Fishlake, Romsey

I found myself in Romsey this morning with an hour and half to waste. Luckily the weather obliged with a clear sky, and even a bit of late winter sun; so I took the opportunity to explore Fishlake Meadows nature reserve. A substantial parcel of land tucked between the River Test and the Old Romsey Canal, it apparently until about 20 years ago or so was a farmed meadowland criss crossed with drains; since then though the land has been allowed to flood, and after countless generations of farming, it's been returned to it's original state as a wetland floodplain. And wow, after just 20 years the roll call of nature impressive; a habitat for dozens of native and migratory birds including the Osprey, a home to wetland mammals like the Water Vole and even Otter, 2 dozen Damsel and Dragonflies, and who knows how many plant species. It's interesting to imagine the nature of our countryside prior to human intervention, wetlands in river valleys would've been far more commonplace and expansive; in prehistory these environments were very popular, providing a huge and varied array of resources. A lovely wander, and 90 minutes well spent.

River Test

The River Test, renowned as one of the finest lowland rivers in the country, a much famed chalk stream sporting an abundance and richness in flora and fauna unsurpassed in England.  Absolutely gorgeous, man. You really can't beat a chalk stream, the verdancy of their banks and the crystal clarity of their water make their appeal like no other.

Cherry Plum

A non native (Orig. South Eastern Europe/Western Asia) although long naturalised fruiting shrub the Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) is 'fairly' common, although in my experience I've always found them in association with sites of 18th/19th century activity. There were several Cherry Plum growing along the tow path of the Romsey Barge Canal, along with a couple of apples (eaters) and of course plenty of the usual wild fruits/nut culprits, Blackberry, Sloe, Haw and hazel. I always feel the presence of semi wild fruit and domestic fruit in the mix at sites indicate human agency, that they didn't get here of their own accord. It's easy to forget how spoilt we are today with numerous shops and the wide scale availability of a broad range of food stuffs; it's hard for us to imagine what it would've been like back in the day. If you travelled up and down the canal networks, or travelled the green lanes or similar, it would've been to your advantage to cultivate fruity treats here and there along the way, cherry plums here, an apple tree there. It's also easy to forget how far removed we've become from our natural world compared to our forebears, even our quite recent ones. You know, if we think about it, we've seen the 'forgetting' for ourselves; when I was younger blackberry picking, or say, chestnut collecting, were established seasonal family activities, now though for the most part the fruits wither on the bush and nuts litter the woodland floor, with folk preferring to buy both from the food fortress. Strange days indeed, a sign of where we went wrong...maybe?

Romsey Barge Canal walk

Our car had it's MOT this morning in Romsey, which meant two and a half hours hanging about in another town, in another county; Romsey being about 45min drive away. Usually I'd do a trawl of the local charity shops and look around the Abbey, a magnificent edifice, although during this time of pandemic and social distancing, that was far less appealing. So, I decided instead to seek an alternative way to spend a couple of hours which didn't include increased fear, and upon checking out a map last night I discovered that Romsey had a canal, job done. I'd never imagined Romsey had a canal, apparently it was opened in 1794, and ran 22 miles from Andover to Southampton water (with the 2 mile section running north of Romsey being one of the few remaining sections); the canal's use was short lived closing by the mid 19th century, the spreading of the train network signalled the end for many of these smaller canals. The path of canal winds out of town through a corridor of green, but for the occasional sight of a house through the bordering woodland, you'd never know you were walking through an urban environment. The canal itself is a mix of narrow open water fringed with dense foliage, and long sections of open shallow water. On one side is an extensive wetland wildlife reserve (Fishlake Meadows) boasting a staggering number and diversity of wildlife (bird, mammal, insect and flora) beyond which the canal, by now fully choked with vegetation, continues through open countryside before just stopping, truncated by the A3057. The further along the old tow path I walked the fewer and fewer people I saw, until the last mile I walked in isolation, which was nice, even leaving me feeling at ease enough to sit a while, taking some time to breath and meditate. A really Lovely walk and a total surprise, if you're in the area and need to waste some time, I thoroughly recommend it.

Saxon Rood

A Saxon Rood (cross or crucifixion, carving or painting) on the outside wall of Romsey Abbey. At just over a thousand years old this carving was originally part of a Saxon Abbey built in 1000AD (where it would have been in the chancel entrance), though was later incorporated into the wall of the far grander Norman building which followed from 1130AD. It shows Jesus on the cross with the hand of God reaching down from the heavens above him, it's very battered and warn, though somehow more powerful for it. It's not my path, though that doesn't distract from the impact of a piece like this, it would have held powerful symbolism, still will today. Of course, I touched it, I had too, I dig touching things that have been touched for a thousand years. Continuity, man.