The first five weeks of the NCVs' blog

Summerbridge: 24-7-2012

Today was our new warden’s first day. Paul Mosley (AONB Volunteer Co-ordinator) took over from Colin Slator, who retired in July. We all decided that Paul did a good job and could carry on looking after us.

The job for the day consisted of starting to work our way through a newly planted area of trees near the top of Hartwith Bank in Summerbridge, making sure that all the trees that had been blown over in high winds were returned to a position as close as possible to the vertical. This is a tricky job as it entails replacing cracked stakes and tightening up tree guards. Many of the trees were overgrown with elder and had all but disappeared from view, so a bit of lopping was called for to ensure that they could see light of day. By the end of the day many trees had been rescued and were feeling as if they were wanted after all, but many more needed attention. We will need to re-visit!

Bewerley Outdoor Education Centre: 31-7-12

Today’s task involved constructing and installing no fewer than 10 benches around two fire pits in Bewerley Park outdoor education centre. This job involved a number of highly specialised sub-tasks including digging post holes using a pair of giant ‘tweezers’, specially designed to remove soil from narrow spaces at great depths; knocking in the posts and packing them tight with gravel (barrowed long distances at great cost to the muscles) and finally (and most importantly), testing the benches (see below).

Completion of this task means that the children who visit the centre are now able to sit around their camp fires without getting damp pants. The accompanying adults are also able to sit down in comfort, and stand up again easily – much better for their ageing joints!

A special vote of thanks is given to Graham this week, who, with a wave of his trusty screwdriver and some magical incantation, turned the NCV workshop door’s padlock into something that anyone could open without being in danger of breaking their fingers anymore.

Moorland training and yellow rattle seed collection: 7-8-2012

An interesting day today. A day of two halves.


Once a month we have training sessions. Today was the day that Marian Wilby, the Farm Conservation Advisor based at the Nidderdale AONB office, took us out for the morning onto Dallowgill Moor and told us all kinds of interesting facts about grouse moorland management. We got to stand in two different kinds of grouse butts (we volunteers know how to have a good time!) and were able to have a chat with one of the game keepers. Good weather and wonderful views across to the North Yorkshire Moors – it doesn’t get much better than this!

Now the afternoon – a different venue and a very different task. A first for the NCVs. We were charged with picking yellow rattle seeds at Thruscross. These were to be sown in other fields as part of the wild flower meadow project.

Picture the scene – 1:30pm - a beautiful wild flower meadow; Thruscross reservoir in the background; three NCVs and Paul busy collecting seeds in the glorious sunshine, each supplied with a newly purchased, pristine white pillowcase for collecting the seed heads. Once again – how could you improve on this? Good weather and wonderful views - the seed heads were easy to spot and came off easily with a simple tug.

Now picture the scene – 2pm – an ominous black cloud starts to grow on the horizon. At 2:30pm the rain started to lash the hillside. Within minutes the seed heads had all but become invisible and, if you could see one, slimy to remove. Dry pillow cases quickly became sodden (as did the seeds inside....and the NCVs holding them).

Waterproofs were quickly donned but soon submitted to the relentless onslaught. My eyes began to sting as the L’Oreal Revitalift* , so carefully applied that morning in an attempt to stave off the march of time, started to run down the wrinkles and straight into the eye sockets. It was no good – we had to give up. Needless to say – as soon as we started driving away from the field the rain stopped.

As an aside – there was a horse standing in the farmyard where we parked our cars. It did not appear to be tethered but stood in the same place all the time we were there, in spite of the fact that one of the farm dogs constantly kept pulling its tail. It just kept kicking the dog. Obviously a very patient, lazy horse and a persistent, thick-skinned dog!

*other anti-ageing creams are available

(Update - 21^st August - The seeds are still drying out two weeks later!)

Strawberry Bank: 14-8-2012

Thistle pulling.  Thistle pulling. Thistle pulling.

No – it doesn’t matter how you say it – it doesn’t sound very inviting. This could be one of the reasons why the NCVs were a bit thin on the ground this week. Suddenly most had a holiday they remembered they had to go on.

For those of us who could go out pulling thistles there was an upside – we had a very nice lunch spot on top of a hill, overlooking Nidderdale, at Strawberry Bank. It is a SINC site where the AONB staff are trying to encourage the wild flowers to spread. Hence – the thistles must go! It was a good opportunity to try out the new suede gloves that Paul has bought us. The large man sized ones turned out to be as much use as a pair of lace gloves. However – the natty little red ones, especially for ladies, were a winner. Not a single thistle thorn (do thistles have thorns? Stingy bits? Prickles?) managed to penetrate to the skin below. A bargain at half the price!

We managed to clear a very large patch of said pesky thistles. However, as with a number of NCV jobs – it is always as well not to look over there, or behind you, once you have finished, as there are always acres more of whatever you are trying to eradicate just lying there, mocking you.

Summerbridge and Old Spring Wood: 21-8-2012

Déjà vu – back on the hillside above Summerbridge, reinstating yet more trees to their proper position in life (see entry for Tuesday 24^th July). At least this was the job for the morning.

After a leisurely lunch, sitting on the lovely patio of Rosemary Helme (owner of both the new tree plantation and Old Spring Wood), we walked down into Old Spring Wood for the next task of the day. This involved clearing a number of invading sycamores and cutting back the encroaching vegetation that was threatening to turn the main footpath into a narrow tunnel. Lopping, sawing, brash pile building – what more could anyone ask for?

Needless to say – even though we worked hard until 4pm, there are still more sycamores to cut down and more trees that need standing upright. It wouldn’t do to be able to finish a job in a day would it?

Two votes of thanks this week – one to Audrey for providing yet another tin of her tasty flapjack (highly recommended) and another to Clive for fixing the hook on the new plantation gate. Next time we visit we will be able to enter within seconds instead of having to work hard to release the latch. (This week we needed a lump hammer to gain admittance!)

Having brought you all up to date for the first 5 weeks of the blog, I (Ros E.) now pass on the blog baton to the next NCV......