Cliffe Pools

[rlchew]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

.... there had been loads, and I mean loads, of burnt out rusty cars left to rot on the marshlands. The last time I had been in this area about 6 years ago, there had been an intimidating atmosphere created by the undesirable types that frequented the marshes with their tied up ponies and stolen cars and shot guns! ....

This is exactly how I remember it Julie except you forgot to mention the exhaust pipe and oil sump breaking track that I subjected my car to on my visits.

Nonetheless it always was a good place for birds all the year round and whilst I have not been in a good while I did support the Stop the Airport campaign which thankfully was successful.

Like Rainham Marshes and Vange Marsh on the other side (my side in Essex!) it sounds like Cliffe Marshes now has very bright future if the RSPB can maximise its potential. There are not many wildlife havens left in the Thames Gateway and they need preserving now and for the future.

I will definitely return. It's a shame I can not do it as the bird flies i.e. straight over the river rather than down the A13, over the bridge and back up the A2!

Keep us all posted with developments.

Richard

[Wild-Woman]

Richard. Can you not row across in a dingy? You could bring Nicole too and we could have a picnic on the banks of the Thames. Julie

[Wild-Woman]

Oh and if you do go.......take some insect repellant. I've got 5 bites on my right arm,several on my legs and one in a place unmentionable! Julie

[rlchew]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Richard. Can you not row across in a dingy? You could bring Nicole too and we could have a picnic on the banks of the Thames. Julie

Sounds good to me .

Mind you, if we didn't get hit by one of those giant ships that go and up and down the Thames we would probably capsize under the weight of the bincoculars, telescope and camera equipment .... and the picnic hamper and portable bar !

Perhaps I will stick to the road after all ....

Richard

[Wild-Woman]

Hey Richard. Vange Marsh looks like a great place. You've got a whole lot of birdlife over there. Looks like the RSPB are linking up reserves your side of the Thames too.

Do you think we could get a pontoon bridge built to link the two sides? LOL

[Newhythebirder]

Cliffe is a great place that strangely I visit less often since the RSPB took it over than I did when it was a full of undesirables! - odd that.

I am the proud owner of a NO AIRPORT AT CLIFFE T Shirt. I was considering 'recycling' it the other day and I'm glad I didn't. There was a feature on Radio 5 live about the need to expand Heathrow. The 'expert' said that the right thing to do would be to close down Heathrow rather than expand it and create an airport in...........the Thames Estuary...the fight is never over.

Steve

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by gill catton

I'm not sure it wil ever be a full on flagship reserve either. I don't think it's 'pretty' enough unfortunately the general public need wildlife on pretty sites, green fields if at all possible....

I know exactly what you mean gill, but you could have said that of minsmere when they started building it, and warbler sick was no beauty either until they cleaned it up.

[Gill Catton]

Don't think either of those have active gravel works and other industry all around! Though these companies have to operate somewhere and they don't seem to bother the birds, pretty they ain't and that will probably bother 'the people'.....
God I hope they don't stick an airport there........
Don't think they will I'm like 95% sure it's a distraction technique. seems to me that increased air traffic can only be a bad thing, I hate it when you have what would otherwise be a beautiful clear blue sky - full of clouds made by planes. If we have to have more planes, last I heard was that Cardif wants to expand.....

[Wild-Woman]

I think that building a new/ extending an old, would be a disaster wherever they did it in GB. We've got enough CO2 being dumped into the astmosphere and the sea as it is. NO AIRPORT IN GREAT BRITAIN is what I'd say. We've got enough airports, it's just someone somewhere trying to make MORE money, whatever the cost to the world.ww

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

Don't think either of those have active gravel works and other industry all around! Though these companies have to operate somewhere and they don't seem to bother the birds, pretty they ain't and that will probably bother 'the people'.....

Good point, well made although warbler sick had an old amunition factory from the war - as did holton heath in dorset come to think of it.

Originally Posted by gill catton

If we have to have more planes, last I heard was that Cardif wants to expand.....

Have you heard the one about closing Heathrow completely and building a completely new 5 runway airport on an artificial island in the thames estuary, well to the east of dartford. (like they did a tokyo apparently)

That will be good news for the seals, birds, seal life etc etc ... i dont think