CORNISH RIVERS 3 : The River Inny in Autumn. Part Two.

I'll repeat this map. This section, part two, follows the Inny from where it is joined by the Penpont Water SW of the A30 trunk road.

The print is probably too small to read, but the Inny is the blue line running diagonally down from the top left-hand corner, and it joins the Tamar in the big block of woodland shown in the centre of this map (and the Tamar runs from top centre down to bottom right-hand corner.

 

Autumn was upon us as we continued our travels. The clear night skies gave heavy morning dew and Orb Spiders were constructing their nightly works of art slung among tussocks of Cocksfoot grass.

Ash Die-back is showing clearly now. There seems to be a random scatter of trees with sparse ragged growth and some bare branches; some trees are in full leaf and apparently un-affected, while others, mostly young individuals, are ghostly grey and completely dead. Is this showing that we haven't yet seen the full effects of this devastating disease, or are we seeing variable degrees of immunity?

To continue the gloom for a moment, we are noticing this year that beeches, so common around east Cornwall as I mentioned in Part One, are looking brown and burnt as if cold or salty gales have affected them. But we haven't had such gales recently and it seems to be the vast majority of beeches affected, not just those in more exposed places. It looks as if we'll be denied our usual glorious spectacle of sun shining on golden autumn colour, contrasting with the elegant black branches. I haven't heard of anything malign.... 

 

Silver Y moth. The reason for its name is obvious!

 

Walking in the meadows and paths among the rags of the summer flowers, we frequently disturb Silver Y's. These day and night-flying moths can be very abundant. They come from the Continent in Spring and will produce a home-grown brood in the summer, which is flying again now. They will come to light, but seem on the whole to be more interested in nectaring. They will hibernate as adults here and some manage to survive our winter. I inadvertently disturbed one this January, hidden among the dead leaves at the base of a clump of border plants. It was very dozy and I hurriedly covered it up again. 

 

Tr

Trekelland Bridge

This is the first crossing of the river below the A30 trunk road. It is narrow and these days frequently knocked about by the increasingly heavy traffic. It was the only bridge to survive the Great Flood of July 1847 which swept away most of the bridges across the Inny. I will add the vivid account of this disaster at the end of the blog. The river at this stage is developed into a valued fishery mainly of Sea Trout and the fishing rights are held by various local clubs.

 

The valley is now considerably bigger with both a lot of woodland (a lot is conifer plantation replacing old oak woodland) and some arable.

An unexpected sight of a French-looking field of Tournesols but with the unmistakable outlines of Brown Willy and Roughtor, high spots on Bodmin Moor, on the southern horizon.

More ancient beech trees planted probably a couple of hundred years ago, along the lanes on the way to the bridge at Trecarrell Mill.

Trecarrell Bridge near the Mill. An adjacent Nature Reserve run by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust is called Armstrong's Wood, in memory of the late owner. There has been a long-standing history of monitoring the use of Bat and Dormouse boxes in the reserve.

Gold-ringed Dragonflies are still zooming up and down the lanes.

Trekenner Mill at the next crossing downstream presents an almost unchanged face to the lane going down through the woods to the river. The road sign at the side of the lane warns of a ford but this has actually been bridged for many years.

But the other side of the old mill shows what a 'des res' it is now. It has completely changed the character of the building but I suppose 'gentrification' has been the practice since the late Middle Ages.

Otherwise this can happen. My kids were at junior school with the children who lived in this cottage. When the family moved out, the roof decayed and then fell and this has all happened in the last forty years.

 Apparently it was once a Toll Cottage on the turnpike road from Saltash to Launceston,  replacing the old main road to the east at Beales Mill.

 

The river then runs down through an extensive area of conifer forest to the last major crossing before it joins the Tamar. This is Wooda Bridge,close to the old tollhouse shown above,  on the new Turnpike, built in around 1836, carrying the increasingly busy road from Saltash, through Callington to Launceston and the A30.The arch on the left, dry until times of flood, is well-used by otters. Their spraints show it is prime marking territory and they choose to use the dry route.

