are a few minutes walk from Leatherhead from walk minutes few a are that tpaths o fo

species of birds, birds, of species 100 he water flows in riffles and runs faster as opposed to the to opposed as faster runs and riffles in flows water he t wildlife described in the booklet can be enjoyed from the from enjoyed be can booklet the in described wildlife

split and become braided into a number of smaller channels where channels smaller of number a into braided become and split can co-exist happily together. The features of interest and interest of features The together. happily co-exist can miles in length, can be found about: about: found be can length, in miles

hin the river are a number of islands. They cause the river to river the cause They islands. of number a are river the hin t Wi The river corridor demonstrates that people and wildlife and people that demonstrates corridor river The Splash, a short stretch of the river no more than 3 than more no river the of stretch short a Splash,

om Young Street at Norbury Park to Fetcham to Park Norbury at Street Young om Fr alking the River the alking W as dragonflies and damselflies and for nesting waterfowl. nesting for and damselflies and dragonflies as

and wild angelica. All of these plants are important for insects such insects for important are plants these of All angelica. wild and What Makes the River Corridor Special? Corridor River the Makes What

little further up the banks such as purple-loosestrife, meadowsweet purple-loosestrife, as such banks the up further little special character of this section of the river is maintained. is river the of section this of character special

plantain. Look out for the common but attractive plants a plants attractive but common the for out Look plantain. r- te wa

private landowners all play a part to ensure that the that ensure to part a play all landowners private the pleasures of wildlife watching on the river. the on watching wildlife of pleasures the to

el bars. They include yellow iris, water forget-me-not and forget-me-not water iris, yellow include They bars. el av gr rm fo

Project, Leatherhead Trust, Surrey County Council and Council County Surrey Trust, Leatherhead Project, This booklet is designed to provide an introduction an provide to designed is booklet This

of the channel, growing where the river has deposited material to material deposited has river the where growing channel, the of District Council, Lower Mole Countryside Management Countryside Mole Lower Council, District

he Heritage Lottery Fund. Fund. Lottery Heritage he t

Emergent plants may be seen along the less shaded shallow margins shallow shaded less the along seen be may plants Emergent health of the river. The Environment Agency, Mole Valley Mole Agency, Environment The river. the of health

he designation of the area as a Local Nature Reserve and support from support and Reserve Nature Local a as area the of designation he t

decisions are being made all the time that affect the affect that time the all made being are decisions

its attractive white flowers rising up above the water level. water the above up rising flowers white attractive its

and insects. Recently, the wildlife interest of the river has been boosted by boosted been has river the of interest wildlife the Recently, insects. and

er might seem to look after itself, but in reality in but itself, after look to seem might er v ri

-crowfoot being particularly noticeable in the summer months, summer the in noticeable particularly being -crowfoot r te wa

extraordinarily rich habitat for a diverse range of plants, birds, mammals birds, plants, of range diverse a for habitat rich extraordinarily

significant impact on wildlife populations. Outwardly the Outwardly populations. wildlife on impact significant

These can be seen if you look downstream from Town Bridge with Bridge Town from downstream look you if seen be can These

Less obvious is that this stretch of the River Mole contains an contains Mole River the of stretch this that is obvious Less

but the way in which the land is managed has a has managed is land the which in way the but crowfoot and water-starwort, form large swaying mats of vegetation. of mats swaying large form water-starwort, and crowfoot

ture provides the building blocks for wildlife habitats, wildlife for blocks building the provides ture Na trees, open spaces and buildings gives the river a special appeal. appeal. special a river the gives buildings and spaces open trees, characteristic submerged aquatic plants, such as water- as such plants, aquatic submerged characteristic

close to the course of the river and the combination of combination the and river the of course the to close

habitat and fish spawning areas. In the shallows the In areas. spawning fish and habitat Managing the River Corridor for Wildlife for Corridor River the Managing

obvious to those living nearby. The riverside paths cling paths riverside The nearby. living those to obvious pools, vegetated islands and bankside trees are important are trees bankside and islands vegetated pools,

eads its way through the town of Leatherhead are Leatherhead of town the through way its eads r th

deposits silt in others. Meanders, gravel bars, riffles and riffles bars, gravel Meanders, others. in silt deposits

nature of the stream bed and shading. and bed stream the of nature

The pleasures of a walk along the River Mole as it as Mole River the along walk a of pleasures The

s and how it erodes the banks in some places and places some in banks the erodes it how and s ow fl

he presence of natural banks, in stream vegetation, the vegetation, stream in banks, natural of presence he t

As you walk along the river notice the way the water the way the notice river the along walk you As A Special Place Special A

er not only depends on good water quality but also on also but quality water good on depends only not er v ri

