Hackfall Woods: 19-07-2016

Multi-tasking at Hackfall Woods today. Eight of us turned up including our leader, James, and with loppers and spades in hand we descended into the woods. Amongst the trees the team quickly fragmented into splinter groups to cut back vegetation encroaching onto the footpaths, dig drainage channels and tackle the Himalayan balsam.(Some of us also did a little bracken bashing along the way...) 

 Yvonne does a little path clearing.

As can be seen from the photos below, the dreaded HB was not very much in evidence in those areas of the wood they worked in, which makes a welcome change. All those years of hard work are beginning to pay off!

One lonely stem of balsam.

Jo finds a handful over the wall.

The biggest pile of balsam the NCVs were able to make.

Two people carried large yellow buckets to collect water and scrubbing brushes to clean the signs. The summer sun we haven’t seen much of up to now was out in force today, but we were nicely sheltered from it by the lovely big trees. Because of the humidity it did feel a bit like being in a tropical forest. 

 Neddy the horse hides behind a fallen branch.

Sorry - my mistake... 

An interesting bracket fungus.

We all met up, eventually, for lunch by the pond (a couple of us got slightly lost in the maze of paths and had difficulty locating it until put right by some passing visitors). 

Some very hot lunchtime picnickers. 

While we were eating our lunch sitting in the Rustic Temple we were surprised to see the fountain suddenly rise into the air, the pump being operated by a young woman. James later had a go but, despite pumping with vigour for a considerable length of time, alas...no fountain! 

James tries his hand at the new pump 

by Fountains Pond. 

After lunch we processed as a team along another footpath, cutting brambles as we went, to clear another area of balsam before trudging back up the hill in the hot sun to the car park.

Tom has started a new trend by using 

his new Yorkshire walking poles.

Yvonne