Fen's towering hide gets makeover

Visitors are able to climb the hide's wooden staircase

A towering feature of a wetland nature reserve in Cambridgeshire is getting a fresher look.

The Tower Hide at Wicken Fen, near Ely, stands 30ft (9.14m) high and is being re-thatched using reeds known as sedge harvested from the site last summer.

The National Trust, which owns the fen, said the 1950s structure affords panoramic views over the Mere, Sedge Fen, Verrall's Fen.

The re-thatching is due to be completed on Friday, the trust said.

The annual harvesting of the Great Fen sedge at Wicken can be traced back to 1419.

Visitor services manager Isabel Sedgwick, who helped with the harvest, said: "It was hot, tiring back-breaking work and I have great admiration for the fen folk who for generations earned their living harvesting sedge on the fen.

"It's fantastic to see the outcome of all our hard work being put to such good use re-thatching the hide".