6/20/2023 0 Comments Roding restaurant abridge essex![]() Despite this, the old route contains an incredible variety of trees and shrubs including ash, oak, elder, blackthorn, dogwood, hornbeam, crab apple and hazel. When the M11 was constructed it sliced through the ancient green lane which you’ll walk along the route. The nearby hedges are vital wildlife corridors and help to make up almost 10 miles (16.1km) of hedgerow that is managed by laying and coppicing. ![]() Devil’s-bit scabious – a tall plant with rounded purple-blue flowers that look like pin cushions – grows well here, as do the frothy, yellow flowers of lady's bedstraw, which smell of honey and hay. These are particularly colourful from mid-May. When combined with winter grazing by long-horn cattle, this is a traditional method of looking after grassland and encourages wild flowers to grow. ![]() The large grassy area of Lower Mead at Point 4 is rich in flora and cut regularly in summer for hay. These are managed to replicate the centuries-old system of grazing and hay-cutting. Many beautiful wild flowers, such as southern marsh orchids, also thrive in the meadows. In spring and summer you might see sedge warblers and reed buntings, and in late summer look out for flocks of finches on the seed heads of thistle and teasel. Wildlife in abundanceĪs the largest surviving area of traditionally managed river-valley habitat in Essex, the reserve is home to a wide range of wildlife. A number of features from the former site still exist, including the rotundas from where barrage balloons were launched to protect Essex, Hertfordshire and north London from air raids during World War II. The area was made a nature reserve in 1986 and is now managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. Long since demolished, it’s hard to believe that such a vibrant community once occupied this nature reserve with its peaceful paths and meadows. More than 3,500 people lived and worked here in more than 100 buildings, which included hangars, a theatre, a post office, a chapel and a shop. Roding Valley Meadows nature reserve covers approximately 160 acres (65ha) and is situated on traditionally managed hay meadows, which were occupied from 1938 to 1964 by RAF Chigwell.
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