Tuesday 31 May 2016

Fencing continues up at Toft Gate: 31-05-2016

The main question in everyone's mind this week was "Is there a chance that the Toft Gate footpath fencing task will be completed today?" We'd developed a system for erecting fence posts into solid rock over the previous weeks and hoped that this would carry us through to the end point before the day was out.
How wrong we were. It didn't. There is still a way to go - but the good news is that a contractor is being drafted in to use a pneumatic drill to help the job along. 

A small band of 6 NCVs turned up today. The lower numbers could be due to half term holidays and grand-parental duties, but could well be down to the thought of the job at hand. We split into 2 groups to focus on either fence post insertion or the nailing on of the railings. As the rails were completed so the tops of the posts were sawn off to size. 


 The post inserter team in action.

Is there anybody there?

 This hole had to be abandoned - the rock won the day...

...and caused the spit to start to curl into a shepherd's crook.

Meanwhile the 'railers' got to work, carefully 
measuring where to nail the rails.

Ros K. tried out various ways of keeping the posts 
from getting knocked down by the hammering required to bend the nails.

John and Tom sawed in unison.

Ros K. attempted to saw off the top of Ros E's head.

Ros E. was simply not sturdy enough to keep the post 
from wobbling under the onslaught so John thought he'd lend two hands.
A photographer from 'The Sun' turned up to take a shot.

It was a hard job but smiles were maintained 
throughout and tea breaks were enjoyed.


Half way through the morning there was some excitement when Ros E. spotted a tiny bird swimming on a nearby pond. James identified it as a Red-necked Phalerope which is not seen very often in these parts. Anyone keen to catch sight of it is welcome to go to the Toft Gate cafe to ask permission to visit the pond - but you need to hurry as it may not stay around for long. 


This is what a Red-neckeded Phalerope looks like 
(Taken from the RSPB site)...

...and this is what Ros E. actually saw (bird is at the right hand side of the picture).
David Attenborough needn't worry that her photography 
efforts will outshine his wildlife programmes.

This is a photo that Tony K. took later in the day. 
Not quite as good as Ros's!!

By 1:30pm an end to the day's work was called as the railers had caught up with the posters and nothing more could be done until the arrival of the drill. The owners of the Toft Gate cafe kindly invited us in for a tea or coffee, so we spent a civilised half hour there before heading home.
We're getting there - but probably won't need 
to see the job through to the bitter end.

Tea and coffee in the warmth of the cafe.

Ros E.


Saturday 28 May 2016

Footpath work at Quarry Lane, Pateley Bridge: 24-05-2016

Today 13 NCVs and a three strong Heritage skills student team met at the AONB offices car park in glorious weather to hear details of the tasks ahead. We welcomed a new but seasoned conservation volunteer, Julia, to the ranks.

Alistair feels the need to check that his foot is 
still attached whilst listening to instructions.

James outlined the path maintenance work required for the footpath from Quarry lane to Scott Gate Ash Quarry which the NCVs have previously worked on. The NCVs split into two groups, one to litter pick and clear footpaths of weeds, overgrowing vegetation etc and the second group to tackle gully clearance and footpath maintenance.

Up at the path the NCVs sort out who does what.

This group decide to tackle the overhanging vegetation.
Armed with loppers they begin the task.

The drainage gully alongside the footpath had become overgrown and was dug out to allow run-off water to follow an appropriate path rather than the unwanted waterfall down the footpath. After the morning tea-break the jigsaw puzzle to rearrange footpath stones to improve stability started.

 Gully? What gully?

 Don't worry - I'll find it!

That's more like it!

Time for coffee folks.

This jigsaw - are you sure 
there isn't a piece missing?

At lunchtime team one met up with team two at the head of the path to enjoy beautiful warm sunshine and great views of Nidderdale. We also welcomed Jan, the solitary devotee who had felt the urge to saw off fence post tops at the Toft Gate permissive path (see multiple previous blog entries).

A picnic spot in the sun, with a view. What's not to like?

Legs were bared to allow cooling of the shins.

Right - back to work on that jigsaw.

Things are looking decidedly better.


