North Devon Riverlands project

February 2025

Improving coastal streams in North Devon

We are working to improve coastal streams in North Devon as part of the nationwide Freshwater Renaissance project, supported by the Species Survival Fund. This project aims to create healthier streams where fish, birds, and insects can thrive.

One way we’re doing this is through the thinning of trees along the banks which allows more light to reach the water. This increased light is vital for insects and helps boost their numbers, which in turn supports fish like brown trout and birds such as dippers and grey wagtails. Vital shelter and food for insects is also provided through the placement of woody debris (logs and branches) in the streams.

The woody debris helps to slow the flow of water and over time will shape the stream, creating pools and areas where gravel and sediment builds up. This natural process doesn’t just benefit wildlife, it also helps improve water quality. As the stream flows through the debris and gravel beds, pollutants are filtered out, making the water cleaner and healthier for everything living in and around it.

January 2025

Work underway at Coombeshead

Work has begun on the upper stretch of the Coombeshead stream, which flows into Deer Park Wood at Arlington Court. As with our project at School Wood, we're building leaky dams to trap sediment and improve habitats for wildlife.

We’ve also taken the opportunity to reconnect the stream to its floodplain, diverting water into promising boggy areas during high flows. This not only helps reduce downstream flooding but also boosts habitat diversity along the waterway.
 

November 2024

Rewetting in Old School Woods

This month we returned to School Wood and the surrounding fields to build over 150 leaky dams and break up old land drains, with help from the Arlington ranger team. These changes slow the flow of water, reduce downstream flooding, and create valuable wet habitats.

We also trialled new fish-friendly designs, which allow for fish to move through the stream more freely. In this area we have already observed lots of birds including grey wagtails and very happy frogs where the land drains had been broken. 

October 2024

Ghost Ponds at South Town Farm

South Town Farm has seen a great deal of change over the last two years, with the installation of 30 leaky dams and a flood plain reconnection.  This year we built on previous works and restored two ponds, one fed directly by the stream, and another by a spring. We had a day with volunteers who planted 300 wetland wildflower plug plants supplied by Devon Wildlife Trust and spread wildflower seed to help give this new habitat an ecological boost come spring. 

This work is part of the Riverland Project which is funded by the Government's Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's-Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.

September 2024

Ghost Pond at Barton Court

Barton Court had a grazing pond fed by a stream, but over time the lower bank has eroded, leading to the pond draining. When a pond dries up seeds of aquatic plants in the banks can lay dormant for a hundred years waiting for conditions to improve. If the pond is restored like this one, there’s a chance these seeds will germinate and flourish.

 Historic ponds with this potential, like this one at Barton Court, are called ghost ponds for this reason. In September we excavated the pond and used large timber to restore the bank which has resulted in the pond now holding water. It will be exciting to see what plants find their way to the surface this spring, some of which could even have waited a hundred years! 

This work has been made possible by Species Survival fund. And in partnership with Devon Wildlife Trust as part of the Upstream Thinking fund. 
 

August 2024

Tattiscombe Farm update

At Tattiscombe Farm, we’ve transformed the site into a wetlands haven for wildlife. The trees along the main stream, which was straightened and overgrown, have been thinned to let more light reach the stream. Logs have also been placed in the water to create habitats, encourage natural meandering, and reconnect the stream with its floodplain, through forcing the water our of the channel in high flow. 

Upstream, we restored a tributary by allowing it to flow naturally across the land. We also dug scrapes and placed large logs to slow water flow and create wetland pools. This has previously been described as Stage Zero river restoration which allows for the river to reset and follow its natural path.

In separate areas of the stream large pools have been created through widening the watercourse, allowing water to spread, increasing the variation of habitats within the stream as well as holding water during high flows. Volunteers spread seeds of wildflowers and plants that thrive in wetlands to help this site flourish in spring.

This work is part of the Riverland Project which is funded by the Government's Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's-Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.

April 2024

2023/2024 Winter summary

 This winter we have installed over 350 in-channel interventions improving 3,000 metres of watercourse, removed over 220 metres of land drains, constructed 30 metres of boardwalk, and created 20 scrapes/bunds/seasonal ponds.

