Dry Stone Walling in Seathwaite - I Don`t Think So!

Recently the Buttermere four volunteers, Phil, Jim David and Theo (the dog) were asked if we would come across to Borrowdale to help out Ranger Jack and fellow volunteer Robert with some dry stone walling. Seemed a fair offer which the four duly accepted. Off to Borrowdale Seathwaite we went. "Don`t worry said Jack", the work was not to far from the road. As it turns out, just across some muddy fields, a swollen Black Sike Beck which we had to ford and then through a wood. It sounded perfect. What we had all forgotten was the the Seathwaite Weather.

So the job was to repair a breach in the dry stone wall.

The Wall adjacent to the Allerdale Ramble - Jack and Phil at work

As you may guess from the photo`s the weather in "wet" Seathwaite was being unkind to us - more to the point the rain was heavy enough to get us wet but not keep down the large local population of midges and other wee biting mini beasts. Were we going to be beaten by then, no just eaten by them!

The repair was soon under way despite what the weather was throwing at us.

Fortunately Phil had his big hat with him stopping the water dripping down his neck. We cracked on at a good pace only stopping for a quick fag. (well at least Jim did)

Comfort break for Jim - good for midge management

Phil going great guns and with a dry neck!

Robert, Phil and Jack step back to admire the work - nearly there.

Nearly there soaking wet, tired and wanting to escape. 

A good day was had by all. Did the weather dampen our enthusiasm - not a bit, still smiling at the end of the day. What harm could a little mud and rain do to us?

Jack and Phil still smiling after a hard muddy days work - as you can see we really got stuck into the work with little fear for our own appearance!

By Way Of a Change - Path Work!

Well,

Where have we been since May? We have had a busy time working in the countryside at Buttermere, Crummock, Borrowdale and Dunthwaite alongside and in support of the National Trust Rangers.

We started off helping Rangers Paul and Dan divert a path from the edge of Crummock Water due to erosion by wave action, yes wave action that had undercut the old path.

 Ranger Paul warns volunteer Jim just how big the spider was he had just seen on the work site. Well if you have to work and or volunteer, what a location to do it. High Park looking up Crummock Water towards Rannerdale Knotts

                                                                                                                                                                       

By the shore of Crummock Water Ranger Paul part way through digging the new path.

Paul is joined again by Jim whilst watched over by site supervisor Theo. Turf stripped from the new path is used to fill in the old line.

Ranger Dan brings in the shillie to surface the new path. Theo makes sure he puts it in the correct place.

Paul adds the finishing touches, turf replaced and gently eased into place by a size 9!

Just to finish the job we cut back the brash to entice walkers to use the new path.

Volunteer site visit to Whitehaven Coast

In March, we asked countryside volunteers how they’d like to get more information from us, and they said “site visits where we can chat informally to staff” (see notes from the March meeting on My Volunteering online area)

So, in June we held our first Site Visit – a guided walk along NT-managed land on the Whitehaven Coast with Chris Gomersall, the ranger for Whitehaven & Ennerdale.

Chris showed us the land cared for by the National Trust, the work we do to improve access and conservation and the challenges posed by this recently-industrial landscape.


Grass Vetchling flowers beside Haig Colliery Museum



Then we drove in convoy to Kinniside Common where our task was to chop up and burn an ash tree which had been felled because it was damaging the archaeology of the Monk’s Bridge – a 600yr old packhorse bridge in a very dramatic location.

A well-earned break

The volunteers had brought their own sausages to put on the BBQ, and a very hot & enjoyable afternoon was had by all, with volunteers from opposite corners of the North Lakes patch able to meet each other for the first time and get to explore a new area.

Chris provided a cracking day out, volunteer Dounia provided luscious lemon & poppy seed cake, volunteer John provided tea & coffee for everyone, and we all agreed it was a good idea and worth repeating.

If you volunteer in the North Lakes, keep your eyes peeled for a follow-up date with Woodlands Ranger Maurice Pankhurst in September.

Who Pays the Ferry Man?

Well it`s like this, the blog title is a story related to us by the master of story telling Ranger Supervisor Paul. More of this later.

It started as the normal Thursday volunteer day for David, Christine, Phil, Jim and Theo. The task was to put the NT boats back onto Crummock Water, Loweswater and Buttermere lakes. It should have been a straight forward task but as with some things today was not going to go smoothly!

The theme of this post is best described as a story of sorts. It started well with us getting one boat onto Buttermere but the lake level was so low we could not get it off the trailer without seeming to drive the length of the lake in the Trust Land Rover!

Ranger Dan and volunteer Jim at the ready to row the boat off the trailer if we could get it in deep enough!

Volunteer Christine watches over them quietly laughing to herself!











Not working lets go a little deeper. No that`s not working either.

So, it was down to the good old fashioned time honoured method, we man handled the boat off the trailer into the water.

Just in case the health and safety people are watching we did have life jackets as seen in the next photo.








Life jackets on Dan rows the boat across to Hassness where we had to put in a new mooring for it.

Ranger Dan still dressed for safety knocks in one of the four new mooring posts. This was the second mell used on the day the first one`s shaft split on the very same post.












 Once we had the new mell the posts split and we had to get some more!

Volunteer Christine drew the short straw.

Now how the title of the blog arrived.

It was whilst we were waiting for the new posts to arrive Ranger Paul was left guarding the boat to ensure no one rowed off in it. During this time the title of the blog was arrived at.

