Dear All Good flow from Mobwell Pond all the way to Denham is usually cause for celebration, but with pumps and tankers still present, sewage pollution still blighting significant lengths, roads closed and much of the floodplain still being, well, a very soggy floodplain, it’s at best a bittersweet situation. Much has been written and broadcast elsewhere about sewage in our...
From the Riverbank – Bob’s Ramblings
MRA: March Media
Our little river has been punching well above its weight in the news and social media forums recently with the lead articles being mainly about sewer overflows in Chalfont St Peter and groundwater flooding in Chalfont St Giles - (not forgetting the CStG pond liner!). It has been fun trying to correct some of the wilder...
2024 February Flows
Seeing the standing water in the fields along the valley, it seems incredible that it was only 3 weeks ago that the streams finally joined up to give continuous flow all the way from Mobwell Pond to the Colne. Just two weeks earlier Mobwell Pond was full but no flow out, actual flow began at Missenden Abbey and just reached...
2023 – October Ode
A good month! As noted last time, a big effort was going to be required to properly clear the blocked and overgrown watercourse all the way from CSt Giles to Water Hall on the outskirts of C St Peter. We are delighted to report “mission accomplished", after three tough work parties, There is now unimpeded through flow for the first...
2023 – September Sallies
You already know that this year, to date, we have had a driest February, a wettest March, a hottest September and all manner of ups and downs in between. Overall, this has given one of the wettest 12 months in the past 30 years but distinctly average in the past three months. Some will have memories of ruined plans for...
2023 – August Aquatics
Lots to report again! While itself not as wet as July in 1991, 2008, or 2012, the 12 month total to end July this year was only matched in the past 30 years by the year ending July 2001. That reflected the exceptionally wet season 2000 - 2001: many will remember the associated groundwater flooding. I guess the difference is...
2023 – July Journal
In the past month MRA has exhibited fruitfully at Chalfont St Peter Feast Day, Boug Meadow on National Meadows Day, and at Chiltern Open Air Museum “Green Festival”. Big thanks to Mel Barnett for all his work at Feast Day, including providing the ever popular display of river invertebrates, and to Paul Heath. Our river continues well at Chalfont St...
2023 – June Jewels
I’m conscious that, deliberately or otherwise, some of you find my pearls have dropped into your “junk” box. As a quick gauge of our readership, I would be really grateful if you could just tap “reply” to this one to let us know it has been received - comments optional!! Our several small work parties lately were rewarded by...
2023 – May Momentum
Well, that was a very encouraging month for the Misbourne since the last ramblings. There is water in Mobwell Pond - the notional source of the upper winterbourne - though maybe not flowing out yet; and ducks on the broadwaters of Missenden Abbey. Small outputs from the springs above Chalfont St Peter have been giving patchy flows towards the village...
2023 – April Advances
Dear All Spring is indeed sprung, the grass is riz, and it is becoming more obvious where the Misbourne iz! Springs at the broad waters below Missenden Abbey are the start of strong flow all the way to well past Chalfont St Giles. After a 1/2 mile gap, there are several places where bits of flow show above the surface...
2023 – March Moisturising
Dear All At just over 4mm in Chalfont St Peter, February’s rainfall was far below average - in fact the driest February since 1993. As a result, the seasonal recharge of the aquifer stalled as did the springtime emergence of our river. As reported last month, work parties in December and January coaxed the flow from Misbourne Farm (Gorilla) to...
2023 – February Features
Dear All So that will teach me: a month ago commenting that a whole good month’s rain in half a month was good for the recharge, and then hardly a drop since! Nevertheless, groundwater levels continued to rise strongly as the moisture percolated down and all locations were well above average when dipped on 1st Feb. Following the two work...
2023 – New Year News
Dear All Firstly, even if a little belated, very best wishes for 2023 to all. Looking back, I recall everyone thoroughly enjoyed a very good evening at our Annual Dinner in December: to reduce the chance of you missing this year’s, why not make a note in your diaries now for Wednesday 13th December 2023 at 7.30pm? To the present,...
2022 – December Delights
Some seasonal cheer! We were delighted with progress - by the last two work parties, and the clement weather. As a result, flow below Amersham now crosses the ford at Mill Lane and is on its way towards Chalfont St Giles - looking positive for flow back in the village early in the New Year. Our final work party for...
2022 – November News
There wasn't a lot of point in writing during the summer. It may have been good for holidays but not at all for the river, which showed briefly in Chalfont St Peter in June but subsequently receded again, initially at least part due to weed-choking of the watercourse. Chalfont St Giles fared much better with continuous flow since March 2020...
2022 – May Message
Waking up any morning, you can just about guarantee that the Misbourne will be flowing between Little Missenden and Amersham. More widely, residents of Great Missenden (upstream) and Chalfont St Giles (downstream) express disappointment on the occasions when they have no flow. But flow all the way between Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont Park is definitely cause for celebration. So,...
