The group Save the Wye are organising a month long pilgrimage along the River Wye from the source to the Severn estuary, starting at Plynlimon on 3rd July and ending at Chepstow on 31st July. Each day's walk will be about five miles, and the walkers will be carrying a bottle of pure water from the source of the river all the way along the walk. Although it's described as a walk, it will also involve canoeists, cyclists, horse riders and swimmers.
Various events are being planned at points along the route, including Hay.
The point of the walk is to bring local communities together to celebrate their river, and to highlight the environmental problems the river is facing. Once one of the cleanest rivers in the UK, the Wye is being polluted by chemicals, sewage, manure and invasive plants like himalayan balsam. Last summer saw a lot of problems due to nitrate blooms and algae on the river, and key species of animals and plants are in decline.
The group are planning citizen science water sampling, music and performance, mass swims, artists at work, and a people's assembly. They are keen to involve more people in the walking and the events, and can be contacted on savethewye@gmail.com
Meanwhile, the Rewilding, Biodiversity and Sustaining the Countryside group are planning a mass pulling of himalayan balsam. For more details, contact Sean O'Donoghue on seanonwye@gmail.com
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