Staffordshire Water Meadows

Flood meadows are a natural example of earth science. Found next to rivers or streams, they naturally flood, but the landscape that you will see in this EarthCache will contrast the natural flood planes with those that have been altered by human activity to take advantage of the flooding - certain features were designed to protectthe at certain times and deliberately flooded at other times of the year by the farmer, wheras natural flood meadows will flood whosoever the river and te landscape wishes, in an uncontroled manner. 

In this EarthCache you will explore the different ways the meadows look.  To the south (waypoint 1), Willows Farm has purposely maintained the artificial system of channels and drains, resulting in smaller and crooked field shapes.  To the north (where we are standing), this has been rolled back to restore the natural state, making for much larger and flatter fields and an excellent contrast.

The 17th Century Water Meadow system

The naturl landscape has been managed by humans for a long time. Towards the end of the medieval era this became highy organised and structured. A ‘main carrier’ took the water from the river, which had often been partially dammed by a weir, via sluice gates into a series of ‘carriers’. These were channels on top of wide grassy banks that were designed to overflow, watering the sides of the banks. Excess water was then taken by drains at the bottom of the banks to a large ‘tail drain’ which led back to the river. This system meant that fresh water moved in a constant flow over the meadow, and resulted in intricate interlocking patterns of channels and banks, known as bedworks, as seen in Willows Farm.  Head to the info board (see waypoint) for a detailed explanation. Look at the field shapes, the ditches, the hedges - this is an old, traditional, and totally artificial landscape.

The natural flood meadow

Here at the location of the EarthCache icon the man-made system has been partially removed.  I hope you brought your wellies?  Bereft of ditches, few hedges, and with minimal river defences, even the field ridges are being lost to nature, and this large field floods naturally when the river rises.  The land is still productive - the farmer regularly moves cattle onto and off the land based on the market rates, so the cattle will be gone before the water wrecks their field and their health - unlike the traditional and smaller fields to the south which are managed and controlled through ditches and suices.  Here,  the regular floods bring natural nutuents to the land, while helping urban flood defences lower down the river valley.

This naturally flat land was originally glacial - carved by the massive glacier that retreated 300,000 years ago, then returned, and then retreated again 10,000 years ago.  In the upper reaches of the Dove, glacial meltwater created the Dovedale valley, but here the weight and power of the glacier itself carved a very wide and flat valley, and when it retreated the much smaller River Dove meanders across the plain, flooding when it's full and enriching the flat landscape. 

What makes a water meadow?

At the main cache location take a look at the fields around you, especially to the east:

1. Q1: Is this a flood plain?  Compare the altitude with waypoint 1 (the Willows info board) and waypoint 2 (the suspension bridge). You can use your GPSr, your app, or line of sight judgment.  How flat is this area?
2. Q2: Given your answer to Q1, suggest whether moderate flooding from the river would impact any or all of the three locations.
3. Q3: In the absence of human activity (cattle, ditch maintenance, hedge maintenance) suggest how the landscape would change at the three locations.
4. Q3: Suggest some reasons for your answer to Q3

Send a message via the message center or email earthcache@sharant.com with your answers.

The farmers would like to remind you to keep control of any dogs you have, as livestock is all around you and sometimes out of sight.