Bluebells

[DavidJ]

Bracken, brambles and stinging nettles may be just a few weeks away but yesterdays' SARUM event at Collingbourne Wood (near Andover) gave me the most magnificent display of bluebells that I think I have ever seen. I initially thought that I should try running around the patches but quickly realised that the coverage was so extensive that there was nothing for it but running across the blue carpet. Some sections of the wood were fully carpeted and even some of the depressions used as control sites were absolutely full of more bluebells.

Has anyone heard of orienteers being banned during the bluebell season? I can't think that we will have done any long term harm to the plants - there were so many of them.

Thanks SARUM for the experience - even if some of the depressions were hard to find with the 1:15000 map scale It just meant that I had longer to enjoy the bluebells!

[Duncan]

When BUSA relays were in Durham in 2007, they went through Houghall Woods by the uni which has a similarly magnificent display of bluebells (saw them yesterday). The estate owners took great pains to point out during the planning stages where the bluebells would come up in the spring, and how we should avoid those areas. They didn't try to ban us though, and were generally helpful. I think the planner made some small attempts to avoid those areas, but some courses and runners went through them, I'm sure the bluebells got a bit trampled, and I'm equally sure they recovered just fine and there was no lasting damage. Indeed I'm pretty sure the local dog walkers make more tracks through them than the orienteers did.

[geomorph]

Went to an event at Bentley Woods a couple of years back and there was a competitor track through one patch of bluebells that appeared to be bordering on the destructive.

Next year not a sign.

Observation in my local runs shows that bluebells survive year-on-year if they can reach full height before the beating and then the over-running does not persist heavily through other parts of the year. I have one test track of 100m which gets run/walked much of the year at a moderate use level - it is not bare, but then I close it off in Feb-end May and the bluebells are good. What is great is that the unofficial close off is respected.

The real killer is the repeat trample especially as the plants are emerging, plus compaction through whole year use. Heavy winter use by humans will lead to stunted growth, and eventual destruction.

The big problem is the expansion in the number of tracks, and width increase due to muddy ground. My survey showed that there was a 6% increase in track length through bluebells this year..... and they were all bike tracks. Walking tracks were already well established. Width problems were about 0.25% up . Survey is in three woods: one private; one FC; one Woodland Trust. The total area of destruction in bluebells is around 7% of the original, but there has been a 1% area gain in to new areas over the past 5 years. The effect of bikes has been to acccelerate year on year loss. Fortunately the largest spreads are in woods that are of minor interest to the bikers.


This year the flowering of the bluebell has been quite staggered. Think it is in part due to the snow cover. Sunny banks have been two/three weeks ahead instead of 1/2.

[SJ]

The University of Warwick campus has a "nature reserve" section in the middle where we cannot orienteer (although runners/walkers can go on the paths obviously) due to the bluebells. They are only out for a short period of time each year, but we were banned all year, perhaps due to the reasons outlined by geomorph.

[seabird]

We certainly have at least one local authority owned bluebell wood which we have for long not been allowed to use in spring because of the bluebells.

[Kitch]

Bluebells are dangerous, they are extermely slippery customers and make any steep descent lethal.
never mind landowners, events should be cancelled on health and safety grounds.

[Gross]

events should be cancelled on health and safety grounds.

ah.... where would the World of O be without Kitch

[King Penguin]

Bluebells are dangerous, they are extermely slippery customers and make any steep descent lethal.
never mind landowners, events should be cancelled on health and safety grounds.

e.g. Scarborough sprint final in 2007

[Tatty]

Remember doing a BOK Trot many years ago when the bluebells were out in profusion. Had a platform half way up a very steep slope, but wasn't able to get up it as I kept sliding down on the bluebell sap. In the end had to get up to the top of the slope on a path and drop down onto the control! Nearly missed it as I went whizzing down the slope on my bum!!

[DavidJ]

Bluebells are dangerous, they are extermely slippery customers and make any steep descent lethal. never mind landowners, events should be cancelled on health and safety grounds.

