Barnaby Bear at the Source of the River Fowey

Not far from the source of the river, Barnaby Bear realised that he hadn't seen any other people since Brown Willy. This place is too far away from roads for people to live here, but there were animals living here. He had seen these animals on the side of Roughtor.

Now, on the slopes of High Moor he sees different animals. Can you tell what they are? Hover your mouse over the picture for a closer look!

This pool is very interesting - let's take a closer look. Can you see how some of the sides are steep where the ground has sunk?
	Here is another, similar pool. What can you see in the picture? What can you see on the steep sides? (Barnaby thinks it looks like mini cliffs at the beach!) What can you see in the pool that is alive? What else can you see in the pool that had been buried in the ground? Why do you think the grass around the edge of the pool is drying out and turning white?

The sloping side of High Moor is very damp and slippery, but it isn't as steep as the side of the hills Barnaby Bear has walked over! Barnaby Bear is wondering if this area is wetter because the water isn't running down it as fast. The steep slopes of the tors drains the water into the marsh very quickly.

Very soon, Barnaby Bear finds patches where these pools have been draining away, down the hill.

Can you see where the running water has made a track in the grass? It has flattened the grass and pushed it all in one direction, going down the hill.

Before long, this track had turned into a definite trickle. There are no cars making noise out here, so in the silence, you can hear softly trickling water.

Can you see a zig-zag path that the water has made? It is slightly lower, because the water has eroded the ground, and it meanders down the slope, taking the easiest route.

The water in this place has a big impact on how this place looks. Can you see the bank in this picture?

There are two different types of grass here: normal grass on top of the bank, and marsh grass in the dip, where there is more water. Can you see them? (The marsh grass is longer.)


Here you can see that the water is more like a stream. It is flowing a little faster, and there is more of it. The bank is really eroded here, and the water has exposed the peat and rocks that were under the grass.
Click here to see another way that water alters the lanscape.

	This is another way that the water from the stream is eroding the ground. The river bed is much lower than ground around it.
Can you see the raised tussocks in the stream? These are caused by the river taking the easiest course, and eroding the ground around them.		How many different shades of green can you see in these pictures? The darker green around the edges of the stream are sphagnum moss (spag - num) (or peat moss). There is a lighter green in the stream - this is a water-plant that lives in streams.

Click here to follow the river's course.