Tiplady Farm: 04-11-2025

 

What? No fire?

But it's Bonfire Night tomorrow!

The NCVs were hoping to get in the mood for Guy Fawkes Night this week, given that they were back at Tiplady Farm. They were intending to make the most of the opportunity to practise their bonfire tending skills, ready for the following evening. However - no such luck. It was decided to do without the usual fire due to the wet conditions first thing. On the upside, they were not going to be going home smelling like kippers.

Now - I know you've all seen it all before. You don't need me to tell you why we lay hedges or, indeed, how to lay them. So, without any further ado, I will just cut to the chase and let you see what transpired....

Julia and Dave rocked up in their 

brand new electric car, looking 

very svelte after their crash diet.

Down at the hedge there was a good

 deal of 'facing up' to be done

before laying could begin.

This kept Tony busy with brash piling.

Once the hedge was faced up,

 Adrian started pleaching.

Helena joined in the fun and

soon, everyone was laying stems 

as if there was no tomorrow..

Luckily the rain stopped after a little 

while so coffee time was held in the dry.

Lunchtime goodies were kindly provided

 by landowner Janet. (Thanks Janet!)

Unlike visit 2, Liz and the chainsaw were 

on hand today to ease the strain.

An 'OffHedge' examiner arrived to 

check we were all pleaching properly.

We passed the inspection 

with flying colours.

Ken started knocking in the posts

where the hedge was ready...

...and Julia and Dave, looking a little less 

skinny after the lunchtime biscuits,

 started attaching the rails.

Ruth and James laid the 

two last stems...

...and by 2:15 the hedge was laid.

Just one more visit by a 

small group to finish the rails

and burn the brash.

ADDITIONALLY....

In case you were wondering what went on during the half term week - not everyone had a week off!

Four hardy souls braved the windy conditions at Breakfold Farm near Thruscross to do a little more pond margin plug planting. As you can see below - at least it was sunny!!

Also - the week before, despite being covered in mud on the Tuesday, five other NCVs turned out two days later to fix a bridge and two stiles along a footpath near. Grantley.

Alistair keeps a watchful eye

 on the other workers.

James was pleased to be given 

the honour of removing some

 dangerous barbed wire.

Amy felt very proud (and

rightly so) of the new stile that

she and Tim installed.

And finally - an update from Graham on the Nidderdale Wallers' progress at Timble...

Our thanks to Derek the farmer, who had left us a large quantity of stone which enabled us to have a successful day's walling.

The weather continues to surprise us. It was raining when we left home but had stopped by the time we arrived. After that it remained fairly grey but warmed up to 15%+.  Again wet underfoot, but nearly excellent for walling, as can be seen below.

Graham and Duncan finished off last week's 

six yard section adding two courses 

and toppers by coffee time.

Meanwhile Rod, Barry, Andy and Dave 

stripped down the next eight yard stretch. 

By lunchtime they had already laid the foundations. 

After lunch they added a further three courses...

... while Graham and Duncan moved on and took

 down the last five yards to be tackled in this stint. 

Amazingly, order was brought

 to this chaotic array of stonework... 

...and by close of play there was a remarkable

 transformation with three courses added.

We were very pleased with ourselves this week! Wildlife wise; no newts but the first shrew ever.

Wallers At Timble Grange: 29-10-2025

Although the NCVs  weren't officially out to play this week, the walling group was. And, just to prove it - here's the evidence! 

Graham, Barry, Rod, Rob and Andy enjoyed similar conditions to last week; a fine day, not quite so much blue sky and a little colder, but still good for walling despite being damp underfoot.  Another successful day as well, with fifteen yards topped off...

A nice stretch of completed wall.

 ...a further 6 yards half built and a 5 more yards nearly dismantled.  

A great view - 

of hard working wallers. 

 

The site at the end of the day.

 

The availability of good stone was a problem and we were raiding further down the wall for toppers. However it looks like the farmer has a stash from a redundant wall and will deliver a supply for next week. N.B Another newt came to say hello, or was it the same one as last week?

High Rails, Heyshaw: 21-10-2025

 

Trowels and wellies at the ready -

marginal working required!

A break from hedge laying was on the cards this week as the NCVs were invited to visit High Rails Farm, near Heyshaw,  in order to do some planting. However, they were not inserting tree saplings, as is a normal activity at this time of the year. Instead they were planting about 2000 marginal plug plants around the edges of a number of ponds. These ponds have been created as part of a wider wetlands creation project, run by the NNL's pond officer, Christie Irish. Apparently "the 17 new ponds, scrapes and wet gutters will all to help drain the bridle path and make the land a better habitat for wading birds on the moorland edge."

Liz's email asked everyone to bring a trowel and (ominously) mentioned that the ground was VERY MUDDY, so advised wellies.  So - without any further ado - let's see what went on. Was anyone lost in the mire? Did anyone fall in a pond? Did anyone get into a scrape? Were all the plugs plugged in? 

There was rather a long walk from 

the meeting point to the work site.

Arrival at the gate gave everyone

 a taste of what was to come.

The bridleway did, indeed, need draining.

The new drainage ditch shows just how

 much water has already, thankfully,

 been taken  off the path.

Up at the worksite trays and

 trays of plugs lay in wait.

What looked like numerous tussocks of rush turned out 

to be rafts of potted sedges awaiting planting.

There was no chance of an early finish today!!

Luckily there was a 15 strong turnout 

including no fewer than 4 new vols!

This group got busy on this pond....

...whilst others walked to the top of the site.

There was a breathtaking transformation

 as each pond was completed.

Where once there was mud, now there was....

...mud.

Never mind. WE know that 

the plants are there. Next summer 

things will look a lot different.

Newbie Deb seemed to enjoy herself,

despite the filthy conditions.

Sophia felt herself slip sliding away towards 

the water as she plugged in a marsh marigold.

James decided to kill two birds with one stone

 and used the deep forward bend 

planting technique to stretch his hamstrings.

A flock of sheep joined us in the hope we 

had something tasty but soon lost interest 

when all we offered them was a trowel 

and a sedge plant to plug in.

At coffee and lunchtime everyone joined together 

to partake of the Michelin starred restaurant

facilities.

They had plenty of cake this week.

It was both Liz's and Brenda's birthdays,

so this made up for the lack of furniture 

in the restaurant. 

Thanks Liz and Brenda!!

On the way back to the road everyone 

had to plant up the edges of the main ditch 

with sedge.

The final job was trying to clean the worst of

the wet clay off wellies, gloves and trowels.

Liz had organised the delivery of a 

state of the art outdoor cleaning facility 

for the gang to use.

Did all the plugs get planted? 

Not quite. These can be used on another 

project pond.

Walling Group update from the 22-10-2025

Timble Grange:

A good gang of seven of us, Andy, Barry, Dave, Duncan, Rob, Steve and Graham, gathered on a lovely autumn day at Timble Grange. Slightly cool at times but big blue skies with views of Blubberhouses Moor, Thruscross and beyond , Menwith Hill and even the White Horse. In addition, a good day's walling. 

We dismantled an eight yard and a five yard section and then started the muddy job of rebuilding some six courses on each. Progress was surprisingly good considering the waterlogged nature of the ground, particularly the foundations. No frogs found this week, but a newt popped out of the wall to say hello!

Eight yards of wall taken down and five courses rebuilt by lunchtime

A further five yards dealt with; lovely views of

 Timble Ings and Blubberhouses Moor

Big sky moment at lunchtime looking over towards 

Blubberhouses Moor, Thruscross and beyond

Our visiting newt!

Nearing the end of the day

Barry's final deft touches, one of the new ponds and Menwith Hill