7 years is a looooong time!!!
This week the NCVs were working high above Pateley Bridge on the SSSI moorland of Heyshaw Moor. Apparently its management plan listed the removal of scrub to prevent the moor drying out - just the thing for the A team. However - the last time NCVs were working on this site was November 2017, which meant that there could well be a lot that needed doing - 7 years worth in fact!
Let's see shall we? Maybe some moorland fairies had been out clearing scrub in the meantime? Or not.
In fact, the area we were working on turned out to be on the opposite side of the road from the previous visit, so had never really been tackled before. Oh heck!!!
Base camp was established up
at the Two Stoops towers
(built as part of a Victorian job creation scheme
for local men when work was in short supply.)
The view from this landmark was the main
focus for the day. The encroaching birch
and rowan blocking the vista just had to go.
Everyone got busy and developed a system.
(A) cut stuff down...
...(not an easy task given the dense
bracken cover.)...
(C) dead hedge the copious quantities
of brash along the footpath.
Who's that hiding in the bracken?
Ah - Ruth.
Carry on as you were....
a useful seating area for coffee
and lunchtimes.
Now - let's see how the hedge
creation is getting on.
Yes - excellent.
Only the choice straight,
birch stems were passed to the vols at the
back towards the end of the day, to make
it easier for them to get a move on.
Any wiggly rowan stems stayed on the front side
where it was easier to work.
An alarm sounded if material was passed
over that didn't meet specifications.
The team looked well pleased with
themselves at close of play.
Andy - please stop practising
your Tiller Girl routine!
A perfect dead hedge. (Although there
are tons more saplings to remove!)
The Two Stoops vista is now looking
much clearer. Pity about the bracken.
Now, just to be clear, there was another
extremely hardworking gang of 4 that
worked alongside the road,
doing the same kind of job.
Julia - gives her adoring public a wave....
...as Ken inspects the job they are doing.
"Is that level?"
Nice log pile, team roadside.
Oooo - and another nice
dead hedge here too.
Finally - a big thank you to Andy. He saved the day by driving back down to the barn with a pair of jump leads to rescue Liz, whose car had a flat battery.
He also just happened to have packed
a hedge trimmer with his
lunch box and flask! This meant that
footpath edges could be cleared of
overgrown heather.
He is definitely 'The Wonder Of Woolies'!!
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