Fenn's and Whixall Moss sound trail

19 ECHOES

Location: Whitchurch, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom

Andrew Howe

A walk of wetland soundscapes featuring history, recordings of wildlife, water and trees, poetry and local memories of life on the lowland peatbog of Fenn's and Whixall Mosses. Artists Andrew Howe (UK) and Kim V. Goldsmith (AUS) connect two internationally significant wetlands by bringing sounds from the Macquarie Marshes, New South Wales, Australia into the Fenn's and Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve. The soundscapes are best experienced through headphones via smartphone.

This is part of the Mosses and Marshes art project supported by the National Lottery and Arts Council for England and delivered by Andrew Howe and Kim V. Goldsmith working in partnership with Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Natural England.

The Sound Trail starts from the Morris Bridge car park at Whixall Moss (SJ 493354 SY13 2RT) and links with part of the Fenn's and Whixall Mosses History Trail. It can also be accessed from the Shed Yard car park (SJ 50353681, SY13 2PD) and Roundthorn Bridge car park (SJ 505360).

The trail is approximately 3 miles long and will take about 2 hours to walk. The paths are well marked, level and easy to walk but often wet and boggy so wear wellingtons or sturdy footwear.

For further information see http://www.ofthemosses.com Artist websites: www.andrew-howe.com www.kvgoldsmithart.com https://eco-pulse.art/

Soundscapes edited by Andrew Howe and/or Kim V. Goldsmith as indicated in the Echoes details. The soundscapes are arranged into the elemental categories of earth, water, fire and air. Poetry contributions by Gladys Mary Coles, Emily Meredith (www.emilymeredith.net) and Gertie Bielstein.

Many thanks to Stephen Barlow for ecological advice and contributing bird recordings.

Other sound sample recordings courtesy of https://freesound.org, https://soundbible.com and https://zapsplat.com

I am Walking

The artists Andrew Howe and Kim V.Goldsmith invite you to join them and share the experience of walking across their respective landscapes of the Fenn's and Whixall Mosses and Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales, Australia.

Soundscape created and edited by Andrew Howe and Kim V. Goldsmith with library recordings courtesy of: https://freesound.org/people/jaegrover/sounds/240549/

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Peat Cutting

The sounds of cutting peat returns as Barbara Cloreley and Bill Allmark talk about their working life. Commercial peat cutting ended at Fenn's and Whixall Moss in 1989, and the National Nature Reserve was established soon after to protect and restore the area as peatbog. The Marches Mosses BogLIFE project aims to transform the degraded peatbog from being a net carbon emitter to being a vital carbon store once again, and to help the biodiversity of this landscape thrive.

No peat was harmed in the recording of this soundscape

One recording of digging courtesy of https://freesound.org/people/lollosound/sounds/124916/

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Thunderstorm

The Mosses rely on rainfall for its survival; no other surface water flows in and drainage is now being controlled to retain as much water in the peat bog as possible. Listen to the passing of a thunderstorm and water running into the bog. Sounds recorded and edited by Andrew Howe

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Bog Bodies

Artist/Writer Emily Meredith reads her poem "Bog Bodies"

See www.emilymeredith.net

Sound edited by Andrew Howe

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The Water Returns

Following three years of drought and a fire in October 2019, the Macquarie Marshes, as an ecosystem was exhausted. Some said it’d never been so bad, others argued other droughts had been worse. Regardless of the position taken on the severity of one drought over another, there’s little doubt the return of good rain and water running down the river and through the channels, into waterholes and lagoons, brings joy and relief to both human and more-than-human inhabitants. The re-establishment of life in the wetland takes time, but eventually settles into a round-the-clock hum, above and below ground. Everyone makes the most of the water while it lasts. Duration 06’29” Soundscape created and edited by Kim V. Goldsmith

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Silver Birch, Willow and Alder

Listen to these sounds of trees swaying in the wind while they gather up water from the ground. As beautiful as these trees are, their thirst for water makes if very difficult to maintain waterlogged, acidic conditions that sphagnum moss needs. Selective removal of trees to help reestablish suitable conditions for the peatbog is one of the work activities in the BogLIFE project led by Natural England with Natural Resources Wales and Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Sounds recorded and edited by Andrew Howe

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Dawn Chorus

A soundscape edited by Kim V. Goldsmith using recordings by Andrew Howe

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Fire Risk

Barbara Cloreley and Bill Allmark retell their memories of fires on the Moss. The major industrialised peat cutting from the 1960s-80s was mainly for horticultural uses, but in early times and in many other places, such as Ireland, peat is cut as a fuel source. Fire is always a significant risk, and would be catastrophic for wildlife and in terms of releasing huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Peat cutters were well aware of these risks, and used careful fire management techniques to create fire breaks and reduce risks of a major fire.