The Course of the River the of Course The makes the corridor such a haven for wildlife. Life on the on Life wildlife. for haven a such corridor the makes

hedges, banks, meadow and water. It is this diversity that diversity this is It water. and meadow banks, hedges,

ON THE RIVER MOLE RIVER THE ON

What to See See to What with this are many different habitats: scrub, woodland, scrub, habitats: different many are this with A WILD WALK WALK WILD A

white-legged damselfly, common blue damselfly, blue tailed damselfly, Animal Life common darter, emperor dragonfly and brown hawker. The edge of the river Common mammals include roe deer, moles, grey squirrels and of wooded areas is fertile ground for butterflies. Look out for the and fox. Less common are stoats and weasels. Particularly peacock with its vivid purple ‘eyes’, small copper on Common Meadow and welcome are two species of bat: pipistrelle and brown the common blue. long-eared. The animal that all of us would like to see is the otter and there are encouraging signs that the otter Spotting Fish may eventually find its way up the river to Leatherhead. Thanks to the work of the Environment Agency, the quality of the water in Within the Local Nature Reserve an otter holt has been the river has improved dramatically in recent years. The River Mole contains constructed by the Lower Mole Countryside Management one of the most varied of fish populations of any English river. To see these Project to provide a home for an otter should it come this fish, invest in a good pair of polaroid sunglasses and pick a day when the way. In the meantime the American mink, an introduced and unwelcome Mole is low and clear. Walk along the bank, away from the edge, paying mammal in the British countryside due to its (devastating) predatation on our particular attention to river features. Shallows are good for fry and young native water voles and waterfowl, rules the roost and is a common sight. chub and dace. Midstream weed banks are often Following the river from Thorncroft to Common Meadow is a great pleasure. home to the predatory pike. Literally anything can To have this special landscape with its variety of plants, animals, insects be found in the well oxygenated weir pools, such as and birds so close to the town centre of sheet pile weir opposite Thorncroft islands. Here Leatherhead and so accessible to people is you might see big chub, bream or even the remarkable. Its management for nature occasional carp. conservation is a priority for the organisations that have co-operated in the production of this booklet Plant Life so that it can continue to be enjoyed and provide a The plant life of the Mole is typical of many lowland haven for a huge variety of flora and fauna. clay rivers in South East England. In the open stretches there is a good variety of in-stream plant Further Reading life such as the yellow waterlily, iris, bur reed and fine To find out more about the Leatherhead section of leaved pond weeds. But there are also more the River Mole a book by Jeremy Early ‘Hidden uncommon plants, notably the greater dodder, a Treasures’ is available from local bookshops. plant that depends on the extensive nettle beds along the river to survive. It is most obvious in the summer Credits Special thanks are due to Jeremy Early whose wonderful photographs of the river and months along the Riverside Walk leading to Common its wildlife have been used to illustrate this book. Meadow, its red stems entwining the stems of the We would like to thank the following organisations: nettle plants. In spring, the island opposite Thorncroft Manor is carpeted with bluebells and wild garlic. THE LEATHERHEAD TRUST

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K L A W D L I W A

white-legged damselfly, common blue damselfly, blue tailed damselfly, Animal Life common darter, emperor dragonfly and brown hawker. The edge of the river Common mammals include roe deer, moles, grey squirrels and of wooded areas is fertile ground for butterflies. Look out for the and fox. Less common are stoats and weasels. Particularly peacock with its vivid purple ‘eyes’, small copper on Common Meadow and welcome are two species of bat: pipistrelle and brown the common blue. long-eared. The animal that all of us would like to see is the otter and there are encouraging signs that the otter Spotting Fish may eventually find its way up the river to Leatherhead. Thanks to the work of the Environment Agency, the quality of the water in Within the Local Nature Reserve an otter holt has been the river has improved dramatically in recent years. The River Mole contains constructed by the Lower Mole Countryside Management one of the most varied of fish populations of any English river. To see these Project to provide a home for an otter should it come this fish, invest in a good pair of polaroid sunglasses and pick a day when the way. In the meantime the American mink, an introduced and unwelcome Mole is low and clear. Walk along the bank, away from the edge, paying mammal in the British countryside due to its predatation on our native water particular attention to river features. Shallows are good for fry and young voles and waterfowl, rules the roost and is a common sight. chub and dace. Midstream weed banks are often Following the river from Thorncroft to Common Meadow is a great pleasure. home to the predatory pike. Literally anything can To have this special landscape with its variety of plants, animals, insects be found in the well oxygenated weir pools, such as and birds so close to the town centre of sheet pile weir opposite Thorncroft islands. Here Leatherhead and so accessible to people is you might see big chub, bream or even the remarkable. Its management for nature occasional carp. conservation is a priority for the organisations that have co-operated in the production of this booklet Plant Life so that it can continue to be enjoyed and provide a The plant life of the Mole is typical of many lowland haven for a huge variety of flora and fauna. clay rivers in South East England. In the open stretches there is a good variety of in-stream plant Further Reading life such as the yellow waterlily, iris, bur reed and fine To find out more about the Leatherhead section of leaved pond weeds. But there are also more the River Mole a book by Jeremy Early ‘Hidden uncommon plants, notably the greater dodder, a Treasures’ is available from local bookshops. plant that depends on the extensive nettle beds along the river to survive. It is most obvious in the summer Credits Special thanks are due to Jeremy Early whose wonderful photographs of the river and months along the Riverside Walk leading to Common its wildlife have been used to illustrate this book. Meadow, its red stems entwining the stems of the We would like to thank the following organisations: nettle plants. In spring, the island opposite Thorncroft Manor is carpeted with bluebells and