2022 – April Arrives
Most years, well before now, we’ve managed to emulate Moley from Wind in the Willows and poke our noses outside to begin encouraging spring flows. However, there has been a lot going on with other stuff, actually getting to the river is more difficult than it used to be, and the dreaded Covid has knocked out a chunk of March....
2021 – December Delights
We are very much looking forward to our 13th MRA Annual Dinner, postponed from 2020, on Wednesday 15th December at The Greyhound. Probably best if you can arrive from 7.00 pm for a drink and chat and we’ll allow 10 minutes for “The AGM” before letting the team begin service at 7.30. Thanks to those who have already booked their...
2021 – November News
It has been another good month on the work front. Four good work parties rescued the watercourse from beneath about a kilometre of dense watercress downstream of Chalfont St Giles, establishing flow well into the sheep fields Meanwhile, several groups have worked on the reach through Chalfont St Peter and, while still work in progress, much is now ready for...
2021 – October Optimism
What a great month we just had! A fantastic day in Chalfont St Giles on Wednesday 15th September and continued on Saturday18th re-discovering the river after our lockdown hiatus, and getting it running again all the way from Pheasant Hill to the end of Silsden Meadow. On the Wednesday, our team was mainly new friends from PerkinElmer - a company...
2021 – September Stirrings
Many thanks to all those who have been in touch seeking info regarding work-parties, and more so to those who have been out clearing off their own bat. Apologies for my lack of energy in recent months. For most of the year, we have had good flow along the Misbourne. The strange gap between Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St...
2021 – March Meanderings
The October rainfall in 2020 was the highest in the past 30 years. While November and December rainfall was unremarkable, the addition of over 100mm in January led to a 4month total to end January of 399mm - just a few mm short of the exceptional figures of 2001 and 2003, and actually more than 2014 - the last really...
2020 – December Update
At this time in the past twelve years we would have been finalising plans for Misbourne River Action’s annual Christmas dinner, but that is another casualty of 2020. So too was the majority of our work programme with only two (very productive) work parties completed. However, there is lots of river news - some of it good…………….but not all! Most...
2020 – May Metrics
As on 1st April, we can't bring you any commentary on groundwater readings for 1st May. In the fullness of time, Affinity Water’s team will be out and about interrogating the automatic data-loggers and we should be able to extract the figures that Dave Anderson usually reliably collects for us on the day. However, we do know that the Misbourne...
2020 – February Fill-Dyke
"Enough is enough!”, you may cry as yet more precipitation precipitates, but please don’t blame the messenger. It will be little surprise that groundwater levels have risen well along the valley and in the Chilterns during the last two months. Indeed, a glance at the rainfall record in our Quickview pix shows that both the three months and six months...
2019 – December Delights
First off, you will be delighted to have confirmation of what you will all have expected - the great comeback has begun! Dave’s dippings for the beginning of December show a healthy rise in groundwater levels and there is now flow right through Amersham and past the bridge on the by-pass (A413). This is great news at this stage of...
2019 – November Nuggets
A most unexpected email this week advised that we have been awarded £200! If I understand it correctly, the money comes from funds raised in store by TK MAX and Homesense, through an initiative called “Neighbourly", for TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) who have allocated funds to your good selves. So, ladies, we should have more waders to suit you, secateurs...
2019 – October Observations
Hopefully, no regular readers of these notes expected to see a river flowing through the valley below Amersham following the recent showers. However, it is perhaps a little disappointing that the groundwater measurements taken last Wednesday showed a further average drop of over 0.3m during September. Also, there is still a dry bed past the Jaguar garage in Amersham. The...
2019 – June Jumble
If you didn’t see Countryfile on BBC this week, I really recommend that you try and find it on “catch-up” and enjoy a very interesting and somewhat encouraging programme all about chalk streams. While concentrating on water quality and pollution issues, the programme does mention lack of rainfall. You may have received notice from your water company regarding the serious...
2019 – Spring Notes
Many thanks for various enquiries about my health and the Misbourne - typically along the lines of “Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the Misbourne/Bob is”. There was nothing of concern causing the gap since the last note but I try not to fill your inboxes when there is nothing to say. Now there are a...
2018 – October Optimism
Understandably, some of you have taken me to task for my earlier prediction that we would see flow back to Chalfont St Giles by May. Well, with tongue in cheek I claim my forecast was correct all along as, throughout the summer, there has been flow as far as, and a bit beyond, Misbourne Farm - well inside St Giles...
2018 – Summer Synopsis
Thanks for all your recent emails regarding the state of the river, the weather and the absence of work parties. As always, the Misbourne presents a rather contrarian image. This photo last weekend by the Jaguar garage in Amersham where there are a couple of hatches of fry compares very well with the dry bed all through Amersham last autumn....
