During October we're documenting Megan Henebury's walk along the route of the River Rea, walking in the river itself as much as possible. Pete is following her with a camera and Megan will be producing a film in the new year. All Walkspace posts on this project are here.
Megan started her walk on Sunday, beginning at the official source of the Rea in Waseley Hills, the watershed between the Severn and Trent catchments. The water in this humble puddle will eventually make its way to the Humber estuary, but first it has to travel through Birmingham.
The Rea consists of a number of minor streams for a kilometre or so before coalescing into the river proper. Megan chose the most visible and headed off, looking for a gap in the fence.
After battling brambles, branches and the odd barbed wire, the stream passed into suburbia corralled between houses and roads.
Although there was the occasional patch of boggy marsh.
On the whole it was slow work through overgrown brambles, though as the stream headed into Rubery it slowly became more river-like, especially around the bridges.
And very soon the tunnels under the roads became large enough to pass through.
After two hours we had made it to Balaam Wood, just shy of Rubery Great Park, where it seems the multiple Reas becomes one. Weather permitting Megan will continue from here later this week, aiming to reach Kings Norton park.