Black water

Following recently laid fox tracks, still clearly visible in the snow, we made our way through Vinney Ridge enclosure; planted in 1859, now though, much truncated by a patch work of coniferous plantation. Black water flows silently through a hollow in Vinney Ridge enclosure; presently it's encapsulated under a frosty membrane, varying in thickness and infinite in pattern. Occasionally, the ice weakens, fragments, and the dark waters which give this brook its name, can be seen gliding muted below. The ice is bowed, sunken,  sloping down from the banks; an indication of the reduced flow coming of the high plateaus to the North and the water fixed in the land as ice. The thaw will no doubt bring flooding to some degree. Below the ice, bubbles of air, trapped, create the illusion of a moving 60's light shows or patterns formed by lava lamps. This section of Black water sees it at its most meandering, Log jams have formed in these meanders, created by the combination of trees eroded from the banks and detritus from up stream. These woods flood regularly, and after a heavy storm water rushes through amongst the immature trees; the floor pays testimony to this, being scoured by a myriad of irregular channels, exposing the roots of Oak.