 

The hedges are still draped with Greater Bindweed. This flower is handsome enough to grow in a garden if it wasn't for its invasive roots and over-enthusiastic smothering growth, making it a pernicious weed as I know to my cost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Honeysuckle is still flowering too, giving nectar to late-flying insects.As children we used to pull the flowers off and suck out the nectar from the base of the tube, just as we did earlier in the year with the flowers of White Dead-nettle.

 

 

 

 

 

The valley just above the last crossing at Beales Mill. Heavy rains will make the Inny flood where it can at any time of the year.

This large and rather unlovely building was for many years a corn mill supplying feed to surrounding farms but some years ago is was pulled down and has been replaced by a large house right on the river bank.

 

On the last stretch, before the Inny joins the Tamar, it runs though grazed and less-grazed meadows with tree-lined banks.
 

Otters would love this tangle of hidey-holes.

 

Otters will scrape up 'sandcastles' at the water's edge to mark territory.

 

 Another sprainting site is on prominent features such as this boulder. The distinctive musky smell is long-lasting and is a contact and territorial marker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The river leaves the meadows and enters an extensive area of woodland. Once ancient oak woodland, it is now considerably planted with conifers. There have only been three owners here. In the Middle Ages the woods belonged to Tavistock Abbey. Then the Russell Family(who became Earls and Lords Bradford) and now Tilhill Forestry manage the woods for the present owner. 

The rather pathetic remains of Herne's Oak, thought to be about five hundred years old and a relic of the old oak woodland beside the river.

 

 

In the eighteen hundreds, the then Duke of Bradford laid out ornamental carriageways through the woods and planted  specimen conifers, Rhododendrons and other cultivars. He ran two leats from the river to supply water to two lakes, now silted up although one, on the right bank, called Inny Mere is still shown with open water even though a stand of Balsam Poplars was planted in the drained lake bed about fifty years ago. The fringe of Royal Fern along one bank of the lake seems now to be overwhelmed by bracken, the Gunnera planted by one of the leats has gone since the 1970's but a big spread of the wet-loving Japanese Heliotrope planted at the head of the mere is still there.

Tilhill Forestry had plans to restore Inny Mere and felled the Balsam Poplars but nothing else has happened.

The large butterbur-like leaves of Japanese Heliotrope(Petasites japonicus) at the head of the mere. It has large heads of white flowers early in the spring but dies back completely in winter.

A row of fine Redwoods along the track. Note the fibrous fissured bark: it is fire-resisting. I believe one of the exotic conifers planted about 150 years ago now holds the record height in Britain for a Douglas Fir.

 

 

 

Scuffing through the dead leaves in the woodland tracks we saw Yellow Pimpernel(above) and Self Heal (right) still in flower and Speckled Wood butterflies were still on the wing, commoner than they were this spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 Tony gathered a few Hedgehog Fungus (Hydnum repandum) for his tea. Note the unusual spiky underside of this toadstool, unlike the usual gilled arrangement.

Fording the Inny just before it joins the Tamar. The narrow footbridge a little way upstream is long gone.

Modern-day exotics! Himalayan Balsam is abundant in places along the riverbank now. It didn't occur here when we first knew the river fifty years ago.

Journey's end. The Inny quietly joins the Tamar

The enlarged Tamar runs down to the sea.

 

I am putting in the account of the Great Flood of 1847. Extreme weather events are nothing new!

