The sounds and smells of a scythe cut meadow are wonderful, explains Norfolk Wildlife Trust Reserves Officer Robert Morgan.

Working in wildlife conservation can involve some heavy duty agricultural work requiring various pieces of mechanical equipment, especially when over a large scale. Clearing dense scrub seems impossible without the use of a chainsaw; harvesting reed is made easy with a reciprocating mower; and the cutting of a sedge-bed is almost a pleasure with a brush-cutter. Tractors are in constant employment with various attachments from post knockers and pasture toppers to flailing hedge trimmers.

Being at the pit-face of habitat management, I'm all in favour of these labour-saving apparatus: without them it would be back breaking work. With this in mind, it came as a surprise that on a rain soaked Friday at Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Upton Fen nature reserve, my faith in machines was tested, for I unexpectedly journeyed on a road to Damascus, led by botanist, commercial seedsman and scythe guru, Richard Brown.

I joined a number of volunteers from NWT's Thorpe Marshes nature reserve in Norwich, on a day-long course run by Richard on the use and maintenance of a modern scythe, which included some invaluable information on good meadow management too.

Richard Brown, leader of the scythe course by NWT

I own an old English scythe and had made several attempts to use it, but with little success. This appears to be most people's experience. Richard explained that English scythes were purpose built for an individual by the blacksmith: mine had been tailored for a man of five foot four!

The Austrian Scythe - the one we were being instructed on - is lighter and the blade is thinner, making it easier to sharpen. The position of the handles could also be adjusted to suit.

Richard sat astride his solid oak peening stool with wooden anvil attached and, along with several witty and wistful anecdotes, skilfully demonstrated how to 'peen' flat the leading edge of the scythe blade with a hammer and specially designed jig. Then, with astonishing dexterity, sharpen the blade with a whetstone. The stone was run back and forth with an occasional dip in water. Even by eye one could see the blade had a wafer-thin edge and was as sharp as a cut-throat razor. I was reminded of Jack Hargreaves's 'Out of Town', for those of you that can recall 1970s after-school TV. I was won over by Richard's enthusiasm for scything. We even learned how to incorporate Tai Chi into our swing and motion whilst carrying out a dry run in the barn. As soon as there was a break in the rain we were out on the fen ready for a proper practice.

To say it was a spiritual experience is probably overstating it a little, but the swing of the scythe followed by the swish and chop noise as it eased through the vegetation was wonderful. Different plant structures create subtle changes in the tone; you can smell the newly cut herbs and as you move through the fen this changes too, from water mint to ragged robin and the lemon-like odour of marsh valerian.

NWT staff and volunteers on the scythe course by NWT

Without the sound of a motor, one can hear the birds singing and the hum of insects around you. Dispensing with ear defenders is a definite bonus, for if you get the hang of the technique you can even hold a conversation with the person scything just in front. With practice and in the right conditions I’m sure I can equal the speed at which I cut a wet meadow with the old petrol strimmer or even our new electric driven equivalent: I can feel a challenge looming.

Large scale cutting and mowing will continue to require the use of modern machinery, and although we are now operating subtler battery powered equipment, who's to say the old ways aren't - sometimes - better. As a result of the course NWT purchased several scythes that will allow volunteers to assist with the important work that is carried out at NWT Thorpe Marshes. A scythe is easy to maintain and safer than a brush-cutter, and in a built-up area is both environmentally and neighbourhood friendly.

The scythe course was supported by the Broads Landscape Partnership Scheme Water, Mills and Marshes, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is part of a wider project to engage people with the built and natural landscapes of the Broads National Park, and the Thorpe Marshes part of the project intends to connect local schoolchildren, residents and families with the reserve, helping to sustain it as an important site for wildlife through visits and volunteering.

Header image: NWT staff and volunteers on the scythe course by NWT

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