Swinton: 09-04-2019

¯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.

Summerbridge Nature Reserve: 02-04-2019

Ready, steady, go!!!!

Actually there was no need for starter's orders this week - the hurdling that the NCVs were doing did not involve a pair of running shoes and an ability to leap over high barriers. No - thank goodness! 

The hurdling that WAS included in the day's offering was the making of small path edging hurdles from split hazel poles. Geoff Norton, of Yorkshire Hurdles, was making a second visit to Summerbridge Nature Reserve to show us what to do. The group split into two and took it in turns to learn the skills. Those not hurdling were continuing to coppice, in the morning, or to brash pile all the resulting debris in the afternoon. 

There was plenty of material to work with - gathered from the woodland 
over the wall and from our recent visit to Ellington Banks.

Some of it Geoff had already been sorted into widths 
but a lot more required sorting, so that was the first job..

Geoff then showed us how to split the medium sized poles down the middle.

This was achieved with variable amounts of success.
Just watch your leg Alistair.

 There was a certain amount of moaning as the split lines
 suddenly zoomed off to the right or left.

Now that's a very good looking split Anita.
Well done!

Geoff reminded us how to sharpen the end of a pole.

 Yep - that's nice and pointy.
Although you don't want it completely pointed 
otherwise it will curl up on entering the ground.

Once sharpened the xailes (round end posts) could 

be hammered into the hurdle making board.

...like so.

 Between the end posts were inserted 
others that had been split.

Then it was time to get weaving!

Higher and higher the hurdle became...

... until it was finished off at the top with a special 'over and under' weave.

Then it was removed from the hurdle board....

...and stuck straight into the ground.

 During the afternoon session the brash on the woodland floor... 

....was tidied up.

Some of the resulting habitat piles contained evidence 
that the hurdling skills had been put to good use.

Liz also spent some time fashioning a tool out of a piece of log.

There you go - a hand made mallet!

One final job remained at the end of the day - that of bundling up all the remaining poles....

...and loading them onto the back of Geoff's jeep, to be transported up the hill to Banks Wood for use as path edging.

So far, so good. But as he reached the steepest 
bit some of the bundles slid off.

POST SCRIPT

Apologies for the lack of a blog entry last week - the editor was without wi-fi. Just to update you on what went on....

Due to excellent progress with the tree planting task at Springfield Farm, Thornthwaite on an additional Saturday event, the NCVs didn't need to return for a second visit. Instead they worked on the Upper Nidderdale Landscape Partnership Legacy Plan – doing an annual check of the walking routes, created by footpath officer Peter Lambert, and carrying out any necessary jobs that could be done easily.  

Early arrivers got to partake in the delights of unpacking the new biosecurity kit.

You can't take the child out of some people.

Sticky labels removed from the trugs were stuck to pin up girl Anita.

The NCVs pored over maps, route lists and job lists before 

setting off in teams of 2 and 3.

It was a  perfect day for walking!!

A less than perfect view of this broken glass was spotted by one team.


This post is going to need replacing.