Because it was difficult to tell what ground was marsh, and what was solid...
...Barnaby Bear and his friends left the river behind for a while.
Barnaby Bear walked for a long time, untill he could barely see the river meandering
through the marsh.
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The ground everywhere was full of small hillocks and there were bits of ancient stone walls everywhere. |  |
Why do you think the ground looks like this? Can you see any clues? Barnaby Bear thinks that some of the bumps in the ground are old walls that have grown over with grass. Can you see that in the left photo, the wall is covered over on one side?
Before very long, the ground was safe enough for Barnaby Bear to get back to the river again.
He looked southeast, down the river...
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| ...and northwest, up the river... |
...but he couldn't see any more marshland in his way. It looks like the river has drained the land around here. It was safe for him to continue his journey along the riverbank.
Soon, Barnaby Bear came to a ford. This ford was marked on the Ordnance Survey map, and
meant that soon he would pass by a farm house.
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The river meandered it's way through the gulley it had made for itself. |
| The bank was very steep in places. Can you see places where the bank has dropped in the past? It is grown over now. |  |
When the river passed underneath a fence, there were clues that it often came much higher than this.
Can you see the bits of dead grass washed all over the gorse and higher ground?
It was all pointing downstream.
| Barnaby Bear soon came to a dead end, and needed to cross the river. Although the river was fairly narrow here, it was deep and fast flowing... |  |
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...even the adults needed help to get across!
There is more evidence of recent human activity here. There are more wire fences, and there is a house just across the stream. There are no electricity or telephone poles though. Barnaby Bear wonders where the people who live here get their electricity from... |
The river has been fenced off here, to help protect it from damage done by humans and
animals. People and animals can erode the ground around rivers, and make changes to the river environment
happen too quickly. Have you seen any examples of this so far?
Can you see where a part of the bank has fallen into the river?
That part of the bank will soon be washed away, and the river will look unusually wide there.
Because of the fence, Barnaby Bear has to leave the river now, and make his way up to
Bolventor. Before he does, he takes a last look at the river. He is glad he does, because he sees something
rather special. Can you see the bridge in the photo?
This is the first place where the River Fowey has been bridged. This is so the people who live here can
acess the road, a little further out.
Barnaby Bear must leave the river now, to go home. It has taken him all day to do this walk, and he hopes that
it doesn't take long to get home!
Click below to continue Barnaby Bear's journey along the river.
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