2018 – April Advances
Slowly, some results from HS2’s massive ground investigation programme are becoming public. Revisions to the British Geological Society’s maps in 1992 enabled a huge step forward in appreciating the geology of the Chilterns and the Misbourne valley. Understanding of the various chalk strata has evolved subsequently with work by, particularly, Dr Haydon Bailey. Some of the local detail came from...
2018 – February Fanfare
I hope your New Year has got off to a good start and you have enjoyed the break from MRA adventures. Last autumn we were dismayed to see that the poor recharge of the last two or three years had resulted in no flow all the way back to Amersham Church - the first time since 2006 we believe. However,...
2017 – November Numbers
Oh dear! Here we are, one month into the annual recharge season with groundwater levels still falling and, as gardeners will know, a high "soil moisture deficit" - i.e. the ground is very dry. The Environment Agency report for Hertfordshire and North London states “Groundwater levels continued to fall at all of our groundwater sites across the Area with both...
2017 – September Surprises
At the time of the last bulletin the rains at the beginning of August were lashing down and many disappointed holidaymakers have tales of wet days in the month. I was therefore surprised to receive the monthly groundwater levels for 1st September from David Anderson with a note to say that there had been a further fall in the month....
2017 – August Arrived
So, August arrived together with copious rain to start the summer holidays; letters from Affinity Water advised of their concerns with regard to aquifer levels; and, of course, the river Misbourne dry from the lake in Chalfont Park to nearly as far as Quarrendon Mill. Rainfall in recent weeks has brought a little recovery and there is currently flow at...
2017 – June Jumble
"Nothing has changed; nothing has changed”: We still have a little bit of a stream, though it did dry up twice in Chalfont St Peter for a day or two in the last month. Groundwater levels dipped on 1st June are still very low, though not quite as low as those of 2012 when the river dried up well above...
2017 – May Memo
Rather than chuntering on about how little rain there has been in recent months, perhaps for a change we might look at how much worse it might be. The graph below shows how groundwater dip levels were even lower in dry spells in 1991, 1997, 2006 and 2012. In the 1991/92 episode, Shardeloes Lake dried up. Going back in...
2017 – April Approaches
Its been a good few weeks for welcoming new supporters, of whom one has already enjoyed a work day, another is brimming with enthusiasm for doing good things in the Missenden area, and another is joining use this coming Saturday. Yes, indeed, this is "2nd bell” for work parties this Saturday 1st April at 09.30 and 1.30. Thanks to those...
2017 – March Mixture
The day of our first work party of the year found several of us low with the bug. As it was snowing, others understandably decided against a paddle in freezing water, but not everyone and, amazingly, the village centre section of Chalfont St Peter and St Giles were cleared of winter debris. Now that’s dedication to the cause! Hopefully the...
2017 – January Jubilation
In December, we were surprised and disappointed that the Misbourne, having reached the beginning of November flowing all the way to the Colne, suddenly ceased in Chalfont St Peter. Well, it appears that the problem was most likely not down to the supernatural but a blockage upstream of Quarrendon Mill leading to much of the flow escaping into the fields....
2016 – December Disappointment
Well, having reached the beginning of November with flow all the way through the Chalfonts, we were really confident that it would continue for the full year despite another year of below average rainfall and groundwater levels. Alas, it was not to be and on 14th November flow ceased in Chalfont St Peter and has remained so except when there...
2016 – November Nagging
"And so today to the House of Lords", as Samuel Pepys might have said. Yes, indeed, the group “SaveStGiles" presented to the HS2 Select Committee our concerns that HS2 construction may risk the fragile river that we cherish through the Chalfonts. Part of the pitch was an appeal for the tunnel to run deeper, below the heavily fractured chalk, and...
2016 – October Opportunities
A fantastic effort from your 12 volunteers on the September Work Day. Everyone was shattered but really satisfied to have opened the channel that had all but disappeared all the way from the start of the sheepfield to Cherry Acre. The before and afters below give you an idea. We were also delighted to find more little fish - good...
2016 – August Alerts
It was good that we had a reasonable number of volunteers for our work day on 31st July because we found the river had very nearly disappeared under the jungle of the field just upstream of CSG library. After much hard work it was persuaded to reappear and follow the prescribed route. Now, despite this mainly glorious weather, it has...
2016 – July Jolly
We hope the more seasonal weather of the past few days has been to your taste. Not much river news this month. Stands of Japanese knotweed in Chalfont St Peter are a bit of a concern. In 2013, reporting them to EA was sufficient to mobilise trained and licensed teams to treat the problem - with considerable success. However, these...
2016 – June Jawings
First a reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday, we will be having a quick tidy-up and blockage removal of as many key points as we have people for from 2.00. Let me know if you can join us and we’ll sort out some task groups. Last week, The Save St Giles (SSG) group invited me to join them in presenting their concerns...
