Hackfall Woods Re-visited: 11-11-2014

Today 14 NCVs and the Heritage Skills team joined Paul at Hackfall Woods for another day of work around the Fountains Pond and its environs. There were lots of different jobs to do so, once we had all arrived on site, we split into different groups and got busy.

The A team chose the spades and a large rake and set to clearing the culverts before making sure that the weeping rock and the stream from the pond were flowing freely.

Eyes down, look in -Tom gets cracking with a shovel 

and the stream to the weeping rock is soon a raging torrent.

Matt and Rob slosh around in the stream, clearing the debris as they go.

The photographer is in danger of being swept out to sea 

by the tidal wave that was released as work progressed.

The B team picked up the loppers and continued cutting down the brambles around the pond area, revealing the many boulders that were specially placed there many years ago.

The bramble gang, happy in their work.

A nice and tidy pond edge - what a treat!

Interesting things come to light as the vegetation is cleared....
candle snuff fungus which turns black as it matures to resemble snuffed out candles.

The pond's fountain performs at regular intervals as the NCVs work around it....

....thanks to the hidden technology nearby.

The C team took their bow saws and scaled the forty foot falls in order to clear the encroaching saplings.

Well - there's Jan and Colin.  Can you spot Graham and Phil? 

They prefer the high life.

Graham does a balancing act but Colin is not impressed.

The 12:30pm lunch-call was welcome, although everyone had to dine scattered about here and there as places to sit that were free of mud were in short supply.

The Fountains Bistro.

Jan knows his place and offers the best seat to his leader.

A table for two and a single diner at the far side of the pond.

By 3pm the jobs were almost complete and everyone was glad to pack up and head for the car park. One more week should see things rounded off nicely.

Ros E.