 (Tamar/Inney)....Gimblett's Mill has a quaint bridge with six square openings, rebuilt after the flood of 1847. " "River Inney....The latter [Trecarrel] was once a moorstone bridge but it was swept away in [the flood of] 1847. " Trekenner Bridge below Trecarrel is now deserted....The three little arches (2 feet in span) were broken by the flood of 1847 but the piers, and cutwaters of the 16th century bridge remain. " "Beals Mill Bridge, the lowest on the Inney, ....has had its 2 arches (13 feet span) rebuilt after the flood of '47.... " (Camel) "Gam Bridge, spanning the united streams [of the River Camel] is named in 1613, but the old bridge was swept away by the great flood in 1847 and has been rebuilt with 7 square openings instead of arches. On 16th July, 1847, a waterspout burst on Davidstow Moor, the watershed where the Camel and Inney (despite their opposite destinies) take their rise. The water collected in the valleys and forced a passage in two directions, down the Inney and the Camel. A wall of water from 12 to 18 feet above the usual level of the river swept down the Camel Valley carrying everything before it. It was a hot sultry afternoon with a clear sky, and men working in the fields at Gam Bridge could hardly believe their senses when they saw the water approaching them. Gam Bridge stayed the flood for a moment but soon gave way and the infuriated water attacked Wenford Bridge with a regular bombardment of tree trunks and other things plundered from the meadows. A mineral train happened to be in the station at Wenford Bridge, and the driver with great presence of mind drove his engine at full speed down the valley shouting to the people to leave the riverside. He was not a moment too soon. Wenford Bridge broke beneath the strain and Poleys Bridge followed suit. Tresarret Bridge was swept away. Helland Bridge showed that the mediaeval bridge builders knew their business, for despite the depth and narrowness of the valley, the waters failed to break it, but rising above the parapet, swept on and brought their battery of trees and hayricks against the ancient bridge of Dunmeer. This was soon swept away together with the railway bridge by its side. A train was approaching the bridge at the moment of its destruction but the driver was able to bring it to a standstill. The lowest railway bridge at Pendevy floated gaily down stream and would have done much damage to Wadebridge had not men in boats secured it with ropes and chains. When the flood subsided, it was found that the valley from end to end had been devastated. All the bridges but Helland and Wadebridge (the two oldest) were in ruins, and for 12 months remained impassable. Many years later pieces of hay, straw and mud could be seen in the branches of trees at Dunmeer 20 feet above ordinary water level." Rivers Camel, Inney and Allan. Rain fell in this area from 10am to 6pm (mostly in the morning). Dunmere village (below Bodmin) and the whole valley below Dunmere Hill were flooded. Dunmere Bridge washed away as was the new 40 foot high railway bridge. There was 6.25 feet of water in the kitchen of Mr Allen's mill at Dunmere. (Valency) Boscastle: "The village was previously hit by floods in 1847, 1957, 1958 and 1963...." RCG reports Camelford; One of the most violent storms of thunder hail and rain in the last 50 years commencing 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening. The Camel rose to a great height, houses were flooded and inmates had to escape to upper floors. The bridge at the eastern entrance to the town survived. An immense body of water came down what is called the ‘Outground River’ which flows into the Camel just below the town and which is fed in turn by the Longcarn River and the Tiland River. The Longcarn branch flows over a bed of loose granite and on this occasion it tore up large blocks of stone ‘impelling them onward with a roar list distant thunder’. One block upwards of 10 tons was torn from its site and forced onward for a considerable distance. The Tiland did not rise so high as the Longcarn but still carried everything in its progress. At Tregoodwill it carried away the bridge and the gable end of a house. Below the junction with the Camel it Western Times 10 Jul carried away every bridge to Wadebridge. No lives were lost but one young man was caught in the approaching flood and climbed a tree where he had to remain until the flood abated. The highways in the parishes of Lanteglos and Advent suffered severely; bridges were carried off with much loss of crops and agricultural implements. Wenford Inn and stables filled with water. It is supposed that the storm and flood was confined to within 5 miles of Camelford and only the Rivers Camel, Inney and Allan were affected. Three county bridges were destroyed on the river Inney. Bodmin/Dunmeer: Dunmeer was under water and an observer reported ‘the whole valley was a sea of roaring foaming turbid water’ Dunmeer bridge was washed away as was the new railbridge downstream a one arch bridge 40 feet high, 10 minutes later. Only a small part of Holland Bridge was washed away and at Wenford bridge only the parapets were carried away. Allan’s Mill at Dunmeer the water was 6 ½ feet in the kitchen and people were resuced from upstairs. Stones of many tons have been washed on to cornfields. In the neighbourhood of Bodmin there was no rain for the day except a shower or two. About 50 years ago a similar catastrophe occurred but the water was not so high by 4 or 5 feet (other reports of 3 feet) and no bridges were destroyed. The observer noted that the Camel is fed by the Allan as well as the upper Camel but only the latter was affected. ‘The Allan had not a drop more than the ordinary’ A mill and house at Holland bridge were washed away and at Wadebridge an Inn which stands 20 feet above its general level was flooded to one foot depth. The wooden Ruthern bridge was carried downstream and laid on a hedge and the bridge at Polbrock was carried off three miles downriver. The neighbouring county was visited by a violent thunderstorm. The flood carried away three bridges between Wadebridge and Bodmin. The bridge at Davidstow has been carried away. 