2016 – May Missive
Not much news to share this month. We made a small contribution to the SaveStGiles petition to the House of Lords regarding routing and depth of HS2 and hope to have the opportunity later in the month to put concerns regarding a risk of damage to flow to the HS2 team. A copy of a paper on this subject is...
2016 – March Mutterings
Our mad March day associated with “Clean for the Queen”, and accompanied by flurries of sleet, certainly achieved some attractive results in both CSP and CSG, together with some good publicity and a few new volunteers. Possibly, like me, you wonder why on earth “Clean for the Queen” suddenly came out of nowhere to a date in early March -...
2016 – February Features
We hope you have enjoyed a happy and healthy winter break from Misbourne matters and my waffling. True, we have had a lot of rain recently; although nothing compared with many poor souls in other parts. January rainfall in the Chalfonts was some 130% of average and some places in the Chilterns had over 150%. However, what you might find...
2015 – December Discussions
Well informed people such as yourselves are well aware of the special nature of the Chiltern’s chalk streams and that our river Misbourne is one of only 216 in the world - (there are 5 times this number of wild pandas!). More, you know the river through the Chalfonts and up to Amersham provides a vital environmental corridor between the...
2015 – November Notes
See attached flyer for the Chiltern Society River & Wetlands Group Meeting this coming Saturday morning - good and relevant speakers for anyone interested in the well being of the River Misbourne. Numbers are still growing for our Annual Dinner now confirmed at The Greyhound on December 15th but there is still room for plenty more of you to come...
2015 – September Sentences
What a super display the invertebrate monitoring team put on for us at the Chalfont St Giles Show! Dorothie’s diptera, Mel’s minnows, Derek’s diagrams and Mike’s microscope had the stand filled with inquisitive people of all ages for almost the whole period. Many thanks to them and others who helped on the day. As usual from CStG, we collected some...
2015 – August Abberations
Very sorry for: a) sending last month’s missive from my Parish church e-mail account b) relocating Merlin’s Cave to Chalfont St Peter c) failing so far to update the website with August 1st’s data A good month: a) Played Gerrards Cross golf course for the first time last week and was pleased to note water still in the river crossing...
2015 – July (justabout!)
As we approach the end of July, R. Misbourne is still flowing all the way through the Chalfonts and on to Denham. As noted before, groundwater levels and rainfall in the last 12 & 6 month period has been very similar to 2011, when the river dried up in Chalfont St Peter on 31st July. It will be interesting to...
2015 – June Jamborees
Jamboree - Not. Our efforts for June last Sunday morning and the previous Saturday afternoon definitely didn't qualify for "Jamboree" status attracting only 4 and 5 workers respectively - still it was raining for one and Father's Day on the other. Nevertheless, good work was done - both sessions at CStPeter: one aimed at The Best Kept Village judges and...
2015 – May Mutterings
As noted last month, groundwater levels are following a very similar pattern to those of 2011 when flow through the Chalfonts was lost and we went into the "drought" of 2012. Some sages have already opined that the river will disappear again this year. Me? - I'm still sitting on the fence (bank?) with fingers crossed thinking it still looks...
2015 – April Advances
Happy Easter! Birds are singing, flowers are flowering, trees are budding and rivers flowing: I've even seen the sun briefly today. It's a wonderful world. The groundwater dips taken at the beginning of the month and, indeed, those at the beginning of February and March show a really close correlation with those for the same month in 2011. 3-month rainfall...
2015 – February FAQs
People often ask: Q. Are there any fish in the river? A. Yes, while several of the invertebrate monitoring sites frequently note sightings of minnows and sticklebacks, you can spot some nice trout around Little Missenden. Q. Where does the River Misbourne begin? A. We usually say at Mobwell Pond opposite the Black Horse, (the balloon flying pub), on the Aylesbury Road...
2015 – January Jingle
We hope you are all well, fully recovered from surfeits of shopping and Christmas cheer, and over your nasty coughs and colds. I expect the sight of a little snow last week immediately turned your minds to Misbourne working parties. Never fear! - there will be one for you on Saturday 31st January commencing 10.00 a.m. We aim to spend...
2014 – November Notices
First things first: MRA Annual Dinner - Tuesday December 16th at The Greyhound. Always, a good fun night, lovely mix of people, cost (excluding bar) is £23 per person for 2 courses, £27 for 3. Please book your places with me by December 1st - earlier if you can. If you can't attend work parties for one reason or...
2014 – October Optimism
1) We had more e-mails regarding the October work party than ever before. While most were along the lines of "dreadfully sorry we can't be with you this time, but hope we can make the next one", I take comfort from the obvious conclusion that the next one is going to be a sell-out - see 7) below. 2) The...
2014 – September Supplement
Yes, I know there have already been two mailings in September but one was August's delayed and now, if I leave this till October, you will say you didn't have enough notice of the Work Party on Sunday 5th October or, indeed, the "not-a-meeting" on 30th September (though you could have looked on the website) We did really well with...
