News Archive 2025 Jul-Sep
The working party turnout was a reasonable 11 volunteers this morning for a session of strimming and balsam-bashing.
First, however, the stile part-way down the bridle path had to be repaired. Two volunteers secured the stile plus one post by enlarging the post-holes and resetting the posts in postcrete. They then joined the main strimming group.
Photograph A. Stile
They were busy strimming the bridleway all the way down from the humpback bridge to past the gate on the left into the fields. Four strimmers were in use and each strimmer operator was, as usual, accompanied by a raker – to keep the strimmings off the path. Shrubs by the path and overhead branches were also trimmed back. We deployed warning signs on the path at either end of operations, as usual.
Photograph B. Strimming and raking
Meanwhile, three of the volunteers were tracking down and destroying Himalayan balsam – those inversive plants that are forever trying to take over the river banks. Two donned waders and ventured into the burn, while the third acted as spotter: looking for clusters of balsam plants by the water’s edge.
Photograph C. Sorting out Himalayan balsam
We must have removed 300–400 balsam plants between near the waterfall to the upstream end of the tunnel under the old railway embankment.
Here are some photographs taken today/recently.
Photograph D. Artistic scum!
Photograph E. Comma butterfly
Photograph F. Fly agaric – seen recently by a volunteer
Strimming and balsam-bashing were again the main themes of this morning’s volunteer session, on a warm, sunny day.
Our little red tools van was parked at Holywell this morning and it was there that we congregated. The working party was very much split up today: two groups of three were removing Himalayan balsam from the river, two groups of two were strimming and one volunteer was trimming overhead branches with the hedge trimmer.
The two strimming teams headed upstream from the old Holywell bridge on the south side and completed all the way up to where the path turns south away from the burn. Overhanging branches were trimmed with the hedge trimmer along the way.
Photograph A. Strimming and raking
One balsam-bashing team – two people in waders and one on the bank acting as a spotter and co-ordinater – started at the entrance to the tunnel in mid-dene and progressed upstream to a point below the Holywell side burn. About 900 balsam plants were pulled! A major infestation was spotted that will need to be fettled on a future occasion.
The second bashing team started at the Holywell road bridge and worked upstream, through the tunnel near Concord House and all the way up to a place down from the packhorse bridge on the path to Seghill. No big infestations were found but many small groups and isolated plants were encountered.
Photograph B. Himalayan balsam bashing
The Himalayan balsam is starting to flower and one or two of them have small unripe seed pods. Interestingly though we found a number of plants that had been attacked by insects and or grubs.
Photograph C. Grub attacking balsam leaf
We are hoping nature finds a solution to the balsam problem through evolution. Another line of attack is the use of a natural control in the form of a rust (plant disease) from the Himalayan homeland of the weed. This is being trialled by Northumberland Wildlife Trust at Fencerhill Nature Reserve near Gosforth as we speak. Fingers crossed!
The working party, which today numbered ten volunteers, had its annual outing to Seghill this morning for a Himalayan balsam-bashing session.
The venue was the old nature reserve alongside the former Seghill landfill site. The nature reserve was established in 1992 but was abandoned later. It has a wide diversity of wildlife, nevertheless, but has not been maintained and has a number of alien plant species, such as Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and fuchsia!
Its only interest to us is that it has a lake with an outlet burn that runs into the Seaton Burn, so therefore any Himalayan balsam seed gets carried downstream from there to populate Holywell Dene with the weed. For that reason, we have an annual balsam control session there.
A couple of strimmers were used to clear a pathway. The rest of the volunteers dispersed around the site to search out and pull up the balsam plants.
Photograph A. Strimming the jungle
These were predominantly in close proximity to the lake, because Himalayan balsam is a plant of the water margins. It actually comes from the Himalayas but is not so invasive there as it is in Britain.
Photograph B. Himalayan balsam
The control technique is to pull up the plants (roots and all) from amongst other vegetation, then crumple them and discard them somewhere where they will not regenerate.
