Listen closely and you’ll hear the landscape whispering to you.

It’s telling you a tale of time gone past, where horses were the main means of transportation and for agricultural work, where the land was worked by hand and communities banded together to get the job done.

Look for the depression in a field to hear about marl, and why it was an important resource to these communities.

Follow the contours of the hole and allow it to take you on a journey to decades previously, only stop digging when you reach the rich, still viable seedbed before the marl at the bottom. Then you know you’ve hit the time capsule jackpot.

What are we on about?

Ghost Ponds! A literal biodiversity time capsule. Your hunt begins on the old OS maps dating back to the 1840’s. Locate the blue circles indicating a pond and cross reference that with an up-to-date map of the local landscape. No pond present? No problem!

After gaining the relevant permissions, checking the site for utilities and ensuring you can see that telltale depression in the landscape, you’re good to go.  A competent digger driver and some enthusiastic landowners later, the hole is being dug.

That’s when you are not just a cluster facilitator, you’re an archaeologist, geologist and historian too. Dating the infill from the pond (previous finds include a car, a cheese grater, an iron, hundreds of bottles, pots, crisp packets and a bed) can give you a clear indication as to when the pond was filled in. This also allows you to better understand the why.

Dig below the junk and you’ll find one of the landscapes best kept secrets. A perfectly viable, beautifully preserved seedbank, just waiting for sunlight and oxygen to rejuvenate and burst into the present day.

The absolute, best part of my job as a facilitator is watching these ponds come to life. A huge thank you to everyone who has helped with this project:

Dom the best digger driver

Norfolk Ponds Project

Dr Carl Sayer

University College London

Anglian Water: Get River Positive

An amazing group of landowners

Andy the drone man