Where it is
Picket Bottom Mire is located just north of Picket Post. There is a waymarked cycle route that uses a sandy vehicle track that contours round the top of the mire system. This shares some of the access route for materials. Other than the cycle route, this area is seldom used by the public.
Picket Bottom Mire is a small mire catchment on the Open Forest, which drains north west into Little Linford Inclosure. The watercourse runs northwards through the Inclosure, emerging onto the Open Forest again just before it joins the Linford Brook. Earlier mire restoration work was undertaken in 2008 and 2014 lower down in the Picket Bottom Mire catchment.
This restoration work involved the repair of three erosion nick points high up in the mire system, at SU19110656, SU19090657 and SU18800677, covering a length of approximately 59m. This was achieved using staked heather bales. At the request of the Commoners Defence Association, a discreet stock crossing was also created at the downstream end of the upper erosion area.
Why was it a problem
This Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) unit was assessed as being in unfavourable condition in 2012, largely as a result of artificial drainage lower down in the mire system, which has since been addressed by restoration work in 2014. Higher up in the mire, the focus of this restoration, was in localised areas of damage associated with heavy poaching in stock crossing areas. Locally this has resulted in complete loss of mire habitat.
What was done to restore it
The nick points which were heavily eroded and poached, were repaired using staked heather bales, and a new stock crossing was created.