Old Cricket Field Wetland Nature Reserve - Wolvey, Warwickshire - Non-Coastal Boardwalks on Waymarking.com

"Set in 3.5 acres, the Wolvey "Old Cricket Field" Wetland Reserve has pools, reed beds, grassland, a stream, boardwalks and a bridge leading to a woodland walk. There is a wide range of plants plus a diversity of mammals, birds, insects and amphibians. Wolvey Wetland Reserve is owned by Wolvey Parish Council and managed & maintained by the Wolvey Environmental Group.

The reserve was originally a boggy field in a small Hamlet known locally as Sanford. In the early 1900's the land was levelled and drained to provide Wolvey with a village cricket field. The old cricket field closed in 1957 and the land returned to pasture where for many years cattle grazed. In 1962, the new Wolvey playing field was opened off Bulkington Road which provided improved facilities for playing cricket. By the end of the 1990's, however, the land at the Old Cricket Field had become increasingly swampy.

In 1999, to celebrate the Millennium, a group of villagers decided to buy some land for the future enjoyment of Wolvey residents . The site of the old cricket field was identified because of the relative scarcity of this type of habitat. Negotiations with the land owners Gallifords/ Try and the award of a grant from the Warwickshire Environmental Trust enabled the land to be purchased by Wolvey Parish Council in 2002. It became known as Wolvey Old Cricket Field Wetland Reserve and is now managed as a Wetland Nature Reserve by Wolvey Environmental Group. Since its acquisition, benches have been placed for the quiet enjoyment of the surroundings. Notices show the diverse flora and fauna to be found throughout the year. The old cricket field has won acclaim not just from the resident and visiting wildlife.

During the autumn of 2008 The Wolvey Environmental Group (& Friends) built a 198 metre boardwalk across the Wetland allowing access through the site for everyone. The boardwalk was built entirely of recycled plastic materials supplied by SECURE-A-FIELD of Coventry, designed & constructed by the Wolvey Environmental Group and local volunteers. The construction of the original boardwalk was made possible by the award of grants of £10,000 from the Big Lottery Fund, £10,000 from the Rugby Rural Development Fund and an additional £5000 from Wolvey Parish Council.

In 2009, Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and the Warwickshire Rural Community Council (WRCC) awarded £3762 for volunteers to construct an extension of the boardwalk to allow improved access over a stream via an old cattle bridge to the woodland walk."

SOURCE - (visit link)

Approximate boardwalk length (feet): 600 What is the boardwalk over?: Marshy land Boardwalk material: Wood

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/28/2019 Alancache visited it