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Diggers moving along narrow field channel to protect meadow beyond.

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Re-wiggling our way to a wetter, wilder Bowber Head

In 2024, we completed a major river restoration and natural flood management (NFM) partnership project at Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Bowber Head Farm Nature Reserve near Ravenstonedale.

We worked in partnership with the Environment Agency, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Natural England and the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme to put the wiggles back into a historically straightened drain and reconnect it with 3Ha of floodplain.

We also created four scrapes that will act as natural flood management; holding more water on the land during heavy rain, then slowly releasing it into the river over time.

These features have created valuable habitat in the river and the meadow that will boost wildlife numbers and species and reduce potential flood risk to communities downstream.

Before work began, showing the straightened drain and Scandal Beck.
A valley landscape with undulating hills. Scandal Beck can be seen on the left, and the new river wiggling channel is on the right

Before work began, showing the straightened drain and Scandal Beck.

Scandal Beck (left), new river channel (right)

View of a new river channel at Bowber Head with extra 'wiggles' added to slow the flow of water.

Andrew Walter, Reserves Officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust explains why the river needed to be re-wiggled:

Straight rivers are shorter than naturally bending or meandering rivers and the water moves through them more quickly. Habitat quality is reduced, and in some cases, increases the flood risk downstream. By putting the ‘wiggles’ back in, we’ll restore this river to a more natural river habitat, with the bends acting like brakes to reduce the flood risk. They also will allow more space and time for the water to move.

A natural river like this is better for the fish, native crayfish and other species that live in and depend on it, and the rejuvenated riverbanks will provide a sanctuary for wildlife … and people.

Bowber Head Farm is renowned for its amazing northern hay meadows, which we’ve been restoring since 2020. Now that the river has been re-wiggled, water will spill over onto some of the surrounding hay meadows during periods of high rainfall, enhancing these valuable meadows, and then trickle back in again as the water level drops.

The challenge

ERT’s years of experience in taking heavily modified, straightened rivers and rejuvenating them with naturally occurring features such as meanders, pools and riffles was put to the test.

Scandal Beck and a heavily modified, straightened drain (that runs parallel to the beck) flow right through the middle of the Bowber Head and Piper Hole Meadows SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).
This nationally important, northern upland hay meadow is home to 92 plant species, such as wood crane’s-bill, greater burnet and lady’s mantles. These wet/marsh-loving plants should all thrive because of this project; however great care would be needed to ensure that any impact on the hay meadow from the works was minimised.

Hay bales and a pump in place to capture sediment as the new/existing channels are connected.

Lev Dahl, River Restoration Manager at Eden Rivers Trust explained how we ensured that the SSSI was protected during the project:

From start to finish, our aim has been to minimise the impact on the SSSI hay meadow.

Before work started, our volunteers undertook fish rescues to ensure protected species such as bullhead and white-clawed crayfish could be safely relocated to Scandal Beck and we used various methods, including hay bales to reduce the levels of sediment travelling downstream during the works.

Photo: Hay bales and a pump placed to capture sediment as the new/existing channels are connected. 

Diggers working within the new river channel to protect the hay meadow.

Our contractors, Catchment Designs ensured that movement of heavy machinery over the site was carefully controlled and minimised.

Diggers were powered by biofuels and only followed the path of the new channel – digging it so that earth didn’t end up on the field. Work stopped during heavy rain/wet conditions so that the earth wasn’t churned up.

Photo: Diggers working within the new river channel to protect the hay meadow.

A digger is returfing the old, filled-in channel with native species-rich seeded turf.

Re-using materials from within the site was essential to preserve its special nature.

The turf used was from the site and contains species-rich, native seeds sourced from the adjacent wildflower meadows, and material dug out from the new scrapes was used to fill in the old, straightened channel and create a kest (raised mound for a hedge).

Photo: Returfing the old, filled-in channel with native species-rich seeded turf. 

Construction of the new channel

Before work could commence, ERT volunteers assisted with fish and White-clawed crayfish rescues to preserve as many creatures as possible. This work is carried out during a limited window when we are permitted to work in the river, typically from late June to September. Once complete, the contractors can drain the channel.

  • A group of volunteers in yellow helmets and high visibility jackets holding small fishing nets on muddy land next to the stream at Bowber Head.
  • A volunteer in yellow helmet and high visibility jacket is in a small stream holding a fishing net to catch fish and move them into the newly excavated channel.
  • A contractor stands on the muddy edge of an obsolete water channel, holding a hose and pumping out water to move it to a newly constructed channel.
  • Digger creating a new river channel to 'rewiggle' the route and slow the flow of water through the channel.

Phase 2

Over the winter of 2023/2024, volunteers helped to plant a 400m hedgerow on the kest to further reduce the amount of runoff and excess water reaching the river, reducing peak river levels during heavy rain and improving water quality.

This work was made possible thanks to generous support and funding from the Environment Agency and the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme, which was supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Thanks also to staff from the Yorkshire Dales National Park for their advice and support regarding the planning aspects of this project.

One of the new scrapes. It's a winter's day, so there is little water in the pond and snow has settled on the bank.
© Cumbria Wildlife Trust

David Evans, Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme Manager said:

“It’s fantastic to see this project being delivered towards the end of the Scheme despite some of the challenges faced. A great example of partnership working and something which has already made a big impact. I look forward to seeing how it looks next summer.”

Photo: one of the new scrapes.

Find out more about Bowber Head Farm Nature Reserve

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