West Lane Farm and Throstle's Nest, Pateley Bridge: 21-04-2026

Please release me, 

Let me go....

It was back to West Lane, above Pateley Bridge, for the vols this week. If you remember, they made an excellent start removing tree tubes from a couple of plantations but didn't have time to complete the job. As they left the site they could hear the trees that still needed attention wailing the Englebert Humperdink favourite "Please release me..." It tugged at the heart strings.

So - it was back to work with the Stanley knives......

There was this area in 

the lower half of the field

and another, similar sized area

higher up the hill.

Some were in a bad state...

...and many revealed whole, slimy

microhabitats under the tubes.

Into the bag with you lot.

A small number of older

trees were surrounded 

by chicken wire cages.

These were difficult to remove

as twigs had grown through the mesh

and the bottom edge of the cages 

were embedded in grass and soil.

That's this one free.

Let's roll it up.

By coffee time the job was completed.

Hurray!

Time to go home?

No such luck!

Liz decided to move on to 

Throstle's Nest farm, a little way 

down the road, to do the same thing!!

Not only was this a steep hillside, 

two large piles of tubes, taken off dead 

trees by the landowner, were also 

awaiting processing. All the 

posts were still attached.

At least the view was stunning.

We even found a banana tree.

OK. It really is time to go home now.

More still to finish next week!

Walling Update 

Day Ash Farm - 15 April 

It was a pleasantly warm and sunny start to the day as we gathered on Day Lane at Thornthwaite, daffodils still in bloom and the adjacent copse alive with birdsong.

The removal of ivy revealed a 

wall in a poor state - the the whole stretch

needed taking down. 

Dave & Simon remove the remains of a tree stump 

We soon had the stones laid out, 

some of which were quite substantial,... 

...and the larger of these provided 

a sound base on which to build.

With limited space on the wall, Barry spent the rest of the morning clearing the nearby stile of thorns and ivy, and setting a lower step on the far side to ease the descent.

A couple with binoculars called by on their way to monitor nesting curlews, and a local resident walking her dog were the only visitors. Good progress was made on the rebuild and the wall was topped off, and the site cleared by 2pm before the threatening rain appeared.

Finished wall from both sides.

The three small gaps on the roadside wall up the lane were left for another day.

West Lane, Pateley Bridge: 14-04-2026

 

Time for some painting?

 After a week off work, due to the Easter holiday, the NCVs made their way up to West Lane, high above Pateley Bridge. Tubes were rumoured to be involved. However - just in case you expected to see the NCVs sitting with their art materials in front of them, painting the view 'en plein air', you are about to be disappointed. The tubes referred to were not oil paints.  Here there were two neighbouring woodland areas in need of tree tube removal for the benefit of the trees. Once removed they would then be collected up and taken off for recycling. At least the gang would certainly create an improved view by the end of the day. 

Let's take a look and see how things went....

The first plantation was reached by

 walking a long distance downhill...

...then a good way uphill....

...by way of an awkward fence.

Once there tubes were split...

...and coaxed off their trees.

They were then transported uphill

to the awaiting trailer.

Hang on Osian - 

Ros is coming to help.

And then she wished she hadn't!

As area one was done by coffeetime

the vols moved on to plantation no. 2.

It was split and collect; split

and collect until lunchtime.

Sometimes collection required team work.

Phew! That's better.

This is challenging terrain

to work on.

Even better were the tasty

biscuits provided by landowner

Chris. Thanks Chris.

Much appreciated.

Work continued after lunch

and, gradually, tubes went from up here...

...to down here. 

Liz practised her dog walking skills.

And, whilst she wasn't looking,

Helena had a swinging time.

By home time no fewer than 5 dumpy bags had been filled with tubes - all to be turned into pelleted plastic to be reused to make new tubes.

The gang are planning to return next week to finish off the rest of the trees. 

Wilsill: 08-04-2026

 

Wallers' Easter Update

from Barry, Duncan and Dave 

It was a beautiful sunny Spring morning in Nidderdale for stone stile repairs on the riverside paths near Wilsill.

Wood anemone and lesser celandine 

responding to the warmth on

 the riverside path

The Wallers split into two groups this week with Simon and Dave sorting a squeeze-stile with a metal bar downstream from Glasshouses on the south bank, and Barry, Andy, Rob and Duncan rebuilding a stile / steps adjacent to the Jogglyn footbridge on the north bank between Wilsill and Low Laithe.

The second group parked by the roadside between Wilsill and Smelthouses with beautiful views across Nidderdale and walked down to the footbridge passing through a field of newly born lambs and picking up a couple of wheelbarrows and tools that Barry & Andy had left earlier.  We then transported several impressively large stones from a derelict wall a couple of hundred yards away to the collapsed stile near the bridge.

Andy and Barry discussing the work ahead. 

While Barry toiled away making a collapsed wall safe (see picture below), the remaining wallers - Andy, Rob and Duncan - set about building steps up to the stile by the bridge.  At lunchtime Barry joined the others and pointed out the Brimstone butterflies which made a welcome appearance.  

Barry worked hard to level a derelict 

wall and make the steps up to it safe.

Andy and Rob worked near the bridge.

Here they are removing a large boulder 

that was in the way.  Note some of the large 

stones that had been barrowed to the site.

The completed steps up to the stile.

With just a bit of tidying up after lunch we were finished by 1.45. It was warm work walking back up the hill to the cars, but a really satisfying contribution to the amenity of local rights of way. 

Across the river, Dave and Simon grafted for another hour, completing their work by 3pm.This path by the River Nidd proved to be one of the most popular sites where we've walled with groups of walkers passing every half hour or so, all of them expressing gratitude for the improvements.  The completed steps were secure but would benefit from a handrail for those unsteady walkers who may pass down this well-used route.

'Before’ picture of the unsafe stile

 on the south bank

A veritable platform of steps

 constructed by Dave & Simon

A closer view of Dave & Simon’s work