2014 – August Absentees
Taking this letter to send while away on holiday was not a great idea as the IT wasn't up to it: now it can be a two-for-one edition. We did concentrate on Chalfont St Giles last month (July) and, in just a couple of hours, removed sufficient obstructions to lower the river level by some 15 centimetres - enough to...
2014 – July Jumble
It was good to chat with several of you at the St Peter Feast Day - always very reassuring to hear that not all of you have these missives directed to your "junk mail". As usual, there were some new stories of life with The Misbourne as it used to be, including the one from the sisters who used to...
2014 – June jaunts
A reasonable turnout, fair weather, large amounts of overgrowth trimmed and bagged, a tree removed, a field drained and a significant blockage cleared all made for a successful morning last month. Several of us were very pleased to enjoy the river from the Greyhound garden after! Perhaps not surprisingly, groundwater levels remain exceptionally high with plenty of water still in...
2014 – May musings
Our river has been sparkling down the valley, looking its very best in many places during the beautiful spring weather. In a few locations such as just below Chalfont St Giles, groundwater is still high enough to affect the meadows and remind us of the importance of a) the flood plains and b) keeping the rivers clear to drain the waters away...
2014 – April Adventures
Please see the invitation below from the Environment Agency to FREE Practical River Habitat Workshops. N.B. River Misbourne focused on 28th April and 2nd May. If you would like a place, please contact Nancy direct asap before 14 April and, perhaps, let me know that you have used one or more of our reserved places. If you advised last year...
2014 – March Moppings
A great deal, including much tosh, has been said and written both nationally and locally about the recent floods so I won't bore you with too much more. Clearly the inability of the storm drains and sewers to cope at Chalfont St Peter and the high groundwater levels at Chalfont St Giles have been the issues rather than river overflow but flows...
2014 – January Jumble
I hope you had a lovely holiday and are enjoying a good start to 2014. The last few weeks' rain have been reflected by a good rise in the groundwater levels, particularly higher up the valley beyond Amersham and I see that the backstream at CStP has begun to flow again in the last few days. Last year, it started...
2013 – November – Autumn Advances
Readers will be sorry to hear of the recent passing of John Norris. For many years, John, a distinguished retired meteorologist, was a champion of the Misbourne and our chalk streams in general and maintained and analysed comprehensive weather and other physical measurements in an attempt to further the understanding of its erratic behaviour. He gave many talks on the...
2013 – September Snippets
It is said that the "Sarcen Stones" at Chalfont St Giles, one of which bridges the river, were found when the Pheasant Hill road bridge was being built. Apparently they were discovered during excavation for the foundations and it is suggested they were Roman stepping-stones. Chalfont St Giles Show always draws some interesting people to our stand. One such...
2013 – August Affairs
Following a "butterfingers" moment, I have been without my computer (and thus the MRA distribution list) for a couple of weeks. Now we are back up and running again, I hope it is not too late to remind you that we have a work party this Sunday, 1st September. If you can join us, even for an hour or...
2013 – July Jumbo Journal
Quite a lot of activity in the past few weeks; I will try to be as brief as possible: As always, it was really good to see several of you at our stand at Chalfont St Peter Feast Day, to continue to receive lots of appreciation for all the work you do and to welcome a few new volunteers. ...
2013 – May Meanderings
On Thursday afternoon I attended the launch of The Chalk Streams Charter - see http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/charter_pdf.pdf The quality and "clout" of the leaders of this initiative, including Charles Walker MP is most encouraging. It is "chaired" by George Hollingberry MP, co-ordinated by Martin Salter of The Angling Trust and supported by organisations such as WWF. I was particularly in need of some...
2013 – April advertorial
Much has already been said and written comparing last year's weather to this. However, as you see the standing water in the fields between Chalfont St Giles and St Peter, you might be interested to note that the water table this time last year was some 7 metres below ground. In fact levels throughout the valley are on average 5.5...
2013 – March Meanders
Alleluia and Yippee-dee-doo! As I'm sure most of you will have seen, the river is flowing from top to bottom of the valley as strongly as it has done for many a year. It is good to see that it's in good shape and running free almost everywhere from Amersham down, thanks in part to our efforts in the last four...
2013 – February Flows
In recent weeks, the description of the Misbourne as having an Upper Section, a Lower Section and a Bit In The Middle has been very well illustrated. The winterbourne has been coming to life above Little Missenden and now all the way to the "source" at Mobwell Pond with uninterrupted flow from there down to well through Chalfont St Giles...
2013 – Boldly going into Year 5
Belated best wishes for your health and happiness in 2013. I hope you have enjoyed the break from my relentless flow of e-mails but all good things must come to an end and you will want to be knowing about diary dates for the new year. While you may have noticed that we undoubtedly had quite a lot of rain...