What we found was that there was a lot less balsam than in earlier years. This will be (a) because of the work we have done at the site in the past, and (b) because it has been a dry spring, especially April and May. Nevertheless there were a few hotspots where the weed was growing in clusters by the hundred.
It was a wet day and the vegetation was very wet, but fortunately it didn’t rain during the session. After we had pulled up as many balsams as we could find we looked up at the sky and concluded that it was as well to call an early halt to proceedings, so off we went home.
A party of 8 volunteers met at the metal gate on Hartley West farm road on an overcast but humid morning of strimming. The area we wanted to tackle was on the south side path next to the stone bridge. After a safety talk, off we went in 4 teams of 2.
Warning signs are always put at the front of the most forward pair and behind the one bringing up the rear – advising that we are working in the area and to put all dogs on their leash.
Photograph A. Strimming
The undergrowth has shot away in recent weeks due to the hot dry weather and the rainfall on a few occasions when the heavens opened.
There was quite a few families out this morning taking advantage of the first week of the school holidays, which is always a good thing to see. When someone passes we tell them how many more teams are in front of them so they can safely let their dogs have a run.
We strimmed up to the wooden bridge, then crossed over and did the path on the northern side all the way back to the metal gate. While we were strimming we also kept a lookout for any Himalayan balsam. Today we removed about 50 plants in the stretch we tackled today.
There was no wildlife reported today mainly because the noise of the strimmers drowned out any bird calls and also scared off anything near. When we finished we cleaned up all the machines, packed everything away and then it was off home for a spot of lunch.
It was another strimming and trimming session for the 10 volunteers this morning. The assembly point was the entrance to Crowhall Farm, and the zone of activity was the paths between the two wooden footbridges in mid-Dene, mainly on the southern side.
We unloaded the tools from the van as usual then yomped across the cattle field to cross into the Dene via the stile. We then walked to the upstream meadow, which is on the south side near the upstream footbridge, and started up the strimmers.
Basically, we swept along the paths either side of the burn near the meadow, then proceeded down the south-side path eastward until we reached a point somewhat upstream of the long steps down to the downstream footbridge.
All the while, we were strimming the verges and trimming the shrubs to keep the paths clear. The hedge trimmer was deployed for some of the trimming work, but it is a temperamental starter so it was abandoned in the end and loppers were used instead.
Photograph A. Strimming
Photograph B. Trimming
As usual we put up out warning triangles at either end of the section being worked on, although there were not too many walkers out today.
There was not much wildlife to report but a great spotted woodpecker was heard at one point. The birds have gone quiet because the breeding season is over and the moulting season has started; they always keep quiet when moulting.
It was a hot and muggy day. We had a couple of refreshment breaks to keep ourselves hydrated. I think we were all feeling a bit hot and weary at the end of the session.
Something different for the working party this morning: pond clearance as well as the usual strimming. On a fine but windy day nine volunteers met up at the Hartley Lane carpark before setting off along the path network in both directions.
Two strimming teams headed off along the path to the estuary to strim the verges and trim the overhead branches. The rest headed in the direction of the dipping pond. Strimming commenced along the paths in that area. Meanwhile three (initially) of the volunteers started work on the pond.
Photograph A. Strimming
The pond used to have a pond-dipping platform, but this was dismantled, as it was rotten, several years ago. We were promised at the time by Northumberland County Council that the platform would be rebuilt, but this alas has not yet happened. Before it was dismantled, the platform had been a valuable resource for supervised groups of children who always enjoy catching and identifying pond creatures.
Anyway, the pond has always been a hotspot for wildlife but has become congested with reeds in recent years – reedmace (Typha latifolia) and burr-reed (Sparganium erectum). So, we decided to sort it out. This was no easy job (despite the fact that the pond had dried out) – the mud was sticky and the tall reeds were hard to get out. Once out, the reeds had to be wheel-barrowed away to be dumped nearby – a strenuous job in itself.
Photograph B. Clearing out the pond
We were pleased to meet Emma Foody, the Labour MP for Cramlington and Killingworth, who paid us a visit and chatted with us at tea/coffee break. She was being shown around the Dene by our lady chair, who also bought some biscuits – always appreciated.