The benefits of this type of work include improved water quality, restored naturally functioning watercourses, improved riparian habitats, improved drought resilience, natural flood mitigation by slowing the flow of water, carbon sequestration and increased biodiversity of the wide range of species that rely on wetland habitats to survive.

April 2024

£554,000 secured to Revitalize Freshwater Habitats

• North Devon National Trust has secured £554,000 of funding from the Government’s Species Survival Fund to enhance the quality of freshwater habitats in the area.
• The funding will benefit species that rely on these habitats, including birds, amphibians, and insects with over 9000 metres of water courses set to be restored.
• Innovative techniques, including installing leaky dams, will help trap silt and significantly reduce the amount of pollution such as plastic waste from entering the sea.

The North Devon National Trust has secured £554,000 from the Government’s Species Survival Fund, to support a transformative 'Freshwater Renaissance' in the region. The Government’s Species Survival Fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's-Length Bodies and aims to create and restore wildlife-rich habitats.

February 2024

Winter Rewetting Work at School Wood & Home Farm, Arlington

This winter at Arlington, we’ve enhanced 2,500 meters of watercourse in School Wood and Home Farm to benefit downstream areas. Focus has been on these areas first as it is the top of the catchment area for water, meaning the work carried out in these areas will have a positive impact further downstream.

Using nature-based solutions such as leaky dams, beaver dam analogues, notch dams, willow weaving, tree hinging, loggy jumbles, overland flow spreaders and riparian planting, we are slowing water flow, reducing erosion, and trapping sediment. The use of fascines (tightly bound bundles of brash) has also helped to seed up the process of collecting sediment and slowing the water in-stream.

We have also experimented with digging up land drains and creating scrapes to hold water on the land. These ephemeral wetlands, help with flood management and support wildlife. Already, ducks, herons, and egrets are enjoying the space.

February 2024

Bull Point/ North Morte Rewetting

At North Morte, we've been working to improve and increase the size of the small reedbed to create a richer wildlife oasis. Draining of the land further up stream has resulted in water traveling quickly through the site. Resulting in increase erosion, causing the stream to deepen and form a channel. Leading to parts of the reedbed drying out as the water table lowers.

To combat erosion bundles of reeds are thatched together and placed in the ditch created by the channel of water, these help to slow and spread the water to a wider area. Thereby raising the water table and submerging the roots of previously struggling reeds.

To expand the reedbed, we've removed underground drainage, allowing water to flow naturally over the land again. By doing this we hope that the reedbed will root in the wetter soil, which is turn will trap move water and slow the flow of water even further. We have dug scapes and placed logs to slow the water until the vegetation grows and reeds start to occupy the area again. 

January 2024

Scores Down Rewetting

The Riverlands Team have been working with the West Exmoor Rangers to install leaky dams (permeable structures that slow the rate of water flow). These help to reduce flood risk by forming pools and encouraging water onto floodplains during high flow. They also alleviate the negative impacts of dry summers for nearby vegetation and improve habitat diversity and water quality.

Eight leaky dams have been installed along a fast-flowing stream on Cheriton Hill. These dams, along with hundreds of others recently established by the Riverlands Team, will slow the water flow, and enrich habitat across North Devon.

January 2024

Morte Point Rewetting

Morte point is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and to reduce the amount of external materials used in our conservation work on this site in places we have trialled leaky dams made from the gorse and vegetation surrounding the channels. Using this allows light into new spaces encouraging fresh vegetation to grow and encouraging animals to inhabit. The structures are packed with turf from the edge of the stream, widening the water course and sealing the dams. After just a couple weeks there is already positive signs of siltation and a build-up of material behind the dams.

 In other areas we are constructing the dams from lengths of timber that are secured to the banks of the streams using posts. Around 30 leaky dams overall have been added at Morte Point, which have immediately begun to retain water and alter the water courses. A frog sighting near the location of the dams gives a positive indication that these interventions will provide habitat for more water residents. As part of the project, we have also installed boardwalks to cross the wet flushes to improve access and removed historic land drains restoring the wetland habitat.

