The River Strat: the stream that runs through the valley

Running the length of the valley, and on through Bude to the sea over Summerleaze Beach, is the River Strat. Google Maps can’t quite make its mind up and labels it “River Neet or Strat” — but the Strat meets the Neet at Marhamchurch before it heads north to the coast.

A second tributary joins on site, which means the river height can change quickly after rain. There are two bridges across it, and the Environment Agency has a monitoring station here, so you can watch the levels (and the weather) do their thing.

It’s a quietly fascinating bit of water. Local volunteers, backed by the Environment Agency, sample the river roughly monthly — counting and cataloguing the wildlife, returning any fish, which they take as a good sign of how clean it runs. Stand on one of the bridges for five minutes and you’ll usually spot fish, and we get a wide variety of birdlife along the banks.

The willows that give the valley its name lean over those banks. It’s the kind of place that rewards standing still for a bit.