Hackfall Woods: :07-07-2026

 

Right everyone. Enough of this time off for walks and picnics - it's time to get back to the serious business of doing something useful. And what better time to do that than the first Tuesday in July?

And do something useful the NCVs did. This time controlling the bracken and balsam at Hackfall - in the 8 tree cages at the Mickley end of the woods.

And here they are doing it. Very usefully.....

Upon entering the area it 

was a case of hunt the cages.

Luckily Liz (marked with 

yellow arrow) had brought 

the strimmer.

She strimmed pathways to

some of the cages.

Reaching a cage did not

do anything for the NCVs'

spirits. They were packed

 with bracken.

Fearless, Friedy (marked with

yellow arrow) entered and

started work.

As the bracken was bashed

the tree trunks became visible.

Coffeetime, with Amy's packet 

of custard creams, gave 

everyone some respite.

Apart from the very 

annoying flies. Luckily

some had brought their 

Ascot hats to help keep 

the flies at bay.

Friedy preferred the 

more mysterious look.

Liz felt the natural look 

would not do for Ascot

(nor did it do anything

to solve the fly problem)....

...so got out her more 

up-market fascinator.

After coffee everyone moved

onto their second cage.

Besides the 3Bs (balsam,

bracken and blackberry)...

...they also had to deal with

the horrendous overgrowth of 

wild rose - a species that

had inadvisably been liberally 

planted on purpose. How foolish!

Eventually the 8

cage fights were at an end.

Time to go home?

No! Time to continue to 

the Dropping Well to slash 

the HB. Groans were heard

echoing around the woods.

However - amazingly a

huge swathe of HB was 

slashed and trampled

out of existence.

NCVs 1 - HB 0 

Time to go home.

Hurray!

Actually - the July tasks began for the rights of way team last Thursday, when they visited the lay by at Burnt Yates to install two finger posts - not unlike this one:

Unfortunately the posts were

 not being installed at the layby. Instead the workers had

 to carry everything

 a very long way.

Two pairs of heavy Giant's tweezers were carted 

down, only to be found

to be almost useless.

More useful were the heavy 

metal spits that were used 

to break up the underlying  rocks.

Liz used her cake mixing

skills to make sure the 2 bags of 

postcrete were well mixed with 

the water.

Hopefully the 2 posts should remain upright for many years.

 

The walling group was even quicker off the July starting block when they went back to Thruscross on Wednesday 1st, as Barry reports.......

WALLERS' UPDATE

 Seven wallers gathered at Breaks Fold Farm on a calm, warm morning. The lines were set on the working stint while Dave, Rob & Simon began dismantling the next 10m section. Andy, Barry, Duncan & Rod continued the build which was raised by another 5 courses by the end of the day, much of the stone needing hammer work. The dismantlers having set out the stones very tidily, then put in very substantial foundations with a satisfying completion by the 3pm finish as can be seen below.

New build section by 3pm.

Dismantled  section with new 

foundations by 3pm.

Summer Walk: 30-06-2026

 

A nice day off!

The NCVs were in a buoyant mood this week. Why wouldn't they be? It was the day of the summer walk and a picnic was being provided. What's not to like?

Last week they had made a start on Himalayan balsam removal (yes - it is that time of year again) - clearing plants from the Summerstones estate down towards Limley Farm in extremely hot conditions. Ice creams were purchased at How Stean Gorge to help cool the workers down.

The plants were poking out 

of all kinds of places...

...but they were rooted out and crushed.

Nick realised (it was his first experience 

of HBP) that NCVs needed to be 

mountain goats!

Luckily there was some shade from 

the intense heat at coffeetime.

However, this week Tim had planned an excellent walk in the Timble area and Liz had provided the wonderful lunchtime repast with the help of the Nidd Way catering company.

The 4.5 mile circular walk from

Timble Inn went below Swunsty Reservoir , 

via Dob Bridge and Low Snowdon.

Here are some pics of the day out....

In the absence of a starting

pistol Tim just shouted

'Ready, Steady, Go!'

And they were off - stopping 

now and again to make sure

 no-one was left behind.

Stiles slowed the flow....

...on more than one occasion.

The views all along the 

way were lovely.

There were many hay meadows

to wander through...

...one of which was full of orchids.

There were  woodlands to give shade...

...and Dob Bridge to sit on 

at coffee time.

This gave Anita an opportunity

to have a good old root around

to see what was in her picnic bag.

A handy tree provided some much 

needed shade for lunchtime, when 

Liz provided bite cream for Ken who 

had been attacked by a horse fly.

One or two vols took a little diversion 

to photograph one of the many cup 

and ring marked stones nearby.

A bronze age dart board?

They couldn't find the 'Tree of Life' stone

which, apparently, looks like this.

Very impressive!

A trio of cows were waiting to

 cheer us at the end of the walk...

...where a new style fingerpost showed us

 the way we had come.

 Mick was congratulated when it was reported that he had completed his 26.5 mile marathon hike on Saturday. He and his 16 friends  have raised over £17,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support - a staggering result! (And a staggering team by the end, given the heat they were walking in!!!)

Well done Mick!!!!!

Whilst the NCVs were battling with balsam in the heat, the walling group were working hard elsewhere last week - as Graham reports below:

WALLERS' UPDATE

Opting for the scenic route to Thruscross on the finest of summer mornings, Rod & Barry travelled via Summerbridge and Dacre Top and were rewarded by excellent visibility along Dacre Lane across the undulating catchment of Darley Beck, the smell of newly mown silage in our nostrils. Pausing at the field gate close to our wall to unload some gear, a snipe stood obligingly on the wall a few metres ahead of us, unperturbed and allowing a fine view. 

Two lapwings then descended in the field in our line of view, and then a meadow pipit.  All eventually taking flight, a curlew then flew over as we set down the gear. Having booted up, five snipe then noisily circled overhead, and later, a pair of even noisier oyster catchers came past. A great start to the day’s work.

At that point, new waller Wayne, and Graham arrived for what was going to be the hottest walling day ever, circa 28 degrees. (32 degrees plus in Harrogate)     The heat did not stop the walling, albeit at a slower pace than usual and by the end of day another three courses had been added.  

Despite the heat it was a lovely moorland day with the sound of.curlews and lapwings constantly in the background.  However, the temperature persuaded us to take an early finish and at 2pm we departed.