The flow of the river is almost completely cut 1 by farmland. There is also a road and a disused railway line, 2 which runs a tunnel for much of its course. Once inside the park, 3, things are different. There the river flows free for the final half-mile before joining 4 one. Here, it has carved a narrow valley, covered in plant life, and surrounded by wild rose bushes. In places, it’s an almost impenetrable habitat, whose value to wildlife is out of 5 proportion to its size. These plants thrive in the wetter places, while the ancient trees stand guard on higher ground. Today the area has the air of a dead forest, with leafless branches reaching out 6 the trees in some disaster film. But that was not how 7 was a few months ago. Then, the warmth of the summer sun gently caressed the abundant leaves these trees proudly displayed. And then, of course, 8 night follows day, those same leaves fell, to remind us of the unstoppable march of the seasons.