I did not have any steep descent so can not comment on this issue. However, as I was running through the bluebells on Sunday I did decide that the thickness of cover from the leaves and stems did tend to obscure the ground and other objects (brashings for example) and I felt that I needed to run slower as a result. The patches of brambles were less dense and you could see the ground through them and so they were acutally less hazardous. So, forget the environmental concerns, there are two H and S reasons for cancelling the events ...

[Gross]

Bluebells are dangerous, they are extermely slippery customers and make any steep descent lethal. never mind landowners, events should be cancelled on health and safety grounds.

I did not have any steep descent so can not comment on this issue. However, as I was running through the bluebells on Sunday I did decide that the thickness of cover from the leaves and stems did tend to obscure the ground and other objects (brashings for example) and I felt that I needed to run slower as a result. The patches of brambles were less dense and you could see the ground through them and so they were acutally less hazardous. So, forget the environmental concerns, there are two H and S reasons for cancelling the events ...

That post I seriously do not believe

[redpossum]

Someone ought to talk to the 'conservation' people about bluebells. Running through them does not kill them as they are bulbs and the only way to destroy them is to dig them up completely (and even then some probably be left). So banning people from running over where they are all year round is nonsense.

[geomorph]

Someone ought to talk to the 'conservation' people about bluebells. Running through them does not kill them as they are bulbs and the only way to destroy them is to dig them up completely (and even then some probably be left). So banning people from running over where they are all year round is nonsense.

Zealotry leads to illogical and irresponsibile actions.

Compaction caused by heavy duty use is a problem. Next year's growth is severely stunted. This in turn creates an inability to store sufficient supplies for the following year and eventually leads to bulb death. Also heavy use can lead to surface erosion and insufficient moisture retention - a secondary plant cover, such as bracken/tall grass really helps the bluebell flourish, and these are removed by heavy use.

Management that systematically shifts access across a bluebell patch and keeps it to 0.5m wide tracks in the June-February period is the answer.... but we all know money for this sort of thing is limited. I do strongly advocate that you do not train across bluebells during the leafing period.

A single event is NOT a problem, even round controls

[RJ]

Some years ago at an evening event in the Lakes the courses went through a large area of bluebells. The warm pleasant evening had brought out a large number of orienteers and a large number of walkers/other users. The routes into and out of a depression and a re-entrant were very destructive to the beautiful bed of bluebells. I was very embarrassed when, as a late starter, I came into the area, and saw how much damage had been done in such a short time.

True, the bluebells recover without any problem for the following year..... BUT, the image that orienteering got that evening with the general public who were using the woods was not good. The other users were all on the paths.... we weren't!! Image is important.

We have the use of a small valley in Buttermere at Rannerdale, with the whole area a bed of bluebells.... an amazing sight at this time of year. But the NT made it clear we wouldn't be there when the bluebells were out!! Quite right!!

[geomorph]

Some years ago at an evening event in the Lakes the courses went through a large area of bluebells. The warm pleasant evening had brought out a large number of orienteers and a large number of walkers/other users. The routes into and out of a depression and a re-entrant were very destructive to the beautiful bed of bluebells. I was very embarrassed when, as a late starter, I came into the area, and saw how much damage had been done in such a short time.

True, the bluebells recover without any problem for the following year..... BUT, the image that orienteering got that evening with the general public who were using the woods was not good. The other users were all on the paths.... we weren't!! Image is important.

We have the use of a small valley in Buttermere at Rannerdale, with the whole area a bed of bluebells.... an amazing sight at this time of year. But the NT made it clear we wouldn't be there when the bluebells were out!! Quite right!!

Yes, image is important.

It is a shame that so much of opinion is formed by a single snapshot of something emotional. But the walkers will not have seen that their predecessors actions will have wreaked far more destruction - the paths themselves being created by unthinking access into bluebell tracts that must have continued throughout the leafing period

Outright SEASONAL bans (keep to the paths) are probably the best tactic to adopt by landowners and orienteers.