The Odiham Common Project
'A Common Purpose'
Odiham Common is a fantastic countryside recreational resource for the community and is a great educational resource for local children. Visitors to the Common can enjoy walking amongst the wildlife in a relaxing and tranquil atmosphere, possibly without seeing anyone else! Quite a rarity in itself nowadays! Historically it has much to say as well. Coppicing and clay pits give us glimpses of past industrial activity which many of us can perhaps try to imagine during one of Ranger Steve’s fascinating guided walks. These changing landscapes of heathland, woodland and meadows can all be seen on this one site and you can move through history as you move through the site.
Latest News.....
It's been a busy autumn / winter on the Common. The dry weather has helped immensely in terms of getting ride clearance and pond dredging works done quickly whilst minimising ground damage with machinery. We have also been lucky that the contractors doing the bulk of the work have been very diligent and professional completing works very effectively to a high standard.
The ride between Potbridge bus stop and Bagwell Lane has been widened along with an off shoot to the pylon way leave in the northeast corner. Several glades have been created and veteran trees haloed. This is all in line with the management plan and higher level stewardship agreement for the Common. A large part of the area cleared was dense birch scrub.
Wildlife corridors through sites are very important features. Where works are done the edges will be allowed to grow up again in years to come and scrub managed on rotation. The middle of the rides and glades will be mown annually to keep them open. For more information on ride management see the management plan appendix Management options - consultation draft.
Three ponds have been dredged on the Common. One small one on Bagwell lane by the track to Wilks Water, works were done here last winter to remove vegetation to let light in and make it a feature. A second small pond has been dredged beside the B3016 towards Potbridge. We believe that this is an old drover's pond and it has been shaped to its original outline that would have allowed livestock to access the water safely.
The third pond is one at Whitehall. A number of trees had to be removed around it to let light in and for health and safety reasons due to their proximity to the road a magnificent ash tree has been retained along with a very old crab apple tree. It is very important to let light into ponds for the plant life and invertebrates that hopefully will colonise it.
Coppicing has started at the north western end of the main compartment in an area that was worked approx. twelve years ago. The work so far has been done by a group of volunteer students from Lord Wandsworth College. Contractors will be completing the bulk of the work over the coming months. Hedge laying stakes that can be cut from the coppice are being sold to a local hedge laying contractor.
If ground conditions permit in the early part of 2012 we hope to clear some of the scrub on the edges of some of the southern meadows. Works will continue through out the winter on any trees that are deemed hazardous throughout the site., particularly along the road edges. Other vegetation on the road edges will be flailed during the winter months in line with highways authority requirements.
Enjoy your walking and ridding on the common.
