Some Crack Willows on the Somerset Levels that have a few year's growth since their last pollarding (pic of some pollarded this year on 14th March http://365project.org/julienne1/365/2015-03-14 ). In this pic you can see how close the rhynes (drainage ditches) are to the country lane and consequently how they are prone to subsidence. This is one reason the crack willows are planted alongside the lanes - to help stabilise the banks.
Are the rhynes used to soak the willow before thatching or weaving? In Northern Ireland they are called schuchs (phonetic spelling!) and that is where the flax was steeped or retted before spinning into linen thread. They are mostly overgrown now.
