Soar and Wreake Floodplain - Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife
The River Soar rises in the extreme south of Leicestershire and
flows slowly northwards through a shallow valley. Fed by a
number of streams and smaller rivers, it grows in size and joins
the River Trent. more than 100 hectares of wetland habitat have
been created... For centuries, the river floodplain (the area
liable to be covered in water when the river swells and bursts
its banks after heavy rain) was an open landscape of large
meadows where hay was grown and cattle and other domesticated
animals grazed. These meadows gradually became a network of
small fields, bounded by hedges; settlements at Leicester and
Loughborough expanded to become the present cities; the river
was 'canalised' so that boats could navigate it; railways and
roads were built and gravel pits quarried. The river bed was
dredged to encourage flow of water and banks were built to stop
the river from spilling over the floodplain. The impact on
wildlife of all of this, togeth