The boardwalk was in need of some work: some of its hand rails has been destroyed and pulled off and needed to be replaced in order to make it safe.

Our Volunteer Reserves Officer, Ali Laing, and I managed to do this between us during the November lockdown, working under social distancing guidelines which just happen to be the length of one hand rail!  Our fabulous volunteers finished off some further repairs when they were returned in December.

The sides of the reed bed boardwalk are strimmed to allow easy access.

The open water part is ideal for pond dipping and abundant with pond life. This area is monitored and kept open by removing water soldier and areas of common reed thus allowing access for exploration with nets.

We hope to be able to return to our extensive programme of educational visits and family events as soon as possible so that young people across the area can enjoy learning about the abundance of wildlife at Low Barns. You can see our upcoming events here.

The other side of the reed bed is made up of individual islands which are cut on a yearly rotation to produce a variation in reed height and age, thus increasing biodiversity of the area providing a varied habitat for many species. 

At this time of year the reed beds provide solitude and safety for the numerous number of starling that visit Low Barns forming part of the yearly murmuration.