Sounds recorded and edited by Andrew Howe

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Fire on the Moss

Reg Meredith relives a childhood memory of a fire on the Moss

Sound recorded and edited by Andrew Howe. This soundscape includes sounds courtesy of: https://soundbible.com/1902-Fire-Burning.html https://freesound.org/people/Kukensius/sounds/320231/ https://freesound.org/people/Selector/sounds/410728/

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Fire in the Marshes

Fire is an element that’s shaped the Australian landscape for thousands of years – a tool of management used by nature and humans. Phragmites reedbeds of the Macquarie Marshes become tinder during dry periods, and long, hot summers also marked by dry storms - thunder panning and lightning arcing across the skies. It only takes one strike for a fire to take hold, smoldering until the flames gain energy. On a Saturday afternoon in late October 2019, a fire raged across the Northern Nature Reserve of the Marshes, burning 3,000 hectares before being brought under control the following morning. If there’s follow-up rain or sub-surface moisture, the reeds will come back. Some of the old River Red Gums flanking the reed beds weren’t so lucky – it’d been one drought too many for them. Duration 06’10”

Soundscape created and edited by Kim V. Goldsmith

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Curlews

Barbara Cloreley and Bill Allmark talk about how the peatmen loved the wildlife, taking care to avoid nesting birds when they were working on the Moss. Soundscape edited by Andrew Howe using field recordings and library recordings courtesy of: https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/72752/

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Nightjar

A soundscape using nighttime recordings of nightjars on the Moss

Sounds recorded by Andrew Howe, mixed and edited by Kim V. Goldsmith

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Bombers

Imagine the experience of a passing bombing raid during World War 2

The Strategic Starfish Site was an array of fire baskets that were lit during WW2 to simulate a burning town as decoy to German bombers on their way to industrial areas around Liverpool, Manchester and Crewe or to more local ammunition factories.

Soundscape edited by Andrew Howe using stock sounds courtesty of: https://freesound.org/people/Henrythetrain/sounds/146778/ https://freesound.org/people/dobroide/sounds/473920/ https://freesound.org/people/craigsmith/sounds/438696/ https://freesound.org/people/craigsmith/sounds/438693/

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Firing Practice

The Mosses were used by the military during both World Wars for practising gun-fire in rifle ranges and there was a bombing range during WW2 at North East Fenn's Moss.

Sounds edited by Andrew Howe. Stock sounds courtesy of: https://freesound.org/people/Kyster/sounds/77727/ https://freesound.org/people/CGEffex/sounds/158978/ https://soundbible.com/453-Machine-Gun-Firing.html

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Fenn's Bank Steam Train

The Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch railway operated for just over 100 years, from 1863 to 1965. The arrival and departure of steam trains at the nearby Fenn's Bank station would have been a regular sound heard across the Mosses.

Soundscape edited by Andrew Howe, with stock sounds courtesy of: https://freesound.org/people/ralph.whitehead/sounds/470646/

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Birds of the Mosses

A soundscape from dawn to night including recordings by Andrew Howe and Stephen Barlow. Listen out for blackbirds, robin, song thrush, cuckoo, chaffinch, nuthatch, chiff chaff, woodpecker, wood pigeon, willow warbler, reed bunting, grasshopper warbler, sedge warbler, common snipe and nightjar and various others in the background.

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Lost on the Moss

"Lost on the Moss" poem written and performed by Gertie Bielstein

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Memories of the Second World War

Reg Meredith talks about his memories of WW2 and the training of fighter pilots over the Mosses and local area. The Mosses were close to three Service Flying Training Schools at Shawbury, Sealand and Tern Hill and to two fighter and bomber Operational Training Units at Tilstock and Sleap. Spitfires and Wellingtons flew over the Moss and a bombing range was set up on NE Fenn's Moss.

Soundscape edited by Andrew Howe with stock sound courtesy of: https://freesound.org/people/beerbelly38/sounds/160242/

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