Quote of the task: "I can indeed procure you a scythe"

Today we returned to a regualar favorite: Aston's Eyot. This year we have done a whole range of tasks on this lovely nature reserve; clearing nettles, mending fencing, creating benches, litter picking and so on.

This evening, with the mizzly drizzle in the air (yes we've quickly moved on from complaining about the heat to complaining about the rain and dark) we gathered to clear a HUGE swathe of thistles to make way for the tractor mower and to make our precious fence more visible. Using a chop and yank method we managed to clear LOADS of space and rescued some bugs and voles in the process. We also shifted a log pile a few meters, making way for the tractor but preserving an important mini-beast paradise.

Thank you to the hardy group of 9 on our first rainy task in AGES and welcome to the gang Dom, lovely to have you with us!

This evening, we returned to Aston’s Eyot, a 32-acre nature reserve with public access. It’s a GoodGym favourite, as it almost always involves scything and offers lovely views of the river!

We split into two teams to tackle different sections. Our tasks ranged from using posts to secure log seating and sawing branches to open up the viewpoints, to scything the pathways and lopping back overgrown greenery. Along the way, we enjoyed watching the rowers, kayakers, and swans pass by.

It was the kind of task where we could see the immediate impact of our work. We even got to test out one of the log benches at the end and admire the newly cleared space. We were really pleased to welcome Akshat for their first GoodGym session!

Shady Aston Eyot was thankfully cool for a strenuous scything and fence repair task. Ruth assigned our tasks and kept a watchful eye on progress. There are always nettles to chop back; this time we scythed around a fenced in area, cleared an overgrown path and carved out a track to one of the many backwaters. James tackled his first scything task with gusto, quickly getting into the swing of it; for Vicky and Joe it was another battle with a familiar foe. The rest of the team tackled the fence repair. Burrowing animals create holes under the fence big enough for muntjacs to squeeze through, undermining the purpose of the deer proof enclosure. The task was to reinforce the fence posts, cable tie loose sections of wire and block off the holes with sawn up logs. Anja, Henry, Sarah and Steve used their ingenuity to make the enclosure deer proof once more and give the saplings a chance to thrive. Due to the heat, a group run was not on the menu. Thanks to the whole team for another great session and special shout outs to James on his first scything task and welcome back to Oxford GoodGym to Sarah.

My goodness that was HOT!!!!

visiting Aston's Eyot is always a joy, mainly because it always involves scything - relaxing but also quite sweaty work.

This evening's task was clearing an amazing amount of nettles and thistles to start creating more welcoming spaces for pollinators.

Nettles were duly scythed and we discovered that uphill scything in a heat-wave is really rather hard work! Our clearing were then covered with big tarpaulins to help suppress regrowth.

With frequent stops for water and bug spray we made a huge difference. Its always mega satisfying to see quick results!

Well done team, ice creams all round I reckon.

Our relationship with Aston’s Eyot goes back a few years and, arriving on a warm May evening by the river, we could see the results of our many earlier endeavours. Ruth from the Friends of Aston’s Eyot welcomed us with tools ready and a clear plan for the evening’s work.

We split forces for maximum efficiency: one team weeded around the wildlife pond GoodGym had helped create, giving its edges some much‑needed breathing room, while the rest of us took on a fresh front in the never‑ending nettle campaign. The patch was new, but the story was familiar: nettles determined to reclaim paths, sting ankles, and generally assert dominance.

Our weapon of choice was one of humanity’s oldest tools: the scythe. This ancient innovation allowed early farmers to harvest standing upright rather than stoop over sickles—no doubt prompting a collective scythe of relief. It’s still the most effective tool in wildlife‑rich spaces like Aston’s Eyot, where its quiet, precise, environmentally friendly sweep is far better suited than anything with an engine.

We made short work of weeding around the pond and opening up another stretch of path toward the Cherwell. The war on nettles and other weeds is never won at Aston’s Eyot, but Oxford GoodGym is always ready for the next skirmish.

In a race against the sunset we headed to Aston's Eyot for a last evening scything session of the year.

The Friends of Aston's Eyot are creating a new meadow area, so the task this evening was to continue to prepare the area for wild flower seeds. We scythed and raked nettles from the perimeter, bashed in 3 fence posts (it needs fencing so the deer don't eat everything), hoed away unwanted seedlings which were popping up, and collected up a vast amount of broken glass. Aston's Eyot used to be a rubbish dump, so there is a huge amount of Victorian glass just below the surface.

Well done on reaching 50 Good Deeds Laura!