ABOUT TIME TOO!!!
For the first time since the beginning of February, on the very last task day of the summer season, the NCVs were visiting Hackfall Woods to carry out some routine maintenance. We did wonder what lay in store as a result of this lack of attention. Would the paths be impassible? Would the gullies be completely blocked? Would the cascades be a shadow of their former glory?
Luckily NCV Paul lives close to the wood and has been doing a few jobs in there over the last few months, as part of his daily exercise, so we knew the situation wouldn't be too dire - but there is only so much a man on his own can do. So - let's take a look and see what had to be done......
The group was small this week - just 6 NCVs including the photographer.
Could this have anything to do with the visit
coinciding with the arrival of Storm Francis?
One half of the group worked down by Alum springs. 7 months of mud to clear out from the gullies.
This one had all but disappeared into the mire.
This one was on the skinny side.
Perhaps it is just a crack in the rock?
The cascades needed clearing of debris
but were too dangerous to work on.
These logs, however, could be moved safely.
This very large, heavy one had to remain where
it was for the time being. A job for next time.
Strong woman Alice Crosby, of the AONB, was standing in for Liz.
In spite of the foul weather she was happy in her work,
glad to be out of the office for a change.
Had these two had an argument or were
they just taking social distancing to extremes?
A glance inside Fisher's Hall shows why they had chosen to stand outside.
They did not want to go home with trench foot.
Far below them the river level was rising fast.
White water rapids were there for the taking
if any of the NCVs had brought their canoes.
NB - please forgive the rather hazy appearance of the next set of pictures. I could say that I was trialing a new 'soft' look, akin to that favoured by many wedding photographers. However - the truth is the rain kept landing on the camera lens.
The other half of the group walked across to the
Swinton Estate end of the wood.
Guess what was waiting for them there?
The stout hearted trio almost threw in the towel
when they got to this vast balsam forest.
Don't worry - they didn't. They took the 'slash and trample'
approach to stop the plants seeding.
Paul used his trusty pancake pallet knife - the must have utensil
for all NCVs wanting to make an impact.
It would have taken too long to pull up every stem
so Alistair used his spade to good effect.
After about an hour and a quarter the whole area was done.
These last two stems were dealt with as lunch was called.
Unlike the other team, this group managed to find a place to sit down for coffee and lunchtimes.
Ros E. models this summer's range of evening wear (available from all high street stores).
Shoulder bag and yellow hand luggage by Gucci.
Ros K. models the latest in waterproof headgear - the plastic wig.
She's not convinced that the public will be rushing to order.
One job that both teams did was collect litter.
They were pleasantly surprised by this small amount that they came across.
Not bad considering the large numbers of visitors that Hackfall has hosted this year.
To finish off - here's another little glimpse of what life is like north of the border in the garden of NCVs' Julia and Dave's holiday cottage. Last time they were there they sent us that lovely video of the pine martin. This time it's a clip of a red squirrel. Pity we don't see these in Hackfall!
Click HERE if you cannot see the video through the link above. Next week the NCVs are being given a week off, so the next blog entry will be on 8th September.
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