2012 – December Discursions
'Tis the season to be jolly and if you care to accentuate the positive, you could join in celebrating the return of the river to Chalfont St Giles - well, sort of. Thanks largely to closing off some lost flow at Mill House, work clearing obstructions at the dump and behind ArAklowklow kennels, and really energetic group work downstream...
2012 – November Notelet
Just for a change I'll leave the river till later and begin with the MRA 4th Annual Dinner. Following last year's success, we have again reserved the Ivy House (on A413 between CStG and Amersham) for evening of Wednesday 12th December. The menu looks great - 3 courses for just £20.00, or a two course option for £17.00, both exclusive...
2012 – October – Autumn Advances
We had a very enjoyable work day last month, with a lovely morning during which we cleared a channel and eased flow almost the full length of the leat. It was enormously encouraging to see the excellent work being done by the new landowners near Misbourne Farm and fun to have several young new volunteers joining us in getting wet...
2012 – August – Off we go again!
When we first got together late in 2008, the end of flow in the Misbourne had been stuck above Mill Lane for some time and it hadn't been seen in Chalfont St Giles (except for storm run-off) for several years. With hard work and gentle coaxing, together with no more than reasonable but erratic rainfall, regular flow gradually extended down...
2012 – July – Briefly
Just by way of a tidy-up for The Olympics and the RuntheRace event, we will have a quick work-party 10.00 to 11.00 this Saturday, 28th focused on just the old ford and section between The Greyhound and the Vic Wotton bridge in Chalfont St Peter. If you would like to join us - welcome: no need to let me know...
2012 – June II
This topsy-turvy year continues with the river advancing at a time of year when we might expect it to be in retreat. Aside from the flash-flows during showers, flow now extends fairly regularly to the top of the leat by Misbourne Farm. However, trying to guess what may happen in the rest of the year and looking at the...
2012 – June I – After the Jubilee
I hope you've enjoyed the celebrations as much as we have. If the rain happened to interrupt your street party too at least you will have had that warm glow of knowing it was doing good to the river. I've been without my computer for a little while so have not yet updated the website "Facts & Figures" page...
2012 – May 1st Water levels
The media have been reporting, albeit with typical cynicism and spin, that recent rains have hardly dented the groundwater deficit following two dry years. They are right; as shown by this graph of groundwater levels over the last 4 years at Misbourne Farm, N of Chalfont Giles. You will notice that the groundwater level is now some 11 metres...
2012 – April – Spring??
From the longest dry spell since XXXX - (your choice), it appears we may have now entered the wettest drought on record: you didn't know river watching could be this much fun! It will be interesting to see what the 1st May groundwater and river measurements tell us about the worth of this late recharge. Last month (31st) our light...
2012 – March Missive
Well, you no longer need MRA to tell you that it has been unusually dry in recent months! The media is full of this "news", which you've been reading here for a long time. Let us, at least rejoice that this burst of publicity is again drawing attention to the state of the nation's rivers and our chalk streams in...
2012 – January Journal
New Year Greetings to you! As we walk beside the dry river bed and contemplate today's "news" regarding HS2, it is cheering to remember back to our very pleasant and jolly annual dinner at The Ivy House in December. Inevitably, conversation then, and at the "not a meeting" earlier that month, touched from time to time on hopes and expectations for 2012....
2011 – November News & Annual Dinner
The degree of the current near drought in our area was brought home to me on Thursday at an excellent talk by Allen Beechey of The Chiltern Conservation Board to The River Chess Association. While lamenting our wanton waste of precious water - Bucks has the highest per capita water consumption in Europe! - Allen sympathetically described the real issues...
2011 – November Notes
Most of you will be all too aware that our river is dry, very dry, in a way that we had perhaps unrealistically thought we would not see again. While dismayed by the lack of flow anywhere between Quarrendon Mill and Chalfont Park, we are not alone: there has been no flow at Great Missenden all year and the River...
2011 – October
Many thanks for contacting me about the proposed work party this Saturday. Hopefully, there will be a few more by the weekend and I have copied this to a few extras from the regular squad in case you were about to! Well! - what to say? The Veolia trial of injecting 2 Mld at Amersham ended on Monday 26 September...
2011 – September Scribblings
We will have to wait for official results of the Veolia augmentation trials but the lack of obvious effect at Chalfont St Peter has been disappointing to the optimists among us. Writing last month, I noted that "the end" was moving past Water Hall towards CStP but it never got much further than the wooden bridge and has oscillated...
2011 – September – “Just Add Water” – 4th September Work Party Cancelled – see you at CStG Show
The trials by Veolia adding 2Mld to the river at Amersham commenced on Tuesday morning. At that time, the natural seasonal regression of the river had caused it to dry back above Water Hall (i.e. more severely than last year, reflecting the dry weather last winter and hence lower groundwater levels this year). This evening (Wednesday) a small but steady...
2011 – August News (late!)
