Nidderdale Conservation Volunteers' Blog: Hedge planting at Bivouac: 25-02-2014

Back to the Bivouac to continue with the tree planting. Last week’s effort looks good, nothing has fallen over or died.

Fourteen volunteers plus Paul turned up for work, and after a brief explanation of what work had to be done, planting 900 trees to form a hedge along the track, the assembled troops were asked for a volunteer to write the blog, those volunteering to take one step forward. There was a brief moment of total immobility and silence, broken by the sound of one or two people quickly shuffling backwards - which explains why I’m writing this.

The NCVs start to gather their tools of the trade.

The fence to be hedged stretched out a very long way.

Paul - you really must sort out how to avoid appearing as a shadow!

The trees were a mix of holly, blackthorn, hawthorn, guelder rose, elder and dogwood, paid for by the Swinton Estate, and they were to be planted in double staggered rows, in a preordained sequence, along separate sections of the track. It was decided that the distance between trees in each line should be 20 cm and canes were planted accordingly, before it was found that the measurement should be 40 cm apart. A quick re-arrangement was completed before a further decision was taken that in some areas this should have been 50 cm. I think our errors were caused by the absence of two of our three mathematicians, and Angela wasn’t party to the decision. No problem, it all got sorted and the work went well.

Let's just stick them in here and hope for the best this time.

The possibility of using a tree tube for a medical procedure

passes through Dave's mind as Colin bends over.

A second row of plants is added to ensure a nice thick hedge,

whilst Terry takes a break to practise his marching technique.

So many sticks; so many tubes.

At 11am Paul called a coffee break and we were provided with tea and coffee in the café (AONB please note – real ground coffee served in cafetieres and imbibed from large china cups or mugs. We could get used to this!). We were fascinated by one of the day’s specials written on the board: Swinton estate peasant. Sadly this was later changed to pheasant, perhaps because a contingent of Canadians was expected later in the day and it was thought that the wrong impression of English cuisine might be given. More work, then lunch at 1, sitting in the picnic area. We were shocked by one volunteer who left at this point to join family members at Harlow Carr, preferring their company and Betty’s carrot cake to lunch in the open with us.

During lunch Ros K. kindly regaled us with educational information of a nature and on a subject which it would be indelicate to explain here. The tone wasn’t raised by Julia’s interpolations of an equally dubious nature. After the meal we were wiser but not necessarily eager to pursue the subject in more detail.

The afternoon was more demanding. The wind became extremely brisk and the temperature dropped and at the same time we were gradually working our way up the slope and into stony ground. We had almost finished when at five to four Paul reported that we had run out of trees, an announcement that raised a cheer.