Boardwalk makes 'hidden gem' landscape accessible
Volunteers say a rare "hidden gem" fen landscape has been made accessible thanks to work on a new boardwalk.
Visitors to the Hinksey Heights Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire can now walk along a large section of trail via a 650m (2,132ft) continuous boardwalk that was previously "often too wet and muddy to navigate".
They can choose a 1.5-mile circular walk, or a longer route that connects Chilswell Valley with Harcourt Hill, the Hurst and Cumnor.
Nick Thorn, of the Hinksey Heights Trail volunteers, said the boardwalk "really allows visitors to get a close-up view of the fen".
Hinksey Heights Nature Reserve, off the A34 Southern Bypass, is a tranquil woodland and rare alkaline fen - a wildlife-rich wetland habitat found mainly in East Anglia, Anglesey island in Wales and around Oxford.
It supports many rare and endangered plants and animals.
The volunteers said the wetlands are also "an important store for carbon and play a crucial role in helping to reduce climate change".
The nature reserve is owned by a neighbouring golf club and is managed by teams of volunteers and environmental groups.
Oxford charity Freshwater Habitats Trust Trust has been working with the landowner since 2018 to restore the fen areas.
Hinksey Heights Trail volunteers said their work had been financially supported by many organisations including Natural England and Botley & North Hinksey Parish Council.
Mr Thorn called Hinksey Heights "a hidden gem and a wonderful place [to] be in nature, whatever the season".
"Thanks to our brilliant team of volunteers, it's now more accessible than ever, following the construction of 650m of continuous boardwalk, and a new bridge over the stream," he added.
"It is now one of the longest continuous boardwalks in Oxfordshire and really allows visitors to get a close-up view of the fen."
The group said cycling was not allowed along the trail and urged visitors to keep dogs on leads and out of ponds.
Due to the nature of the terrain, the trail is not recommended for prams or wheelchairs.
The volunteers are now hoping to build another 225m (738ft) of boardwalk through a marshy section of the trail by September.
The group meets on the second Sunday of every month and said newcomers were "most welcome".
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