Toft Gate Lime Kiln - the story develops.

Rather like a Mills and Boon epic, this story is now thin on plot but full of content.

This week 9 NCVs and a 5 strong Heritage skills student team welcomed a new volunteer to the ranks. The team looked forward to another instalment of path reinstatement and fence building at Toft Gate Lime Kiln. The very misty, damp, cool weather was somewhat foreboding and, alas, in line with forecasts.

What heroes to turn up for duty in these conditions 

(NFG - Normal for Greenhow)!  

Once again the team split into two groups, path workers and fence builders.

The path work team made short work of the remaining 20 metres of wheelchair path to be uncovered up to the Lime Kiln interpretation panel. In the meantime, one dedicated NCV roamed the site picking up three bin liners’ worth of rubbish.

Anita has a read of the interpretation panel - 

was the tale worth the hard work involved to reach it; 

and who's NCV hat is that hanging on the board?

Do these gloves belong to the same, hatless, NCV? 

Will any further items of divested attire be discovered?

Is it that the NCV is prone to dissolving in the rain?

The majority of the NCVs enjoyed a rain accompanied alfresco luncheon which was somewhat cheered up by a consignment of Audrey’s flapjack. Thank you Audrey!

After lunch the relentless rain drove NCVs on to a flurry of turf removal and final path tidying. A soggy pat on the back to the NCVs for recovering the whole wheelchair path at Toft Gate Lime Kiln.

Now that's what I call a wheelchair path.

(Wouldn't fancy pushing a full wheelchair

 back up to the car park on it though!

Meanwhile, the fence builders were having their own challenge of mining their way through seemingly solid rock in order to provide adequately deep foundations for the fence posts. All sorts of tools and brute force were deployed and, incredibly, a solid steel spike suffered a blunting incident during the process. Loose talk of a visit to the nearby quarry for some explosives was quickly put down and the penultimate straining post and several fence posts were secured before works ended at around 2:30pm.

Well - we've at least got this one into the ground.

One NCV then demonstrated the art of prewashing very muddy waterproofs using an old milk carton and muddy water from a roadside puddle, the effectiveness of which cannot be denied.

Evidence of the level of muddiness reached - 

and the job that still lies ahead.

Ros K. gives herself a towel down before getting into the car.

Osian