Blow well

We left Leeds about 7.30am and had a fairly easy journey east towards Tetney Blow Wells via Grimsby (which lived up to its name). We had been planning to stop at some services on the way for coffee, but none appealed, so we ended up in a Costa in Cleethorpes.

Most of the day was spent surveying Tetney Blow Wells, which is owned by Anglian Water and managed by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. The blow wells are the result of artesian springs where water under pressure escapes from the chalk through structural weaknesses in the overlying boulder clay to reach the surface.  They form circular pools of various sizes and great depth, always full but never overflowing. And the water is always moving. There are four blow wells on the reserve, plus a couple of smaller associated pools. You can see from the photograph that the water is incredibly clear and has a bluish hue from the chalk - it's also very cold.


We finished in the late afternoon, and had a little spare time to visit Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes before heading for home and a delicious Andean beef casserole cooked by Chris. I was very, very tired....