¯Strolling. Just strolling.... ¯
Yes - that's all that the NCVs had to do this week.
Well - not quite all. They were at Swinton Park - assessing footpaths and access routes around the estate and the wider countryside. They were tasked with tackling anything untoward that could be dealt with using a pair of loppers and making a note of any jobs that needed doing, ready for an upcoming walking festival. As the routes ranged from 1.5 miles to 15 miles there was a good choice of paths to follow, depending on how keen a walker you were. A nice easy task - and good weather to do it.
Here are some photos from the different teams....
A very grand starting point for an NCV task.
Little Blue Riding Hood in team 1 tried out this armchair for size.
It is carved out of the remaining stump of an oak tree.
Verdict - "This little chair is JUST right!"
Ros E. decided the 'Stone Alcove' was a perfect spot for a morning coffee break.
Not much evidence of any work having been done so far chaps.
A couple of stone coffins were passed along the way.
Well obviously - no footpath is complete without the odd stone coffin or two.
Festival walkers will pass through a very varied landscape if they
follow the footpaths in the immediate vicinity of the Swinton Park Hotel.
Deer park, Dales views, lakes, a ravine and an old quarry.
Each vista was a joy to behold.
Better still - no encroaching scrub or other nasties to remove!!
There were some gorgeous old trees such as this ancient oak
- completely hollow inside.
OK Andrew - you can come out now. I've found you.
This beech tree needs a good glute workout.
Although the little female mallard, nesting in the tree's right hand hip pocket,
seemed quite happy with its shape.
Oh now - here's a bit of actual work going on in team 2.
Some branches and barbed wire needed removing.
Oh that didn't last long. Instead lunch was taken in style at
Bivouac; Graham considered a dip in the nearby hot tub
and Ken took the opportunity to re-position his wig,
A third team, on the longest walk, logged a way-marker that needs replacing
and a finger post that is beginning to droop.
Searching for way-markers delayed the team throughout the day...
...as did challenging, unsteady stiles.
At least this bridge was nice and easy to cross.
Here are two of them finishing the last few metres of their epic journey.
Not a walk for the inexperienced walker.
Team 4 found a broken waymarker, a shambles of a stile...
...a wobbly wall and a saggy gate, all jobs that will need doing (but not today!)
Team 5 found all kinds of problems including these 4 low lights.
Each one was assiduously noted down on the data collection
sheet by scribe in chief, Ros K.
However - they did have many highlights, including fabulous views,
lots of wild flowers , bird song and this great tree.
It resembles a model walking down a catwalk in a long gown!
Two NCVs who were not out strolling this week were Jan and Phil.
They stayed at the NCVs' barn to do a bit of tool maintenance.
No comments:
Post a Comment