BUDE Marshes volunteers gave some of their time this month to Warbstow to help clear some gorse.

Gareth Cann, the Countryside Ranger responsible for Bude Marshes, has a much wider area to manage, which includes Warbstow Bury, and he had no problem persuading five volunteers to help him clear invasive gorse from the ramparts and ditches of this Neolithic hill fort unique in North Cornwall.

More than a hundred metres of gorse were cut in a morning and burned safely on a bed of corrugated iron.

The hill fort is in danger of erosion and being hidden from view by this shrub that few animals will browse, so maintaining an area clear of it is essential. It has a rare feature in that glistening white quartz coats the ramparts so keeping them clear to allow this to be visible is essential.

This enigmatic feature sits in a beautiful landscape within sight of the Atlantic, Lundy Island and its nearest neighbour in Tiscott Wood — the site of the volunteers’ next workday.