Land of Lakes and Marshes

Land of Lakes and Marshes. . Sturry station is within easy walking and going distance of the River Great Stour and some wonderful world landscapes., Sturry is a gateway to the wetlands of the eastern Stour Valley. In fact the name of the village means 'island of the Stour'. Just half a mile from the station are the extensive lakes and reedbeds at Westbere., A few miles downstream is Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve, which encompasses one of the largest reedbeds in Britain. There has been a national loss of reedbeds and other wetland habitats, so the conservation of this reserve is vital to its specialised wildlife. Recently, a very rare and secretive wetland bird, the bittern, has made a comeback here. Beyond Stodmarsh, the landscape opens out into the flat expanses of the Ash Levels and Chislet Marshes., Just south of Sturry is Fordwich Britain's smallest town, with its wealth of old buildings, including the historic Town Hall. From Fordwich you can walk into the ancient coppice of Tranleypark Wood or the wild, scrubby landscape of Old Park., It may surprise you to know that this area has a history of mining. Lakes and marshes are perhaps the only legacies of this history visible in the landscape many were formed when land subsided above disused mines. Others, like Westbere Lake, are the result of another industry gravel extraction.