Withiel footpath reopens after riverbank collapse on the Ruthern

For a while, the river was winning. Bit by bit, the bank along the Lower River Ruthern at Withiel crumbled away, and parts of a well-used footpath went with it.

Now the path is open again, and the fix holding it together is growing.

📷Credit: Cormac

Why the path was closed

Severe erosion caused sections of the footpath to collapse into the river, and the route had to be shut. The repair was delivered by Cormac‘s East Countryside Team.

📷Credit: Cormac

Chestnut stakes and living willow

Rather than reaching for concrete or rock, the team took what it describes as an innovative green engineering approach. Natural materials were used to stabilise and restore the riverbank, including untreated chestnut stakes and living willow.

The photos show the stakes driven in along the edge of the water, with willow woven between them to form a low wall that follows the bend of the river.

📷Credit: Cormac

Working inside a protected river

This stretch sits within the River Camel Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), so the scheme had to be planned with care.

It was developed with support from Westcountry Rivers Trust and guidance from Natural England, to help protect the wildlife that lives there. That includes Atlantic salmon, bullhead and otter.

Open again

With new defences in place, the riverbank has been secured and the footpath is safe and accessible again for the local community. It is another Cormac countryside project finished in this part of Cornwall.

And the willow is already taking root.

📷Credit: Cormac

📷Credit: Cormac

📷Credit: Cormac