December 2023

South Town Farm, Arlington, Stage 2

At South Town Farm, rangers and volunteers reinforced existing leaky dams with willow weaves to provide natural support as the willow roots grow. This helps prevent the dams from washing away during heavy rainfall, increases siltation, slows water flow, and reduces flash flood risks, promoting wetland habitat expansion.

Five new leaky dams were installed at the river's head to slow flow and regenerate the natural river course. These also allow a variety of habitats to develop, such as pools of stationary and slow-moving water, perfect for frogspawn. Large logs were also secured in the field to act as buffers, spreading water flow and preventing channel erosion.

The rewetting project, which began a year ago, will be monitored for further progress.

November 2023

Leaky Dam Day, Home Farm

At Home Farm, leaky dams were built to slow water flow and reduce flash flooding caused by land drains crisscrossing the landscape. By breaking up these drains and creating scrapes, water is encouraged to soak into the ground, trapping sediment and pollutants, improving water quality, and benefiting the ecosystem.

The leaky dams, made from posts and logs, trap debris and gradually spread water into the surrounding land. This creates habitats for insects, amphibians like frogs and newts, and predators such as otters and herons, while also supporting species like salmon that spawn in the cleaner river gravels.

October 2023

School Woods, Nature Based Solutions, Devon Wildlife Trust

The work at School Woods includes installing small leaky dams every 4-5 meters, which will slow the movement of waters, reducing erosion and increases the chance of establishing riparian flora, whilst still allowing a natural flow by allowing the dams to be ‘leaky’.

After trialling a few different techniques with the woody material available we found that the “top bar” dam seemed the most effective. The addition of brash to backfill the dam encourages leaf litter and sediment to gather and settle, further slowing the flow and improving water quality further downstream. This work will be a part of a number of measures aimed at reducing the risk in this particularly flood-prone area.

We hope that the gradual changes that the Trust are bringing will also see an improvement in riparian species in some of these quiet parts of the Estate.

- Rebacca Wilson, Devon Wildlife Trust

Summer 2023

Flat Point, Home Farm

As summer progresses, it’s rewarding to see winter’s work thriving, especially at the coastal streams site at Flat Point, Woolacombe, where various methods were trialled to improve heavily  eroded drainage ditches.

Zuni bowls were used to spread water from a land drain to create an area of wetland, while willow was weaved into the ground to slow the flow of water and take out excess nutrients as well as providing shelter and habitat. It was also great to see that willow we had cut and stabbed into the ground during the winter was growing and that it would provide a living leaky dam for years to come.

Goldfinches have been spotted in the newly created wet flush, and cedar block dams have created pools that are alive with newts and tadpoles. This was a trial site to prove the concept of methods and we are now looking at rolling out some of the interventions across the portfolio. Thank you to the hard-working Woolacombe volunteers for their help on the site to make it happen.

February 2023

Riverlands update

Lots of planning is underway to draw up feasibility and options at sites across Arlington and Tattiscombe for wetland creation and river restoration. Working with partners like the Environment Agency and DRIP, these projects will boost biodiversity, improve drought resilience, and manage natural flooding.

At Flat Point, we're trialling different stream restoration techniques, including tiered ponds, timber structures, and leaky dams to enhance water quality and create wetland habitats.

On the Arlington estate we are also carrying on with leaky dams below the fields at South Town Farm. We have installed 23 leaky dam interventions on the stream with 4 more planned in the woodlands where we are trialling a new more natural design. . If successful, this will then be rolled out into a tributary in Woolley Wood where 10 new leaky dams are planned to create pools and slow the flow of water within this woodland.

June 2022

Riverlands project begins

The North Devon Ranger Teams have been working on a "Rewetting" project focused on building leaky dams, removing land drains, and creating ponds to restore wetland habitats. Early results show improved water quality and thriving wildlife, including frogs, toads, and dragonflies.

There’s great potential to expand this work across North Devon, as part of the National Trust’s Riverlands programme. A project manager has been appointed, along with plans to hire an Area Ranger to support delivery. The next phase will include feasibility studies and continued wetland restoration at pilot sites to refine techniques.