{"id":8259,"date":"2026-07-01T15:25:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8259"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:25:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:25:30","slug":"fishing-swims-open-x-grid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/fishing-swims-open-x-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Fishing Swims Open All Year with X-Grid\u00ae"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Project Brief: Reinforce muddy fishing swims and access routes while maintaining the natural appearance of the fishery.<\/p>

Total Project Area: 450m\u00b2<\/p>

Product Used: X-Grid\u00ae Ground Reinforcement Grid with Bark Fill<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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When managing outdoor recreational spaces, safety, durability and ongoing maintenance are important considerations. Areas exposed to regular foot traffic and vehicle access can quickly become muddy and unstable, particularly during wetter months, creating challenges for both visitors and site managers.<\/div>
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This was the challenge faced by Churchwood Fisheries, a popular year-round fishing destination with several carp and catfish lakes. Frequent use had left sections of the banks, pathways and fishing swims muddy, slippery and difficult to access. Looking for a solution that would provide strength and stability while maintaining the natural appearance of the site, the fisheries team chose X-Grid\u00ae ground reinforcement grids with a bark fill to blend into the surrounding landscape.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The Project<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Churchwood Fisheries identified several high-traffic areas around the lakes that regularly became muddy and unstable due to the number of anglers using them throughout the year. The worst affected areas included the banks, access routes and fishing swims, where constant footfall had worn away the surface.<\/p>

To provide a long-term solution across the site, the team chose X-Grid\u00ae ground reinforcement grid with a bark fill to retain the site’s natural appearance. Compared to gravel, bark also helps minimise noise when walked or driven on, a very important consideration in a fishing environment.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"Timber-Sleepers-Installed-at-Churchwood-Fisheries\"<\/figure><\/div>
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\"Filling-X-Grid-With-Bark\"<\/figure><\/div>
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The Installation<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The fisheries team began by preparing each of the fishing swims and access routes with a suitable sub-base before starting with their installation. Along the edge of each fishing swim, treated timber sleepers were installed to act as a retaining edge, helping to contain both the X-Grid\u00ae and bark fill while creating a neat and defined finish alongside the water’s edge.<\/p>

With the edging and sub-base complete, the team began laying the X-Grid\u00ae panels, securely connecting each neighbouring panel using the innovative slot-and-peg system, allowing the installation to progress quickly across the 450m\u00b2 project area.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Once installed, the grids were filled with bark chippings, creating a stable surface that blended naturally into the surrounding landscape. The bark fill also helped minimise noise underfoot and when transporting equipment, a very important consideration for maintaining a peaceful fishing environment.<\/p>

The open-cell structure of X-Grid\u00ae keeps the bark securely in place, reducing migration and helping to minimise ongoing maintenance while keeping the fishing swims and access routes usable throughout the year.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Outcome<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By using X-Grid\u00ae to reinforce the 450m\u00b2 surface and retain the bark chippings on the fishing swims and surrounding access routes, Churchwood Fisheries has been able to keep even its busiest and most heavily used fishing swims and access routes open throughout the year.<\/p>

The bark-filled surface has provided a natural, low-noise finish that blends perfectly into the surroundings while offering excellent stability underfoot. Thanks to the unique open-cell design of X-Grid\u00ae, the bark remains securely in place, significantly reducing migration and minimising ongoing maintenance.<\/p>

The installation proved so successful that Churchwood Fisheries later returned to purchase additional X-Grid\u00ae for installation around its snack cabin as a car parking surface.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"X-Grid-Installed-at-Churchwood-Fisheries\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"X-Grid-Swim-Installed-at-Churchwood-Fisheries\"<\/figure><\/div>
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To learn more about X-Grid, or to discuss an upcoming project with a member of our team, please get in touch with us on 01246 418144<\/a> or LiveChat during office hours. Outside of these times, you can leave us a message<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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GCL Products\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how Churchwood Fisheries used X-Grid to keep their fishing lakes accessible all year round<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10770,"featured_media":8287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies","category-ground-reinforcement","category-landscaping"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10770"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gclproducts.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}