WHEN spring finally arrives at the Spade Oak Lake in Little Marlow, the old quarry suddenly comes into its own.
So often in winter the path round the border of the former gravel pit turns into a mudbath, deterring all but the hardiest of anglers and birdwatchers.
Torrential downpours make it hard for the shaded path to dry out, and with the nearby Thames towpath often flooded too, only those in wellies will be able to squelch very far in wetter winter weather.
Roll on spring, when the welcome rise in temperatures transforms the landscape and the old quarry starts to look more like a nature reserve again.
It was here during the 1960s that aggregate was extracted that would be used for the M40 and M4 motorways.
But the restoration of the site saw the creation of a remarkable haven for wildfowl comprising the lake and surrounding woodland.
Much of the restoration work focused on encouraging birds to use the site as a breeding sanctuary, and breeding birds include little ringed plovers, kingfishers, reed warblers, great crested grebes and terns.
Alongside these are the ducks, gulls and geese who provide a cacophony of background sound on a still evening as the bats come out to flit and flicker around in the gloaming on the permissive path which runs around much of the lakeside perimeter.
This is one of nine fishing venues operated by Marlow Angling Club and is said to host carp, tench, bream, pike, perch, roach, rudd and eels.
It was back in 1966 that the Folley Brothers began to dig the former farmland in Coldmoorholme Lane to extract the valuable flood plain gravel that was in great demand for the motorway building program.
Gravel is no longer dug from Spade Oak but the area is used by the current owners, Lafarge, as a depository for gravel dug elsewhere.
In 1999, Little Marlow Parish Council and Lafarge began discussing a permissive path around the lake to celebrate the millennium, and the official opening took place in 2002.
And a very pleasant waterside ramble it is on a spring or summer’s evening, with the gulls and geese shrieking in dismay at some temporary disturbance and the gentle clank of the two-coach train lazily meandering its way from Bourne End to Marlow alongside the lake path.
Ah, bliss! Nature has been quick to reclaim the former quarry, and the millennium project has proved a wonderful resource, not just for the villagers of Little Marlow but for all those tempted to take a waterside ramble on a warm evening.
Popular circular walking routes around here start from the free car park in Coldmoorholme Lane and offer appealing strolls for all ages, as the Marlow Mums confirm.
With feathered families out on the water in the spring, there’s plenty to hold the attention too, ducks and geese out in force alongside the walkers, sailors and rowers.
Train buffs can take a trip on the single-track branch line to Bourne End or Marlow, but if you’re happy to just watch the train clattering by, a pint or a bite is close at hand at the nearby Spade Oak, a popular upmarket country pub with a wide-ranging menu.
