Whinney Hill: 13-03-2018

Pateley Pigeon Post 

Rhodie Bashers Strike Again!!

by A Hack

For a second week on the run a group of local NCVs turned up when no one was looking, cut down and then burnt tons of rhododendron vegetation on a hillside at Whinney Hill, Warsill. 

Well - at least they thought no one was looking. In actual fact I, an undercover reporter (well - under a nearby gorse bush reporter)  for this august newspaper, was hidden away photographing this shocking event. However - when faced with clear evidence of the crime - the landowner was dismissive of my efforts to bring this group to justice. He said: 

"It's not a problem Mr. Hack. In fact - it's just the opposite. They are solving a problem for me. The rhododendrons are a real nuisance - they are invading the oak woodland and poisoning the ground. My wife and I can't wait to be rid of them."

So - no shocking story after all? I will leave you to judge for yourselves from the pictures below. As for this particular reporter - it's the last time I go sitting in a gorse bush chasing fake news!

The state of play on arrival - 

heaps of brash to burn and still lots of rhododendron bushes to cut down.

The lighting of the bonfire on top of last week's patch seemed to be a priority.

It was the only way that the intruders were going to get rid of the evidence.
Thanks to a bag full of dry kindling this was a much quicker process than last week.

 As you would expect - lots of lopping and bow sawing was going on... 

...both to remove stems....

...and to process the masses of cut brash for the fire, 

Dragging the cut vegetation was a hard job - 

but the intruders were determined not to be beaten.

There was so much brash a second fire was decided on.
This, too, got going very quickly.

As the day went on so the brash got burnt.
The bonfires grew hotter and hotter.

 The group had the audacity to sit eating flapjack at coffee time...

... blatantly laughing and joking, as if they hadn't a care in the world.

 All over the site vistas were opened up as stems were removed.

A possible badgers' sett was discovered...

...as were the remains of Yorick, who the NCVs knew well.

By 2:30pm, after 5.5 hours on site, 
the group was just too tired to continue.

There was still a 

small patch of rhododendron bushes left to cut...

...but no outstanding brash to be processed and burnt at all.