This week saw a calendar milestone for our volunteers as we packed away the drying greenhouse and tested all our waders for leaks so they are ready for action next spring. After a successful spring/summer in the river hunting for plastic waste and invasive species the river levels have been steadily rising making it more challenging even for our most hardy waders.
Now our focus changes to raking galore as we help Edinburgh City Council, who own the Water of Leith Walkway to keep it usable during the wetter months. Several of the sections for example like Leith and Stockbridge are tarmaced and accessible by road sweepers speeding up the process. However for much of the walkway due to the surfacing and access it’s back to a wheelbarrow, rake and elbow grease of volunteers. By removing the leaves it makes a huge difference to the quality of the surface you’ll experience. Whether the leaves block drainage channels and slowly break down making it wet and slippery or if removed allowing water to run off leaving the hard foundation beneath.
We’ll be slowly working along the walkway with volunteers galore over the coming months so hopefully you’ll notice a difference in your local area soon. If you’ve a path near your home and are looking for ideas then check out the Paths of All Guide https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/maintaining-paths
