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damming streams and gravel extraction
during the construction of the 1830's toll
road which is known as the A.11 - although
now officially a B road. If you should
drive along it, through the forest, notice
how the land on either side rises and dips
whilst you stay horizontal. The largest
Wake Valley pond once had a diving board
but it is now too silted for swimming,
apart from being forbidden as too polluted
for humans. It was here, two years ago
(14.4.1984) that the Field Club meeting
spent much of its time counting the number
of toads. This year we saw none and blame
this on the cold winter/spring. (At the
time of writing 26.4.1986, they're arriving
hourly.)
Newly placed wooden stakes hold the dam of
the smaller pond to the east of the road.
From the large pond we walked southwards
passing a bomb crater, now a pond with its
tell-tale rounded shape and raised bank,
to the smaller Wake Valley ponds, then
crossed and followed the 'sawdust ride" to
its junction near the Clay Road. Only a
short by-pass stretch is left to show the
effect of this experiment about 10 years
ago. Apart from being tiring to walk on,
the sawdust rotted to become a smelly bog
colonised by soft rush and algae. The ride
has been recently freshly surfaced with
sandy gravel.
Next to Loughton Camp - with its dry ditches
and soggy stream starting within their
circle. Here there is the leaf-filled
marsh of the old charcoal-burners' pond;
very little grows in it as the beech canopy
is so dense in summer.