Before the session was over, a large area of the pond had been cleared out and all the paths nearby had been strimmed and the triangular area close to the burn had been mown.
Photograph C. Area strimming
The working party was down to seven volunteers today, and the main tasks were clearing out the dipping pond and strimming verges and bracken areas nearby.
The pond work was a continuation of what we did last week at the so-called “dipping pond” (without a pond-dipping platform) near the Hartley Lane carpark. The problem is that the pond is so congested with reeds that it was (before we started) more of a reedbed than a pond.
We used a variety of techniques today to get as many reeds out as possible. We started pulling them up, which may be the “gold standard” method, but the roots proved very difficult to get out. We then tried using a tool called a slasher or billhook to cut the reeds just above the level of the bed of the pond. The idea here is that when water returns to the pond it will cover the cut ends and cause the plants to die and their roots to rot.
I should say, by the way, that the pond is empty because of the drought. It had been completely dried out yesterday but rain during the night meant it was muddy and puddly today – which was a nuisance for us!
The third method we tried was use of the trusty strimmer, which enabled us to cut the reeds at a far faster rate.
Photograph A. Clearing pond
It has to be said that dumping the cut reeds was as labour-intensive as pulling and/or cutting them. We had prepared an open space among the vegetation near the pond for dumping beforehand using a strimmer. The cut reeds had to be picked up, put in a wheelbarrow, and wheeled (uphill) to the dumping site, all of which was hard work.
We managed to clear quite a lot of the pond, but it is still more than 50% reedbed. You can get an impression of the amount of space cleared from the following photo.
Photograph B. Result of clearing pond
The other task undertaken today was strimming verges and open areas near the pond. This included the bracken-infested area close to the pond. We try and prevent bracken (a tall fern) from taking over, which it is always trying to do in areas that are not under trees.
Photograph C. Spot the volunteer! – strimming bracken
The weather today was hot and somewhat humid. We shouldn’t complain about summery weather, but we generally prefer cool conditions for our work. We were all well sweated up by the end of the session, and relieved to be going home to have a nice shower.
Today the working party was tasked with eradicating Himalayan balsam from one of the tributaries of the Seaton Burn near Holywell. The turnout was only six – but this is the holiday season.
We have been quite successful in keeping this highly invasive weed, “balsam”, under control in the Dene – to such an extent that most people walking in the Dene will not see any of it. (It is quite rampant on many local rivers, including the Tyne and the Blyth.)
Photograph A. Himalayan balsam
One of the problems is that there are two or three “upstream reservoirs” – places where the plant grows alongside a tributary stream of the Seaton Burn, and which send seed downstream that pops up as plants in the Dene. The Holywell side burn is one of them.
So, the procedure was: (1) get to the site; (2) push through the thistles to get at the ditch; (3) get into the ditch with wellies on (although it was dry); (4) pull out all the balsam plants, crumple them and put them on dry ground; and finally (5) go home.
Photograph B. Clearing a ditch of balsam
The tricky part was pulling the plants out, because they were flowering and producing seed. The seed comes in pods high up on the plant which, when ripe, pop open and throw seeds around – which is the last thing we want. So, we carefully remove the seed heads and put them in bags for disposal later.
This is somewhat frustrating because many of the seeds invariably escape and will, no doubt, germinate next year. For that reason, we will very probably be back there next year. Never mind, the situation is a lot better than when we first found that infestation in 2019.
We seemed to get the job done in less time than expected, despite the intensity of the infestation so, with the weather being dull and drizzly, we departed home early, but feeling that we had done our bit to keep Holywell Dene in a good natural condition.
Not much wildlife to report, but one of the volunteers spotted a shy couple of deer in the field near to where we were working.
Photograph C. Roe deer seen nearby
Five volunteers met at the end of Wallridge Drive on a very warm and humid morning, although fortunately the rain had stopped and held off all morning despite the forecast.
The tasks this morning were threefold, the first was strimming, around the oak trees planted last autumn and clearing out weeds growing up the protective tubes. Also a strim was needed around the seat opposite Dale Top.
