One more Twigmore view, bracken flourishing in the cover sands.

Another view in Twigmore Woods, showing part of one of the ponds with golden flags. A self-sown silver birch is doing well at the edge of the pond despite the water being very acidic. Most of the azaleas had purple flowers but a few we bright red and a few white. Azaleas are not native so initially a result of deliberate planting. The ground is undulating and is part of an area of post-glacial cover sands, infertile for arable agriculture.

The diverse woodlands and forests around Scunthorpe are a real asset to the region.

Recently travelled to Twigmore Woods in the forested countryside south-east of Sculthorpe steel works. This is a famous wood as a result of diverse trees and shrubs growing there and for the large open pools. Once known as ‘Gull Wood’ because a large colony of common gulls stayed there all year round; it was a site regularly visited by those on bus trips with always a warden on hand. The gulls, the bus trippers, even the warden now gone but the paths are maintained (not surfaced) and the diversity of flora remains. The wood is beside the road to Kirton Lindsey and there is a small car park.

Surprisingly many of the very large azalea bushes were still in flower, usually seen early to mid May. This is a most diverse and interesting area at any time of year.

Three good walks recently; twice from Brickyard Lane south of Melton developing modern industrial park (see above) and once through the shelter belt of mature trees that borders North Ferriby along its western edge. At the Humber end of Brickyard Lane a walker can turn left and either take the field edge path along the top of Ferriby Cliff, or walk the foreshore and examine the sandy cliff along the way. In either case one gets to the southern end of the shelter belt mentioned. Alternatively, at the southern end of Brickyard Lane turn right and follow the path just above the foreshore which eventually leads to Welton Water, and beyond to Brough; however, in places the undergrowth is quite dense and the path’s surface very rough. This whole section of the Humber path shows evidence of past industrial development, particularly brickyard clay diggings and the notorious Capper Pass smelting works (now gone). As with the Waters Edge site on the Humber bank at Barton (before it was cleaned up), topsoil severely contaminated with industrial chemicals has not prevented natural plant regeneration.

For much of its length the shelter belt is now sandwiched between the housing on the east side and the massive distribution centre to the west. However, a large planting of trees area between the shelter belt and the distribution centre will, in time, mask the building from the walk.

Ferriby cliff is a low sandy cliff-line replicated exactly on the south bank at South Ferriby cliff. I have speculated on the possible recent geological history before (see essay on Basic Geology in section three of this website). One feature, certainly on the south bank, is a row of sand martin nesting burrows, a feature also evidenced at Fraisthorpe, south of Barmston on the Holderness coast.

Soon after turning right from the end of Brickyard Lane there is ample evidence of the ex-brickyard’s use of bricks as a sea defence. Also a curious conifer plantation that must have been man-planted?

Failed to keep up the momentum from T.P.W. and C. 19, so here are a couple of pictures, somewhat late.

At the south-east corner of the curtain wall at Fort Paull some old hawthorn shrubs but in full flower this spring, a mass of white blossom and hopefully a mass of berries in autumn.

Separated from Fort Paull by an arable field is the Thorngumbald Marsh area of managed retreat – the reedbeds in the middle distance having once been arable land.

In the foreground the first cowslips of spring, as here, often associated with edge of wetland locations.

A walk taken this afternoon following a very familiar circular route from the Humber side car park just south of Paull village, alongside the Humber following the footpath seen above to near the two old lighthouses (s.p.b.s), then north along a footpath with arable field on one side (oilseed rape in flower but some seed pods already formed) and the Camerton Marsh area of managed retreat on the other. Then along the road to Paull church and a bench under the avenue of young trees between the entrance gate and the north door. Along the road again and back down a lane to the car park.

The photo shows small colonies of hoary cress in flower along the base of the embankment at Fort Paull. Hoary cress is a perennial plant with sprays of small white flowers at this time of year. In that sense it is similar to cow parsley with its lovely white flower heads this time of year; however the cow parsley is much taller and of the umbellifer family, whereas hoary cress is of the wallflower family. Hoary cress is classed as a noxious weed as it can be mildly poisonous to grazing animals and it is very invasive, spreading usually by spreading root systems. It has the capacity to smother out other native flora, although in my experience that does not seem to happen.

Hoary cress is not a wetland loving plant but in my experience I have only found it near river or here the Estuary. Going back a couple of decades it was dominant along the River Hull bank in the Oak Road playing fields area, but now seems to have almost disappeared.

Section of Immingham Dock in the distance seen above.