Top 9 Natural Monuments around Great Witley

A real picturesque old mill, and the Geopark Way affords a really good view of the weir and house from a number of angles.

The Wyre Forest Beaver enclosure is worth stopping at. Can't guarantee to see any but you never know 😁

Prior's Mill is a former seventeenth century timber-framed water mill, with twentieth century alterations, and now used as a private residence. Next to it is a very high weir on the Dick Brook. There used to be several mills on this stream long ago.

Geological overview Just south of Stourport a magnificent river cliff of fine grained red sandstone is seen. Although mainly homogenous in terms of geology, there are white streaks and thin bands of coarse material running throughout the section. The soft sandstone of Redstone Rock is easily carved and there is evidence of human-made habitation in the cliff face since Stone Age times. The caves that can be seen today were mostly made in the 12th century, when a hermitage was established there, conveniently located for the hermits to be on hand to offer blessings and prayers for passers-by in return for alms. It was said to house up to 500 men, who may have also manned the ferry crossing, which was there due to the presence of a ford until the river was dredged. The caves were later used as domestic dwellings and were inhabited almost continuously until the mid twentieth century. Source: Geopark.org

Worcestershire Natural Flood Management (NFM) Project in the Wyre Forest. The aim of this project is to reduce flooding in the Dowles Brook catchment, by implementing at large number of small scale, natural interventions in upstream areas to help slow the flow of water and hold it back during times of high flows. These measures involve working on the tributaries of the Dowles Brook and could include things such as planting hedges, creating wetland areas. attenuation ponds, leaky dams, soll aeration and other land management techniques The intention is to slow the flood peak on the Dowdes so it does not coincide with the flood peak on the River Severn at Bewdley. Water moving at speed through the landscape is incredibly destructive and leads to erosion, soil loss and widespread damage, therefore slowing down the water has a wealth of positive impacts. It is the intention that many more features will be installed over the riext few years with the aim of slowing the flow throughout the catchment. If you would like more information, or are a landowner who is keen to get involved. please contact the NFM Project Officer al Worcestershire County Council. www.worcestershire.gov.uk/NFM Natural Flood Management - Leaky Dams Trees are sourced from the immediate stream side and used to build a lattice. Over time, especially in high flow, smaller woody debris accumulates naturally, and this increases the effectiveness of the leaky dam. The dars are wedged behind living tree stumps to prevent them moving or floating away, over time they bed in and naturalise as part of the landscape. Leaky dams work with nature, providing a food source and habitat for wildlife. This timber lattice allows wildlife, such as fish, to move freely upstream and downstream. Leaky dams are constructed to allow free passage of water in normal flows, and only hold water back when required during high rainfall. The backed up water is pushed out of the channel into appropriate sites upstream where silts are deposited. A single structure has little impact, but a series of leaky dams at various locations can help reduce the risk of flooding downstream. Felling by the river bank allows more sunlight to reach the watercourse and its banks. This leads to the growth of marginal vegetation, creating further food sources and habitats for wildlife.

This area of the Wyre Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest belongs to John Ruskin's charity, the Guild of St George and is managed by the Wyre Community Land Trust. We are managing this area to support a mixture of high forest and heathland, which are valuable habitats for bats, birds and other species. In large areas of the woodland, the trees. are relatively young, and mainly comprise oak with bracken and bramble. This lack of diversity is a result of changes in woodland management following World War 1. when much of the woodland was no longer coppiced because of a collapse in the charcoal industry. In order to improve the habitat diversity, some trees have been removed to give those remaining more space to grow into large mature trees. The trees that are felled are extracted and processed at the Wyre Community land Trust's woodyard and sawmill at St George's Farm and used to make a variety of timber products and firewood. Volunteers have helped plant trees to ensure the forest has a diverse mixture of tree species that is more resilient to pests, disease and the effects of climate change.

What he said ^^^^^^^

Just south of Stourport-on-Severn, Redstone Caves are made from Triassic sandstone. Carved out in the 12th century and then home to a hermitage, it seems extraordinary today that once up to 500 men lived here. The Geopark Way, a long-distance footpath specialising in geological marvels in the area, runs unsurprisingly right past these caves.