 I follow these Blogs:

( A new one from Tony:

www.downgatebatman.blogspot.com

Also:

www.northcornwallnaturalist.blogspot.com

www.musingsfromhigherdowngateandelsewhere.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Cornish Rivers 3 : The Inny in Autumn. Part one.

 

The Inny is one of the main tributaries of the Tamar.

Issuing from several springs around Davidstow on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor, the Inny runs for some 30kms through a wide valley until it joins the Tamar in woodland at Inny Foot.

Marshy ground  on the edge of Davidstow airfield hides one place which can be claimed as a source.

 

 

Marsh Woundwort with strongly smelling leaves when crushed,grows prolifically in these marshy areas. It is a very popular plant for insects.

As we drove towards Davidstow where there are  several little springs which give rise to the river, there was a dark pall of low cloud and mizzle. The wartime aerodrome of Davidstow, at 960ft was the highest war-time airfield in Britain but was frequently not operational because of the low cloud.

The low cloud had lifted by the time we got there. One of the old runways disappears into one of the coniferous plantations planted in this area after the war. Bleak, but nevertheless  the place is very popular with dog walkers, overnight campers, and probably most of the local youngsters have learnt to handle a car on these runways before taking to the roads.. Very heavily grazed by sheep and ponies, the turf is close-bitten and a well-known spot for passage  migrants and vagrant birds, and the word soon goes round when something special is seen. Still used at times by a flying club, some of the runways are forbidden to cars, but others, now severely pot-holed are permitted. For years the coniferous plantation was home to a huge winter roost of starlings, giving spectacular aerial displays some evenings as they flew in from all directions. They have decamped now to a couple of plantations a little to the west beyond Crowdy reservoir.

 

 

Crowdy Reservoir, just west of the aerodrome. Dammed in 1973 this is a 170-acre stretch of water worth looking at for water birds from the hide at the edge of the right-hand plantation.

Looking south across the airfield, the square block of the ruined control tower can be seen on the horizon.

Camomile with its feathery fragrant leaves, grows prolifically on the short turf and flowers late in the summer.

 Ruff in winter plumage, visiting Davidstow aerodrome .(photo Sep.2016)

Davidstow's main claim to fame nowadays is the cheese factory, said to be the largest in Britain. It is home to Cathedral City  (odd name!) Cheddar.

Back in the 'fifties before I left college I was offered a laboratory job here. In those days it belonged to Ambrosia and they made tinned rice pudding. I turned that down as I was also offered a job running the Quality Control lab in the Aplin & Barrett creamery at Frome in Somerset. This was more attractive as it was a bigger creamery making a wider variety of dairy products under the name of St Ivel.

The modern cheese factory at Davidstow, now owned by Dairy Crest, is unrecognizably bigger these days.

Near the church is St David's holy well, one of several springs, more sources of the Inny. The cheese factory is said to draw its water from this well.

A little south of Davidstow the streams converge to give a more convincing flow of the Inny.

Another mile downstream, and the river runs more or less south-west in a wide,open valley. This is looking from a little un-named bridge on a lane running north to Hallworthy. There are still remnants of Angelica, Meadowsweet and Marsh Woundwort in flower and the bracken hasn't browned off yet.

Meadowsweet.

 

Soon the river cuts itself a deeper valley and the lane to the next crossing runs steeply downhill among small meadows and woodland.

 

The next crossing is at Treglasta Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

Looking upstream at Treglasta where we watched a pair of grey Wagtails .

 

 The Sycamores by the bridge showed the familiar 'Tar Spot' fungal growth on one tree and the less common pink spots of another fungus on another tree.