Paul explained that whilst we were away two elderly walkers came by and quizzed him, "Don`t you respond to a wave then?" A quizzical Paul responded in line with his training, "I am sorry I don`t understand!" The question was repeated by the walkers who then went on to explain they had seen him from the other side of the lake and thought he was the ferryman who could row them across the lake!

You can understand how from a distance they could have thought he looked like a ferryman. 

The next problem was knocking in the deeper of the posts. The water was too deep to stand in and get any good swing at the posts so the only way was to stand in the boat to do so - yes about as daft as it sounds.

Don`t worry it was not as bad as it looks and Dan did not put the post through the bottom of the boat as the picture might show!

The task was eventually completed on what must be one of the funniest days we have had as National Trust volunteers.

A great day out volunteering in such a special place.

Very relaxing. Why not come out with us and have a go?

Countryside Update May 2012 Part One!

It has been another busy month for us with some extra special guests. Upland Footpath supervisor Joe was joined by the organisers of the Keswick Mountain Festival Lucy and Amy plus volunteers John and David for a bit of path maintenance nr to Ashness Bridge. We undertook some landscaping and built a drain in weather that could only be described as changeable!

Amy and Lucy admire the hole they have dug for the foundations of a stone drain across the path. Had it of rained much harder it would have been taken over by some amphibians as a home!

Most of the day seemed to be taken up by changes of clothes, waterproofs on, waterproofs off.

Still the sun did put in an appearance and dried out the ground quite quickly.




It was not all rain as the photo below shows. Amy hard at work whilst ranger Joe moves a la`al stone for landscaping purposes.

Amy took note of how Joe moved the stone and decided if he could do it so could she!













Volunteer John looks on as Amy moves not quite such a small stone down the hill also to be used for landscaping. Anything you can do?

Amy soon mastered the technique. She made it look far too easy.














Amy takes a photo of her hard work. Stone drain nearly finished, just a bit of tidying up to be done.

It was not just all about Amy, Lucy was also hard at work landscaping with Joe. They were busy making three paths into one with a good result.











Lucy below hard at work as well. Inn the background Ashness Bridge.

Even though it was a weekend, lead Ranger Penny found time to come out and see the good work put in by Joe and four volunteers.

It allowed Lucy and Amy to find out the hard way about all the effort staff and volunteers  put into maintaining the paths and landscape for ever for everyone! Now where have I heard that saying before?

The end of the day, Penny chats to Lucy and Amy about the day whilst John and Joe get ready to leave. A grand day out on the fell in good company. Who knows Lucy and Amy may even come back for another go?

Countryside Update April 2012

It has been a while since the last countryside update. We have been busy, perhaps to busy to blog! Apart from the usual dry stone walling, laying slate chippings on paths, a snap shot of what we have been up too is below.

Volunteers Clare and Robert get to grips with a post knocker whilst fencing at Dunthwaite House nr Cockermouth.

We were joined by Lead Ranger Operations Geoff. We also met the regional director John Darlington who was on a visit to the nearby house.

We were supervised by Ranger Paul with Rangers Jack and Dan hiding in the background. Also present Clare, Jim and Robert and most importantly Theo, bottom left corner of photo. 120 metres of fencing removed and replaced. Not bad for a days work. We only stopped when we ran out of fencing wire.

What else had we been up to apart from litter picking Buttermere and Crummock? Well the seasonal hedgelaying at Loweswater.

Rangers Dan and Paul are joined by Volunteer Jim - we think we had a record day with three teams of 3  one chain sawing, one laying and the other weaving in and tidying up. A good mixture of Rangers and volunteers laid 130 metres of hedge in one day.

Getting there, time for a lunch break, forestry helmets lined up on the fence.

We have also found time to give the National Trust rowing boats at Loweswater and Buttermere their annual spring clean and paint. It was a tiring day for some!

Spectacular location to work, boats on their winter stands at Crummock Water. Rangers Dan and Jack in the nearest with Ranger Andy and volunteer Christine behind. In the background is volunteer Robert tinkering with another boat. Sanded, painted and keels repaired.

A lucky escape for Ranger Andy from a mischevious Volunteer Christine having been presented with an easy target!

It was a long but rewarding day with a mixture or rain and sunshine - rain, just what you need when painting outside!

We worked that hard we need a new wire brush?

The effort was too much for one of our Rangers - bless!

It would be unkind to name him as he had been rugby league training the night before. If anyone does think they recognise the sleeping beauty please contact Ranger Jack to confirm!

Finally, we think may have seen the last of this brush unless Ranger Mark insists it is cleaned for future use?

Let me tell you a story...

...or rather, let several people tell you some stories!

On Wednesday 28th of March I attended a story-telling day organised by Naomi Hewitt and run by story-telling ace Ian. I think it is fair to say that many of us were not quite sure what to expect, and, as you can see, some of us found it all rather frightening. No, actually Jessie and Phil were role-playing here!

I had expected quite a gentle day when we talked about some of the 'stories' associated with Derwentwater such as Pocklington's Island and Lady Derwentwater's escape. What we got was much more ambitious with demonstrations of techniques and introduction to some traditional stories. Then we broke into small groups to work on 'our' story.

After lunch we moved down to Derwentwater foreshore and looked for locations to suit the stories and then...you've guessed it, each group told their story in the chosen location. If you want to see and hear the results of our work come to Derwentwater foreshore on 11th of April.

Ros Earthy.