An excellent turn-out in July - over 30 people - enabled us to cover almost the full stretch from Mill Lane to Chalfont St Peter. For a while, that effort resulted in a brief return of the river to the CStP Council Offices but the seasonal trend has been such that, within just a couple of days, "the end" had...
2011 – July – 2nd Bell for MRA Sunday 31 July
With thanks to those who have already let me know regarding our work day this coming Sunday, this reminder that we will be out and about again from 09.30 and need as many workers as possible. Given the overall lack of rain in the past three years, it is amazing that we have continuous flow through our section of the...
2011 – July News
Particular thanks to Ray Randle, John Norris, Dave Cooper and all who helped at the MRA stand at Feast Day last month. Many visitors to the stand expressed delight at the continued flow of the river and their appreciation of all our work. A good number of new recruits joined our ranks. MRA's efforts were also applauded at...
2011 – June Jottings
Our peculiar river continues to flow continuously through the valley but a convincing explanation of how is still elusive! Certainly, our efforts in May, when the work groups managed to visit almost the whole length from Mill Lane through to Chalfont St Peter centre, will have helped. The difference between the swampy field N of Chalfont St Giles a...
2011 – May Showers Maybe?
April showers seem to have passed us by this year. The news is full of bush fire stories. John Norris' observations for April in the " Facts & Figures " section of our website show a second consecutive very dry month. The groundwater levels summarised at " Quick View " are at 4-year lows for this time of year and the spring fed back stream at...
2011 – April (nearly)
Quite a few imminent matters to mention so this note comes earlier than usual. Perhaps I'll then leave you in peace for a leisurely Easter and Royal Wedding season? First, can I draw your attention to a meeting regarding the proposed HS2 at the Chalfont St Peter C of E School, Church Lane this Saturday, 2nd April, at 10.00 a.m....
2011 – March Update
The river has been flowing right through Chalfont St Peter for nearly a month now (since our Work Party on Feb 12th). "So what?", you may ask, "Surely, that is what happens towards the end of the winter?" Well, yes, you would be largely correct but followers of the monthly rainfall and groundwater level dip statistics will be aware that...
2011 – February
Various bits and pieces for your perusal: 1) Funding for training of volunteers for invertebrate surveys has been agreed by Chiltern Society and Chiltern Conservation Board. The training day is being organised and I hope I have contacted everyone who expressed an interest in this: if you did and I haven't, please call me urgently. 2) Thanks to those who...
2011 – January – HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Your river has held up really well over recent months - never receding back far above Chalfont St Peter tennis courts and always in good flow through Chalfont St Giles and across the fields below. It looked extremely pretty during the big freeze, as you can see in the pictures below taken by Geoff Coleman. Today, it's almost into...
2010 – November: Good News
There is quite a bit to report this month and its all very encouraging! We are delighted that, after many months (or is it years?) of discussion, the Environment Agency has decided to support The Chiltern Society's proposals for lining the river bed as a trial in the area of the Council Tip (Recycling Centre) near The Ivy House Pub....
2010 – October
After the chaos of last month's circular which some received fine, some received one or more attachments only and some apparently didn't receive at all, I'll keep this message simple. The Chalfont St Peter work group last month did a fantastic job and we also made a start on the seasonal unclogging of the Mill Leat. All in all the...
2010 – September
Our three work groups last month were again very satisfied with what they achieved: channel clearing between Mill Lane and Chalfont St Giles till the water was so deep they could go no further!; tidying around the Stone Bridge in preparation for the Show and an excellent effort coaxing the leading edge all the way from the Tennis Courts (where...
2010 – August – Exceedingly Good Rakes
Armed with our trusty rakes, the work party last month achieved a huge amount; reclaiming a clear channel all the way from Chalfont St Giles centre to the fields, and from the end of the fields near Chalfont St Peter through the jungle and round the corner at the tennis courts, plus some light maintenance through the fields, not forgetting...
2010 – The July Epistle
We were very pleased with what we achieved last Sunday at both CStG and upstream of the tennis courts at CStP. At CStG we cleared "tons" of choking weed, dramatically alleviating the boggy patches on the path between the bridges and, at CStP, flow was re-established to within a few hundred yards of the tennis courts. At both...
2010 – June News: THE SEQUEL
With half an eye towards those who may have a residual interest in World Cup football, and more particularly recognising the number of "regulars" who are on holiday next week, we have moved the next work party date again to Sunday 18th July. While C St Peter readers may find it hard to believe, the river is still flowing so...
2010 – June News
A pleasant day on the Common at Chalfont St Peter Feast Day yesterday, soaking up the sun, talking about rivers and signing up a few more volunteers. Many thanks to everyone who took a turn on our stand. Last month, I was reporting flow along the whole stretch through the Chalfonts while noting the increasing amount of weed. ...
2010 – May – Spring is Sprung; the River’s Riz…. I wonder where the fishes iz.