Photograph A. Strimming
The next task was to clear a large bough that came down over the riverside path in the last storm. As we are not permitted to use chainsaws we had to use handsaws and brute force.
Photograph B. Removing bough
Finally the steps down to the burn from Concorde House were heavily overgrown with vegetation. Spades, mattocks and sweat were applied to clear the steps.
Photograph C. Clearing steps
A party of 9 volunteers met on the stone bridge just off Hartley Lane for three jobs. The main one was the strimming of the meadow and the other two were replacing some fencing and replacing a panel in the boardwalk on the south-side path opposite the meadow.
Two volunteers set off to tackle the repairs while the rest tackled the strimming. It didn’t take long to repair the broken panel and fix the fencing, so it was all-hands-on-deck getting the grass cut.
Photograph A. Stile after fence repair
It’s the first time in a couple of years we have tackled the meadow. We deliberately left it to see what impact this would have on the growing of wildflowers and on wildlife. It was decided there was no major impact on either so it was decided to start strimming again.
There were four groups of two (one with strimmer and one with rake) and one person working independently clearing the grass along the river bank so that the other four groups had an area to roll their cuttings into.
Photograph B. Meadow before mowing
We marked off areas of about five metres with bamboo sticks for safety and, starting at the path, headed towards the river bank with one person strimming and the other following behind with a rake rolling the vegetation like a cigar towards the river bank.
Photograph C. Meadow after mowing (with ghost rainbow!)
The weather was cloudy at first but the sun soon showed up and we were glad to stop for refreshments and a biscuit from one of the volunteers returning from holiday. We got a fair bit done but we ran out of time so, realising that we will have to return next week to finish the task, we gathered up the tools, cleaned them down, loaded up the van and headed home for shower and a spot of lunch.
Not much wildlife to report – a rabbit in the next field, a shield beetle and a frog got rehoused.
A party of nine volunteers met at the metal gate on the Hartley West Farm road for a morning of strimming and balsam bashing. After a quick safety briefing, so that everyone knew where they were working, we split into two groups. Seven headed towards the meadow to finish last week’s work and the other two prepared to head upstream to tackle the Himalayan balsam that had been reported to us.
A member of the FoHD had reported to us that there were some balsam plants beside the upstream wooden bridge near the Rest a While seat, so it was decided to search the dene from the meadow to the mouth of the tunnel.
Wearing waders, one of the two entered the water at the meadow and started searching both sides of the river bank, pulling out these invasive weeds as they were encountered. The other person walked along the river back, trying to spot any plants higher up the bank and keeping an eye on the person in the water for safety reasons. Over two hundred plants – many of which were about to seed – were pulled, bagging the flowering heads.
The other seven volunteers set about finishing off strimming the meadow. We were, as usual, taking care every time someone came past to stop and let them pass safely. By mid-morning, with the sun popping through the clouds, it was hot work and were glad for our refreshments. By the end of the morning the meadow was finished and off we went home for a shower and a spot of lunch.
Photograph A. Mowing meadow
Photograph B. Meadow after mowing
Next week we will probably be working down Seaton Sluice area preparing the area picked out to plant 25 Silver Birch trees to mark the silver anniversary of FoHD. We will be planting the saplings the following week and we have arranged for pupils from the local school to do the honours for us.
Photograph C. Haws – hawthorn berries
The Working Party was preparing the ground for our Silver Anniversary event this morning. This will take place on Tuesday 23rd September and will give local children the opportunity to plant 25 silver birches – signifying the 25 years that Friends of Holwell Dene has been operating – on the slopes running down to the estuary near St Paul’s Church, Seaton Sluice.
Eleven of us volunteers assembled near the church. As usual, we clustered round the van while the tools and equipment were got ready. We then trekked the short distance to the planting ground, which is the slope below Byewell Terrace.
