Hedge Laying at Clifton Village Hall: 12-11-2013

A year ago many of our group had the opportunity to do a day's training hedge laying. This is a traditional country task to encourage new growth of hedging plants which then form livestock-proof barriers. We were hoping to use these skills in early Spring at Clifton near Otley, but unfortunately there was so much snow on the ground it was an impossibility!! Now that the birds' nests in the hedge are empty, it was time to try again. 

(Editor's note - The hedge was first planted by NCVs in 2004 and there was a photo in the village hall to prove it! Note the size of the trees behind the volunteers. Just a little bit smaller than they were today!)

The 2004 hedge planting team.

It was a beautiful day and 20 people, including leader Paul turned up. After a demonstration by Jan to remind us what to do, we split up into small groups with those who had never done hedge laying before joining those more experienced in this task. The line of hedging trees was marked out into 5 metre stretches and each small group took one stretch to work on.

Jan demonstrates how to pleach to the onlooking NCVs. You three at the end - pay attention!

Before we start - a health and safety briefing on correct tool use. 

Or is it a display of martial arts?

Hedge laying requires tools, familiar and otherwise. Loppers were needed first to clear out unnecessary branches. Next a saw to form a pleacher cut and then an axe or a billhook to cut away some of the tree near the cut and to make the final split to get the tree to lean at the correct angle.

This team is getting on really well....

....although further along the hedge Tony tries to 

hide away to avoid any more pleaching!

We gradually worked along our section until eventually all the trees leaned together. 

A perfectly pleached bit of hedge.

The experts at this end are working quickly 

and the hedge is soon laid down.

Such a high hedge to change into such a low one.

Stakes, which had been cut the previous week at Bryan's Wood, were sharpened and placed within the hedge to hold it all together. Paul suggested an AONB "Stake Night" or was it a "steak night"?

Alistair was a man with a mission. 

A stake is no use without a sharp end. 

As fast as Alistair sharpens them, Graham 

whisks them off and puts them to good use.

There are many styles of hedge laying - we were following the Yorkshire style of course, suitable for hillsides with strong winds.

 

The finished hedge. Well - one side of the field anyway!  

  

To finish, much tidying was needed of all the brash leaving an enormous pile of stuff. We were pleased to complete the first half of the hedge, leaving the other half for next week.

The hedge laying team 2013 

Clifton Village Hall is local to Hannah and Dave, long standing members of our group. Many thanks to them for organising the task and for providing a fantastic lunch which was much appreciated.

(See Hannah's recipes below.)

Hannah's delicious recipes for a lovely lunch:

Hedge layers' Aubergine Bake

• Fry onions off, then aubergine slices (and courgettes if wanted). 
• Layer up in a dish. 
• Cover with a tin of tomatoes plus oregano or other herb. 
• Sprinkle cheese on top . 
• Bake 200 or gas mark 6 for 30 plus mins. 

Depending on how many you are making it for just keep layering it up. The oil/butter you use can make a difference to the taste.

Hannah's Ham and Egg Cake

• Make a pastry base. 
• Drop raw chopped bacon on top. 
• Make a well and drop whole eggs in. 
• Put sliced tomatoes on top. 
• Cover with a pastry top. 
• Bake for 40 mins hottish oven.

I often just use a dinner plate and that would take 4 eggs!  Also good cold but best hot.