Great news! Not only has the Misbourne been flowing under the wooden bridge at Water Hall for the past few days but tonight there was an (optimistic) heron trying its luck by the adjacent pool. John Norris advises that this is the first time the river has made its way the full distance from Chalfont St Giles to the Chalfont...
2010 – April News
So near and yet so far! With excellent work by the team, including our 3 A-level geography students plus Dave and Ken, working through the woods downstream of Cherry Acre, we had good flow to Priscilla Cottage by lunchtime on the 28th. By teatime, we had coaxed the river all the way through Priscilla Cottage and Water Hall grounds. A few...
2010 – March – Springs have Sprung
It was lovely to see a young family playing in the river in the sunshine this morning - two little boys in their brightly coloured boots: there will be frog spawn before long. This is a rewarding time of year to be involved with Misbourne matters! We had a very productive day on 21st February with groups scattered over...
2010 – February
This just briefly to say that if you fancy a pint at the Three Pigeons, Austenwood Lane, Chalfont St Peter, on Tuesday 16th February from 19.45 hrs, we will be in the area to the right hand side of the bar. Apart from hearing Ray and Angela's travelogue and your tall stories about incredibly perilous journeys in the snow, we...
2010 – January – to boldly go
With Christmas, New Year and Global Warming (aka snow) having been and gone, no doubt you are all wondering what is going on with your river. We saw the close of last season with a very enjoyable dinner at the Three Pigeons. Fun and festivities were somewhat tinged with regret as we were also saying farewell to Naomi Hirst, who...
2009 – November – Into Year 2 but still uphill
At last month's work parties, some of us had a lovely muddy time at Chalfont St Giles clearing a channel under the Pheasant Hill Bridge. This activity involved lost drain-pipes, marooned footballs, an initially beautifully clean dog (whose owner had assumed they were out for a peaceful Sunday walk until Naomi introduced them to MRA), yards of rope and a...
2009 – October – The Future – starting this Saturday.
I held off sending details of this coming Saturday's working party so that I could let you know how we got on at our meeting with the Environment Agency today at Hatfield. On balance and all in all, I think the answer is "pretty well". There was plenty of energy and apparent goodwill around the table and a shared vision...
2009 – October News
Another month gone by and, as usual, some ups and downs in the river's affairs, We were delighted with the achievements of last month's working party. Having persevered for several years to secure the necessary approvals, Sandy was very happy to witness the removal of the redundant fence by the Ellwood House site. This has made a significant difference to...
2009 – September
We had a good afternoon on Saturday at the Chalfont St Giles Fair, receiving a general murmur of support and a number of welcome new contacts/potential volunteers. Last Thursday, the few of us who met at The Village Hall agreed that there were plenty of tasks for the working parties this Sunday but that we would leave deciding what to...
2009 – August/September
Following the crucial meeting with MP Cheryll Gillan and senior officers of the Environment Agency a few weeks ago, Roger has been making good progress with fleshing out the detail of the plans to address "the leaky bits", as one of our friends calls them. These are the sections singled out for lining trials upstream of Chalfont Mill and near the old...
2009 – August – Your MRA needs you
It was again good to meet with a few friends tonight (6 in total + 7 sent apologies) but, inevitably, part of the discussion revolved around how to engage the silent majority! Amongst other things it was suggested that people might like to have the ability to e-mail and/or phone each other and we started a base list. If you are happy to have your name, e-mail and/or phone number on a list which I will distribute as an Excel...
2009 – August – River update
Residents of Chalfont St Peter may be a little disappointed by the lack of any flow at present. However, I am personally surprised and delighted by how well the river is holding up through Chalfont St Giles in this our first year. There is flow well into the sheep fields downstream of the village. A small number of small trout...
2009 – July – Tomorrow 12th July
We (a few) had a good chat at Village Hall on Thursday and it was good to know there is still plenty of enthusiasm for our efforts and to hear of the general murmur of support from visitors to the stand at Feast of St Peter. We must make sure we have a presence at the St Giles show on...
2009 – July
Just back from holiday and still far from caught up with myself so apologies for late note. While flow in Chalfont St Peter has ceased, it is really good to see it continuing through Chalfont St Giles and well into the fields beyond. Clearly this is “perched flow” fed from the upper reaches and, I like to think, has...
2009 – May – This Sunday etc.
1. The walk the other day with Allen Beachey of the Chiltern Conservation Board was interesting and blessed with good weather. It was good to meet with people who are working with similar enthusiasm to our own on the Chess and Bulbourne, to name but two. Highlights included a grey wagtail perched in dappled sunlight on a small log in some...
2009 – January
As we swing into 2009, I thought you might be interested in an update of our activities to date and plans for the Year ahead. Last year, as you probably know, working with the Village Environmental Group and BCTV, we participated in the two "de-clutter days", painted the bridge over the river by the Community Centre and opened up the...