Two of us pushed stakes into the ground to mark the proposed positions of the trees. Meanwhile the others formed themselves into strimming pairs – one strimmer and one raker. The slopes were covered in grasses, thistles and brambles so it was necessary to strim around each planting site. Also, to make things go smoothly on the day, we dug holes at each planting spot and then filled them in again – to ensure that holes can be dug easily on the 23rd.
Photograph A. Strimming the planting areas
Photograph B. The warning sign we always put out when strimming
It was noted that the soil was dry, dusty and full of bits of brick and pottery, reflecting the fact that it is an old dumping ground dating from the industrial Seaton Sluice of the 18th and 19th centuries. We will therefore have to water the saplings in well when the time comes, and possibly dig in some compost.
The silver birch is a very elegant small tree with silvery bark. The trees need to be kept well spaced apart so that they don’t compete with each other and grow spindly. They are famous for growing almost anywhere, so should not be put off by the low quality of the soil; in fact they may derive mineral nutrients from it.
After clearing spaces for the tree-planting event, we did some strimming of the path along the eastern side of the estuary, but it turned out that not much was needed. That being the case, we realised that we had run out of things to do, so we had an early finish this morning.
The weather was fine and the views around the estuary we very photogenic.
Photograph C. The estuary scene
This was a special day for Friends of Holywell Dene. Eight volunteers met up in the car park beside the Harbour View fish bar, but we were going to take the back seat for a change and let others do the majority of the work.
Two wheelbarrows having been loaded up with tools, we went down the slope behind the chippy to the area we had prepared last week. There were numerous containers of water that had been dropped off at the end of Queen’s Road. After those had been collected, it was a waiting game until our helpers arrived.
Photograph A. The silver birches and the Working Party
It had been arranged that 25 pupils from Year 5, aged 9 to 10, from Seaton Sluice Middle School would plant 25 silver birch trees to mark the silver anniversary of the FoHD group. When they arrived they were given instructions on how to plant the trees and how to fit the tree guards correctly.
The children picked up the pots containing the tree saplings and, after being told by the teacher present to work in pairs, off they went to the prepared holes that had been pre-dug for them. They turned each pot over to release the sapling and then planted it in the ground. A plastic guard was carefully placed over the plant to protect it, a stake was driven into the ground and a zip lock connected.
Photograph B. Silver birch sapling with post and guard
The children then went to the next tree location and repeated the process until all saplings were in the allocated spaces. As a reward for their efforts, refreshments and biscuits were soon polished off. A roll-call was made to check that all the children were accounted for, then they were off to school to begin normal school activities.
Photograph C. Planted saplings
Photograph D. Planted saplings
There was little left for us to do, so tools were loaded onto the wheelbarrows, taken back to the van, loaded up – and we went home for a shower and a bit of lunch.
A party of 9 volunteers met on a mild autumn day at the Northumbrian Water pumping station at Holywell to repair a broken gate and to do a general clean-up of the area. After a safety briefing we split into a team of 3 to repair the gate and gatepost, and a team of 6 to do the clean-up. Wheelbarrows loaded up, we headed to the waggonway area to commence work.
The first task for 3 volunteers was to remove the remains of the old gatepost. This took a lot longer than first anticipated as the concrete went into the ground a long way down. It was very hot work but perseverance prevailed and the stump was removed.
Photograph A. Gate before work
The bottom of the hole had a little bit more soil to be removed before the new post could be fitted. Postcrete was then added with a bit of water to anchor it down – this sets very quickly. Great care has to be taken to make sure the post is vertical so the gate hangs correctly. The repaired gate was added, tested and everything was working properly.
Photograph B. Gate being fixed
The other 6 volunteers split into 3 teams of 2 and cleared the area of any Himalayan balsam. There were quite a few ready to flower; these were all pulled up and removed to a refuse bin. The surrounding trees were checked for any ivy growing up their trunks, which was removed if found by cutting an 8-inch gap to cut off its growth. Also, litter was collected up and removed.
Photograph C. Removing Himalayan balsam
Both jobs finished just before lunch time so wheelbarrows with tools were returned to the van and off we headed home.
| Flowers |
| Trees |
| Fauna |
| Flowers |
| Trees |
| Fauna |