Bude Valley Volunteers
This page gives information on the Volunteer working parties
being organised in the Bude Valley and in the surrounding area
(including at two local hill forts - at Tiscott Wood and at Warbstow Bury).
The details below may help provide an idea of what these events involve.
Events are usually on Thursdays, normally starting at 10am
(but sometimes
at 9am)
with a meet-up point close to where the work will take place.
There is an email mailing list that you can join (see link below) so that you are advised of
events, times and meeting points. This email list is also used to advise of cancellations
to planned activities - some activities are weather or ground condition dependent, so cancellations
do occur.
Bude Valley volunteers have usually helped at the annual Christmas tree 'dig-in' at Widemouth Bay when people can bring their now-surplus trees and dig them into the sand dunes in rows to combat dune erosion.
Each year a group of volunteers have helped the Counwall Council rangers to coppice willow in Bude marshes. The coppiced willow was sometimes then taken to help reduce erosion of the coastal sand dunes; other times it was cut up and left in piles in the marshes as a wildlife habitat.
Occasional working parties are scheduled to do coppicing on at the Hill Fort at Warbstow Bury (still a really impressive structure with its massive circular banks). 
Over the years the group have also done substantial vegetation clearance to expose the heritage-protected fort in Tiscott Wood (north of Bude).
As the year progresses, there are likely to be working parties to do coppicing in the valley, plant marram grass to stabilise the sand dunes at Bude and/or Widemouth Bay, spruce up the areas round the inland locks on the Bude Canal or near the sea-lock gates and to pull the invasive Himalayan Balsam from areas of Bude Valley, particularly from near the canal birdhide.
Himalayan Balsam is a very invasive non-native plant (with beautiful pink flowers). It can grow up to 2m tall and explodes its seed pods when ripe, throwing the seeds up to 8m. As a result, it spreads very rapidly, growing in dense clusters that swamp native vegetation. Luckily, it is very easy to pull up as it grows in damp ground and has very shallow roots. A working party can clear an amazing amount, ensuring the seeds cannot spread.
Working parties so far in 2026 have included marram grass planting on Black Rock sand dunes at Widemouth Bay in February, work to 'tidy-up' the landing stage and inland lock areas at Helebridge in March and vegetation removal around the Rodd's Bridge lock hard-standing areas in April.
Forthcoming working parties
Thursday 28th May Bude harbour work
To carry out various tasks around Bude harbour as tasked by Bude Harbour Master. Meet up at 10am at Bude harbour. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended.
Thursday 4th June Bude canal lock gate maintenance
To carry out maintenance work around the hard-standing areas at the Rodd's Bridge lock. The work will concentrate on the far side i.e. cross over the lock, to complete work started last month. Meet up at 10am at Rodd's Bridge, but be aware that available parking is limited there. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended and weed removal tools would be useful.
Thursday 18th June Bird hide refurbishment
To carry out refurbishment work on the Bude canal bird hide. This work will likely involve sanding and re-staining inside the structure. Meet up at 10am outside the Tourist Information Centre. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended.
Notification of future dates
If you might be interested in joining any future working parties, please join the email list by clicking this
link and giving your email address.
Your email address will only ever be used for notifying you about such events, and can be deleted at any time by leaving a 'remove' message using this same link (or by replying to one of our notification emails with a request to be removed from the list).
This 'bude-area.co.uk' website also gives details on cycling routes and cycling developments in the Bude area via associated web pages at
www.bude-area.co.uk/atlantictrail
The details below may help provide an idea of what these events involve.
Events are usually on Thursdays, normally starting at 10am
(but sometimes
at 9am)
with a meet-up point close to where the work will take place.
There is an email mailing list that you can join (see link below) so that you are advised of
events, times and meeting points. This email list is also used to advise of cancellations
to planned activities - some activities are weather or ground condition dependent, so cancellations
do occur.
Bude Valley volunteers have usually helped at the annual Christmas tree 'dig-in' at Widemouth Bay when people can bring their now-surplus trees and dig them into the sand dunes in rows to combat dune erosion.
Each year a group of volunteers have helped the Counwall Council rangers to coppice willow in Bude marshes. The coppiced willow was sometimes then taken to help reduce erosion of the coastal sand dunes; other times it was cut up and left in piles in the marshes as a wildlife habitat.
Occasional working parties are scheduled to do coppicing on at the Hill Fort at Warbstow Bury (still a really impressive structure with its massive circular banks).
Over the years the group have also done substantial vegetation clearance to expose the heritage-protected fort in Tiscott Wood (north of Bude).
