Hackfall Woods: 27-08-13

Editor's note: As the turn out this week numbered 24 (Paul, his 15 NCVs and 8 others from Wolseley PLC), the volunteers split up into three working groups, each with a different task. Consequently the blog entry consists of three, separate parts, each written by a different NCV.

Hey ho, hey ho, it's off to work we go...

Paul holds everyone in thrall with his plans for the 

day and his health and safety information.

The path layers' tale.........

There were two parts to this task - the hard bit and the harder bit. First we had to insert a number of planks to act as retaining walls for the gravel. This sounds easy until you try it. There were lots of large stones and roots to clear as we dug a trench and sparks could often be seen flying as the pick axe hit rock.

Planks put roughly in position first  - then Dave and Graham got busy with the pick. 

Each plank was then secured with two wooden stobs. Unfortunately a number of these split under the force of the mell so Dave tried an alternative approach with the pick axe.....

Sally puts her absolute trust in Dave. 

By lunchtime the retaining planks were all in place - phew! After a break we got started on the less technical but much more exhausting part of the task, namely, carrying trugs filled with gravel across the stepping stones and up the steep, woodland path. Occasionally Dean (the self-appointed trug filler-upper [he's no fool!]) needed reminding that the trugs should NOT BE FILLED TO THE TOP!!!!!!! 

Everyone gritted their teeth and smiled for the camera - it was such fun. 

How many more buckets full did you say we needed Dave? Only 10? No problem.

The end result was very pleasing  and will ensure that visitors to the woods will not have to negotiate a mudslide on their walks during the winter. We joined the group at the Alum pond and enjoyed some tasty biscuits that Howie discovered in his rucksack (thanks Pat!!)

 

Howie celebrates reaching the end of the task 

by demonstrating moon dancing on the brand new path.

Ros E.

Meanwhile - down at the Alum Pond the stream clearing team were busy .......


The 8 Wolseley volunteers, Hannah and Joanne spent the day in the Alum Pond.  A stone bridge had to be dismantled and the stones moved further upstream and hidden, as best we could, to stop the next influx of children building yet another pond and blocking up the free flow of water.  But will it work?  

 

The Wolseley volunteers start to get damp and muddy - 

a theme that continued throughout the day.

We worked in teams as best we could, shovelling stones and silt into barrows that got heavier and heavier as the day wore on and as we got more and more tired. Some of us wore waders and some had on boots, but generally most of us ended up wet and dirty. All went well apart from three incidents of going for an unexpected swim. But we did find the larvae of a stonefly, which was really nice, and stopped work for a while. 

Hannah wonders if the waders are a 

touch on the small side for her. 

NB - at one point the insides of this fashionable footwear were full of water 

The water cleared quickly so we could see what we had done which is always satisfying. The day was warm, passed very quickly and there is something very calming and healing about working in fresh running water. All in all a good day.

Hannah

And finally - the vegetation clearing / fence fixing / Alum Spring re-directing teams' stories ....

The stream is re-directed by Jan and Osian to ensure that the footpath remains dry.

You can always tell when the pace hots up - Osian puts on his headband.

A quartet of ladies, otherwise known as the ‘Hackfall Hackers’,  chose as their task for the day the clearance of the footpath from the Banqueting House to the Alum Spring.  Having decided we needed to pace ourselves on this warm sunny morning we quickly found a suitable piece of dappled shade for the first coffee stop of the day.

Suitably refreshed we upped the pace and set to to clear a section of path of brambles, overhanging branches and the odd sycamore sapling. Particular attention was given to the various benches along the path, where it was considered prudent to sit, preferably with thermos in hand, and establish whether views to the various follies were clear of extraneous vegetation.  If not, then the loppers were brought into action.

After lunch, and now assisted by Paul and Jan, we cleared  the encroaching trees and brambles around Kent's Seat which gave the ‘boys’ a chance to climb trees and lop big branches! 

To add even more variety to our day we finished off with a ‘belt and braces’ repair to the fence posts by the Banqueting House which involved bits of recycled binder twine and the destruction of an AONB hammer.  Still, it seems to have done the trick!

Having run short of vegetation to trim back, benches to sit on 

and coffee to drink, the third team now branch out into fence repair. 

A final meander back to the car park, lopping and clearing as we went ended another satisfying day.

Julia