Hackfall Woods: 12-05-2026

 

A tubular reprieve!!

There was cause for celebration in the NCV group this week. They had fully expected to be on tree tube duty once again and were somewhat relieved to hear that they were going to Hackfall instead. Well - they say a change is as good as a rest! Mind you, there was not must resting to be had.  Instead, dealing with drainage problems was the order of the day. 

Well - at least there were no tree tubes to be dealt with!

Up near where the cars were parked there 

was an ominously large pile of gravel.

"Uh oh!" thought the NCVs as they 

walked past it. "Wonder if it is

 connected to the drains work.....?"

Brenda decided to be in charge of the 

available trolley for tool transport.

"Heave Brenda!"

The drains came in three sizes.

A baby drain...

...a Mummy drain...

...and a great big Daddy drain.

This one took the whole gang,

and most of the time,

to put right.

Dawn revealed the pipe.

Brenda washed it out in a 

waterfall and also retrieved

a piece of pipe that had 

she spotted down the hill.

"Cooeee!

Anyone in?"

Whilst this was getting started

Ros And Amy cut back the soil slope 

to widen a path that had 

been damaged by a 

fallen tree.

Once they caught up with the others

they were sent back up to the 

farm to fetch wheelbarrow loads

of gravel.

3 trips = 6 barrowloads!

Coffeetime was a welcome 

relief from the hard grafting....

...and Liz's banana loaf gave 

a welcome injection of energy.

(Thanks Liz!)

After that there was a lot 

more stone shifting...

...and digging of mud....

Daddy drain was sorted!

Well done the A team!!

Rights of Way team update

from 7th May

Once a fortnight the Rights of Way (ROW) team get out to improve the public footpaths of Nidderdale. This week, armed with loppers, they were back at Timble to pick up where they left off last time. Here they are in action....

Let's start here shall we?

This holly monster definitely needed putting in its place.

Now THAT is where it needs to stay!!

This delicate hazel was nicer

to deal with but could still have

taken an unsuspecting walker's eye out.

This section of the path 

made us rethink the route of the NCVs' summer walk.

Not a job that could be tackled 

with four people armed only with loppers!!!

Having completed the job by coffee time the team took 

another footpath back,

clearing obstructing vegetation en route.

What on earth is Tim doing?

Creating a bottom step for this 

stile that was far too high for 

short legged walkers.  

Nice on Tiim!!

WALLERS' UPDATE from 6th May

By Graham 

A chilly start to the day at Day Ash but by lunchtime we were able to sit and bask in the sun.  This was our fourth and final week at the site and in total we had rebuilt some 27 yards (or possibly metres) of wall ( imagine a stretched cricket pitch!).

Initially Simon and Rob tackled the shorter section while Andy, Barry and  Graham, with more to do, worked on the longer section. Later in the day Graham moved along to join Simon and Rob as toppers were added. 

This job started with three short sections to repair; as usual once we get going we always manage to increase the speed! 

Just before coffee break Graham had gone to our next job at the Washburn Heritage Centre car park to meet Steve, who was installing some posts to protect the wall we were about to rebuild in two weeks time.  Having completed the tidy up at Day Ash we all joined them to scope out the task. 

 

Simon and Rob's 

finished article

 

 

Andy jumps for joy over the 

the longer stretch, quite the athlete!

Prospect House: 06-05-2026

For their first task during the month of May the NCVs were (as you may well have guessed) back on the job of removing tree guards. If you remember - at the end of last week they had cleared out about 1000 from the 8 year old plantation at Prospect House, Felliscliffe. Now it was time to tackle the remaining 1000 - after all, it isn't long before the Tubex company's recycling window arrives.

Once again, the weather was kind and they were able to sweep through the trees, flinging tubes every which way with gay abandon. The picker uppers followed in their wake, nesting the sliced discards and getting them ready for packing into dumpy bags. With 17 workers out you probably won't be surprised to learn that the job was finished by lunchtime!!

Here are some photos to give you a flavour of the morning.....

OK team - there's the wood. 

On your marks, get set....

Go!!!

And they are off!

Anita carefully removes the tree ties 

as they need recycling separately.

New recruit, Nicola, takes to

 the job like a duck to water.

All the split tubes need 'nesting'

inside each other to maximise

 the number that can fit into a dumpy bag.

Well - it is the nesting season

after all!

Time for a coffee break and,,,

...not just one, but two, of these 

squidgy chocolate cakes to share.

Oh Anita - surely you haven't 

eaten both of them!!!

Back to work. 

Rob; Mick -  can you take this

dumpy bag to where it is needed?

That's it. Fill them up as tight as possible!

Steadily the woodland was cleared.

The gang was like a plague 

of locusts passing through.

What is nice to see is that there is a small 

number of large, mature trees within the 

plantation. This 6m girth, hollowing sycamore 

is to be added to the Woodland Trust's 

ancient tree inventory as a veteran tree.

We can get another 50 in here!!

Liz, Osian - Push down harder!

Bye bye tubes!!

Wallers' Update: 29the April

by Graham.

Yet again, blue skies, although a bit chilly first thing for the six wallers this week.

Simon and Rob started  on the third roadside gap (a tree root yet again the reason for the collapse) while the rest of us continued on the sections started last week.  Simon and Rod's overgrown but collapsing 5m stretch was soon cleared and dismantled and, by close of play, was halfway to being rebuilt; if there was a Speedy Waller badge, they'd be up for it.  

"Simon - are you sure that there is a wall here?!"  

"Yes - somewhere under this jungle."

 Simon and Rob's progress by mid morning.

The wall had been discovered and dismantled.

Simon and Rob's section by end of play.

Now that is starting to 

actually look like a wall.

Rod and Andy didn't want to be outdone in the dismantling stakes and by coffee time had demolished another section .

 "Now - let's put it all back together shall we?"

Dave and Graham calmly continued on the middle stretch, and even managed to add some toppers. By the end of day, what had been two separate sections had merged into one fifteen metre length of good looking wall.  

Last week's end of play wall

This week's end of play, hiding the dismantling and rebuild bit

We left with a morning's worth of work to finish off the project next week.  Lunchtime had us sitting against a garden wall in the sunshine; a real contrast to some damp and cold winter days. 

Lunchtime in the sun

One notable visitor was Michael, riding past in full cycling gear.  Also a waller, living in the Norwood area and a member of the Otley branch and also involved with the Dry Stone Walling Association.  A long conversation about walling and conservation ensued. The other notable visitor was Andy (Croucher), wall owner and master baker, who came to inspect progress accompanied by a tin of 10 out of 10 almond slices. Many thanks to Andy.  

A finish time of 3.15 pm; a lovely, shirt sleeves  day with good progress made; pleased with ourselves yet again!