Country diary: the dry summer has left fish dangerously exposed

Tunstall valley, Weardale: Streams have become mere trickles and a third of the reservoir is still mud
Six months ago, when I stood on this bridge over Waskerley beck, which flows from the head of the Tunstall valley, the reservoir that it supplies was brimful. A rapid thaw after late heavy snowfall, followed by torrential rain, had left a pair of great-crested grebes piling up water weeds in a desperate attempt to keep their nest site above rising flood water. Continue reading...