It wasn’t so many years ago that the swooshing and slicing of the scythe was the norm; and for some countryside tasks at the Wildlife Trust we have discovered that scything is still the best way. I was introduced to scything 10 years ago whilst volunteering as a Tudor history re-enactor, but it was travelling in Romania more recently that I recognised the beauty and efficiency of the scythe’s simplicity. The rhythmic action of scything takes a while to learn, let alone master.

It requires concentration and control to maintain the blade at the angles and levels needed for an effective cut.

However, the learning is a peaceful, meditative process, which I found particularly rewarding. It’s less noisy and invasive than other tools, for wildlife and us humans.

Without the deafening ‘brrrr’ of a motor I can appreciate the song of the sedge warbler, the multi-coloured flutter of the scarlet tiger moth, or conversation between the workers as we inch our way forward into the grasses.

Last year, the Wildlife Trust bought several well-crafted scythes to use for smaller tasks like cutting back vegetation on nature reserves in tricky-to-reach places.

I was soon smitten. Scything is not only quieter but cleaner too, unlike the petrol-driven alternatives.

The burden of carrying machine, fuel can, tool kit and safety equipment is replaced by the lightness of only a blade, snath (the long wooden shaft for the blade) and sharpening stone. In the glorious hay meadows at Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve, near Bampton, I attended a training session led by one of our expert volunteers. The weather was perfect for a good day’s work in the field.

As hay meadows are ideal training ground for scything, we chose a small area to practise on before the tractor arrived to cut the extensive 90-hectares of hay. In June the meadows are at their best. All around is rich with colour and texture: the flowers yellow, pink and purple, and the grasses nodding their heads in the breeze.

Within a few weeks these will all have been cut and collected into bales, to be stored away until the depths of winter, when food is scarce for our sheep, cattle and ponies.The meadows thrive on this annual cut, ensuring that the wonderful array of plants found here return each year.

Scything is now a regular event at our atmospheric Parsonage Moor reserve, a secluded fen and reedbed in the Cothill Fen area, south west of Oxford, between the A338 and A34.

This special place is rich in botanical gems, moths and dragonflies which depend on a number of annual cuts so that the fen and reedbeds remain healthy and we retain areas of open water.

Since Parsonage Moor is wet, it can be difficult or impractical to take in machinery to carry out these cuts.

Cue the scythes and our band of volunteers. It is great to see the scythe making a comeback, no longer confined to history.

If you are interested in finding out more about scything there are plenty of resources, courses, events and competitions available.

To get started have a look online for the websites of The Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland and also The Scythe Shop.