As the year progresses, there are likely to be working parties to do coppicing in the valley, plant marram grass to stabilise the sand dunes at Bude and/or Widemouth Bay, spruce up the areas round the inland locks on the Bude Canal or near the sea-lock gates and to pull the invasive Himalayan Balsam from areas of Bude Valley, particularly from near the canal birdhide.
Himalayan Balsam is a very invasive non-native plant (with beautiful pink flowers). It can grow up to 2m tall and explodes its seed pods when ripe, throwing the seeds up to 8m. As a result, it spreads very rapidly, growing in dense clusters that swamp native vegetation. Luckily, it is very easy to pull up as it grows in damp ground and has very shallow roots. A working party can clear an amazing amount, ensuring the seeds cannot spread.
Working parties so far in 2026 have included marram grass planting on Black Rock sand dunes at Widemouth Bay in February, work to 'tidy-up' the landing stage and inland lock areas at Helebridge in March and vegetation removal around the Rodd's Bridge lock hard-standing areas in April.
Forthcoming working parties
Thursday 28th May Bude harbour work
To carry out various tasks around Bude harbour as tasked by Bude Harbour Master. Meet up at 10am at Bude harbour. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended.
Thursday 4th June Bude canal lock gate maintenance
To carry out maintenance work around the hard-standing areas at the Rodd's Bridge lock. The work will concentrate on the far side i.e. cross over the lock, to complete work started last month. Meet up at 10am at Rodd's Bridge, but be aware that available parking is limited there. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended and weed removal tools would be useful.
Thursday 18th June Bird hide refurbishment
To carry out refurbishment work on the Bude canal bird hide. This work will likely involve sanding and re-staining inside the structure. Meet up at 10am outside the Tourist Information Centre. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended.
Notification of future dates
If you might be interested in joining any future working parties, please join the email list by clicking this
link and giving your email address.
Your email address will only ever be used for notifying you about such events, and can be deleted at any time by leaving a 'remove' message using this same link (or by replying to one of our notification emails with a request to be removed from the list).
This 'bude-area.co.uk' website also gives details on cycling routes and cycling developments in the Bude area via associated web pages at
www.bude-area.co.uk/atlantictrail
Occasional working parties are scheduled to do coppicing on at the Hill Fort at Warbstow Bury (still a really impressive structure with its massive circular banks).
Over the years the group have also done substantial vegetation clearance to expose the heritage-protected fort in Tiscott Wood (north of Bude).As the year progresses, there are likely to be working parties to do coppicing in the valley, plant marram grass to stabilise the sand dunes at Bude and/or Widemouth Bay, spruce up the areas round the inland locks on the Bude Canal or near the sea-lock gates and to pull the invasive Himalayan Balsam from areas of Bude Valley, particularly from near the canal birdhide.
Himalayan Balsam is a very invasive non-native plant (with beautiful pink flowers). It can grow up to 2m tall and explodes its seed pods when ripe, throwing the seeds up to 8m. As a result, it spreads very rapidly, growing in dense clusters that swamp native vegetation. Luckily, it is very easy to pull up as it grows in damp ground and has very shallow roots. A working party can clear an amazing amount, ensuring the seeds cannot spread.
Working parties so far in 2026 have included marram grass planting on Black Rock sand dunes at Widemouth Bay in February, work to 'tidy-up' the landing stage and inland lock areas at Helebridge in March and vegetation removal around the Rodd's Bridge lock hard-standing areas in April.
Forthcoming working parties
Thursday 28th May Bude harbour work
To carry out various tasks around Bude harbour as tasked by Bude Harbour Master. Meet up at 10am at Bude harbour. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended.
Thursday 4th June Bude canal lock gate maintenance
To carry out maintenance work around the hard-standing areas at the Rodd's Bridge lock. The work will concentrate on the far side i.e. cross over the lock, to complete work started last month. Meet up at 10am at Rodd's Bridge, but be aware that available parking is limited there. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended and weed removal tools would be useful.
Thursday 18th June Bird hide refurbishment
To carry out refurbishment work on the Bude canal bird hide. This work will likely involve sanding and re-staining inside the structure. Meet up at 10am outside the Tourist Information Centre. Stout footwear and old clothes are recommended.
Notification of future dates
If you might be interested in joining any future working parties, please join the email list by clicking this link and giving your email address.
Your email address will only ever be used for notifying you about such events, and can be deleted at any time by leaving a 'remove' message using this same link (or by replying to one of our notification emails with a request to be removed from the list).
www.bude-area.co.uk/atlantictrail
last updated 29/4/2026