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing south-west the river runs under Tregulland Bridge

 

A rushy meadow just beside the bridge with a fringe of beeches on the horizon.

Five different ferns were growing in the stonework of the bridge. Above is the pretty little Wall Rue and to the right, a Hart's Tongue Fern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There was also Maidenhair Spleenwort (left) and the other two species were Lady Fern and Green Male Fern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just upstream a farm had made a nature trail around a large ornamental lake with cultivated Water Lilies. It was surrounded by an electric fence, maybe to keep Otters from marauding their fish? 

The wide valley continued past rounded sheep pastures on the right and several rocky, scrubby outcrops on the left which shelter a restored Holy Well. I plan to do a future blog about our various Holy Wells so I'll leave this one for the time being and go on to the next crossing just beyond St Clether.   

 It's noticeable along the whole length of this river that the villages are up-slope of the river, which has a reputation for rising very fast following heavy rain, but levels falling again just as rapidly. So we by-passed Hallworthy with its weekly cattle market, St Clether and Laneast with  15th Century churches with pinnacled towers and Polyphant where an unusual Serpentine-like stone has been quarried and used extensively in the past for ornamental details in the local churches.

Instead, at many of the crossing points there are what used to be mills, now either disappeared or 'done up' making attractive (flood-prone?) dwellings . 

 

We followed a riverside footpath for a little way, coming to a big old Beech tree on the bank. You can just see a big clump of fungus just to the left of the fence corner-post.

It's strange that, in a county where Beech isn't a native, that there was such widespread planting of it between one and two hundred years ago. Large trees have grown up in rows, in hedges and as solitary specimens. It is well established now and grows readily from seed.
Alongside the path were clumps of Marsh Woundwort and Devils-bit Scabious which were being visited by numbers of Silver Y moths, and various Bumble Bees and Hoverflies.

The fungus at the base of the big Beech. It is Grifolia frondosa.This clump was growing behind the tree, but penetrating the tree roots.

Looking North across the valley from the low ridge between the Inny valley and that of its main tributary  the Penpont Water which is running parallel behind us.

 

 

The river as it runs south of Laneast. The valley bottom has a mixture of thick woodland and little rushy meadows. Just up the lane there is a large quarry, now hidden and buried among the trees. Greenstone, a hard igneous rock was quarried here for roadstone.

The next bridge downstream, the same design as the previous one upstream. This bridge, at Gimblett's Mill, was completely swept away by 'a great wall of water' in 1847 and was rebuilt. 

The geology within the catchment is mostly slate with  some shales and grit. The soils are shallow with little clay content. The agriculture is not very intensive and the main farming enterprises are sheep or beef and sheep, with a few dairy farms in the lower reaches.

The next two crossings, at Trewen and Hicks Mill are characterized by the causewayed approach roads fenced with these handsome stone and rail fences.The one-time mill stands back from the main river and was served by a leat coming from several hundred yards upstream and rejoining the river off to the right of the photo.

 

Ivy is flowering now and is a rich source of pollen and nectar for insect visitors. The bees were collecting bright orange pollen from this clump.

 

 

 The pretty little Ivy-leaved Toadflax grows between the stones of the bridge and it's still flowering.

 

 

 

I felt bound to put in this picture of the fine arch of Trewen Bridge because Tony scrambled down the bank and waded into the river to get the photo, only to slip on a stone and drench himself. He emerged, dripping as I was looking at the insects on the ivy flowers, but his hat was dry!

 None of the roads follow the course of the river so to get access we repeatedly looped away up the valley sides and then wriggled down narrow, often wooded lanes, to get to the next mill or river crossing.

This fine 17th Century bridge at Hicks Mill  is called Polyphant Bridge. It was partly destroyed in the Great Flood of 1847. It is the last before the Inny is joined by its principal tributary the Penpont Water at a complicated crossing of the confluence by the main A30 trunk road heading west. It's a very busy two -lane road and I opted to forego the exploration and photos in the interests of living to fight another day.

 
 The final stretch of the river will follow in Part 2 when the forecast unsettled weather system has passed.