wild garlic. THE LEATHERHEAD TRUST

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Trees and Hedges Trees are one of the most obvious indications of habitat, especially for bats, they are the presence of a watercourse and the River only felled if they cause a danger to Mole is no exception. Trees present along the the public or are likely to fall into river include the native species Ash, Oak, Willow the river and cause a blockage. and Alder. Sections of the river corridor are Opposite Common Meadow there heavily tree-lined, including some stunning are several Crack Willow trees, so individuals. Next to the Shell Bridge is a large called due to the sound made as the brittle oak that, although it has dropped some of its twigs break off. These trees are pollarded larger limbs, is still a spectacular tree. every few years. The branches are cut back Alder trees are numerous on the islands and the to the crown to prevent them collapsing banks opposite. They can be identified by their and splitting the trunk. Pollarding gives the almost rounded leaves and their fruit, tree its wonderful profile and it is a which resemble small cones. Some are common site along watercourses. suffering from fungal disease, In Common Meadow there are several large resulting in several large alders Oak trees. Some of these oaks are over two being lost in recent years. hundred years old and mark old boundaries As standing and trackways. deadwood forms a valuable Looking upstream from Town Bridge, you can see a clump of mature London Plane trees. There is a beautiful Copper Beech visible from the riverbank. As you continue upstream towards Thorncroft Manor, a wonderful stand of Lime trees are the only mature ones along this route.

Hedgerows are a vital feature of the landscape offering nest sites, pollen and nectar sources and providing a sheltered corridor that link other habitats. Heritage Lottery Fund grants have enabled volunteers working with the Lower Mole Project to carry out vital management. Neglected hedges in River Lane were coppiced to encourage dense re- growth from the stumps and the hedge next to Thorncroft Manor was re- laid. Hedge-laying involves cutting partly through the stems and laying them over at an angle and securing them with hazel stakes and binders. This encourages the hedge to grow thickly and to continue to provide a valued habitat for birds and insects.

Meadows Water meadows are flat open fields adjacent to the water course providing a holding area for water when the river is in flood. To the south of Thorncroft Bridge and on Common Meadow the traditional open character has been maintained through cattle grazing. In the past grass was allowed to grow through the summer before a hay cut was taken. Cattle would graze during late summer and autumn before being removed at the start of the winter. The regular cycle of flooding, the hay cut and the cattle grazing enabled certain plants to adapt to the conditions and produce a meadow of amazing diversity. Plants such as water mint, meadowsweet and meadow barley can still be seen. The river is wide here and slow moving and the aquatic plants provide plenty of habitat for damselflies and dragonflies. is a fertile place for grey wagtails, while between the two Birds of the River railway bridges sparrowhawks, jays and blackcaps are found. For those who have the time to stop and observe, the river corridor is a Common Meadow is a broad open floodplain that provides fertile ground for bird watchers. Perhaps the river’s most popular bird is habitat for green woodpecker and little grebe and, from the kingfisher that nests in the steeper northern banks of the river and is November to March, goosander. a reasonably common sight, especially in high summer. Look out for grey and pied wagtails feeding along the gravel margins and the shy moorhen Dragonflies, Damselflies and Butterflies emerging from marginal vegetation. Several rare birds can be seen if you Dragonflies, mayflies and caddis flies, together with snails, are lucky including bullfinch, reed bunting, skylark, shrimps and many others, play an important part in song thrush and spotted flycatcher. maintaining the water quality of the river. They are Near Thorncroft treecreepers and woodpeckers can be continuously exposed to changes in water quality and, seen, especially early in the spring. In the winter because they respond to pollutants, are good indicators of the redwing are common in the fields, while siskins and health of the river. This area is particularly rich in aquatic goldfinches feed on the alder. Close to the town bridge macroinvertebrate life and includes the banded demoiselle,