Having picked more litter, noted which footpath sign improvements were required and stabilised more footpath stones the NCVs wrapped up work around 2:30 pm and enjoyed the much easier downhill walk to the AONB offices.


Yes - it's time to go home!.

Osian


Tuesday 17 May 2016

It's that fence again! Toft Gate: 17-05-2016

The email from James, announcing that this week's task was to be back at Toft Gate, shattered the false sense of security that had developed in NCVs who had struggled to split open bare bedrock with a metal spike 3 long weeks ago. The fencing job was not, of course, complete.We had just blocked out its painful memories, but, in spite of knowing what lay ahead, 11 NCVs joined forces for yet another attack. The bedrock would be split asunder. Those fence posts would be inserted. The rails would have something to be nailed to. 

The morning didn't start well when we realised that a number of posts, so securely put in last time, were now, thanks to the recent dry weather, wobbling around in their post holes. Calamity!! Some had to be lifted out and re-done, others wedged with more rock pieces. Any new ones had to be put into much bigger holes than usual and then backfilled with rock. 

The first spike of the day is deployed.

Here we see spike action in stereo while 
Nick leans on his spade (a very demanding job).

Take that you beastly bedrock.

It's no good - I'll just have to get air to my knees.

Further along the fence John and Jan tried to 
set a railing into a straining post to straighten the fence line.

Down at the bottom end the railing team got busy with the second rail. 
Sally thinks hard to remember how to knock in a nail
 whilst Laura finds out that this fence is no push over.
And who's that bending over - answers on a post card!

Coffee and lunch in a sunny spot.

Osian felt that he deserved a rest after all that spiking.

Holes had to be VERY deep.

 This rather unpleasant looking heap turned 
out to be a wonderful source of rocks.

The rocks were then re-cycled as post hole filler.


An NCV falls to his knees, weeping - a beaten man.
Nick - you can do this thing. Don't give up now!

In the end progress was made, with a number of additional posts in a solidly vertical state. Particular progress was made with the railings. However - as you may suspect - more posts still await insertion.

Yes - you can see we've been working here today.

Ros E.

Tuesday 10 May 2016

Hackfall Woods and Digital Modelling training: 10-05-2016

Hackfall Woods

On a mild morning in May 18 NCVs gathered at Hackfall for one of our regular visits.  One group took on the most physical job of clearing out some of the silt from the pool at Alum Springs while also redirecting one the springs on the tufa rock to prevent water flooding the foot path.

James gets ready to kick the bucket.

It's not easy shovelling silt into a bucket 
when the shovelful is 90% water.

James passes the precious cargo to John...

...who, like Terry, barrows it off to the silt cellar.

The silt shifters ponder the tufa problem by the side of the pond...

...then Maggie and Josh  take a closer look.

Time for a nice cup of tea!

A trio of ladies took on the task of cleaning all the signs, so with buckets and scrubbing brushes they set off on an amble around the woodland.

Julia gets busy with the wet wipes.

The rest of us took on the very pleasant task of inspecting all the foot paths - trimming a little bramble here, an overgrow branch there, clearing a gully here and another there.  

With a snip snip here and a snip snip there....

...here a dig there a dig...

Oh blow the digging and snipping. 
Let's just have a stand in Mowbray Castle.

Best of all was being able to see and smell the banks of bluebells and wild garlic mixed with wood anemones and wood sorrel.  Such a busy day!  





Anita


Digital Modelling Training:

Yet more training was on offer this week - how lucky are we NCVs? Four of us opted for 'Digital Modelling' training at the council chambers in Pateley Bridge. I wasn't sure what this involved but it sounded interesting and, sure enough, it was!

In the event Richard Stroud led the day and we turned up armed with digital cameras, tripods and laptops, fully loaded with the software "123D Catch" by Autodesk. The software is available free, to anyone who registers with the Autodesk site via  http://www.123dapp.com/catch  Their website also provides a demonstration of what digital modelling is and some tutorials on how to use the software.


Osian gets to grips with the software with Richard's expert help.

Out and about in St. Cuthbert's churchyard.

Using the software was very straightforward. The key to success lay in the quality of the set of photographs you used to build the model. I had some success with part of a gravestone and an unusual tree but total failure with an apple core. 


Hmm. Yes, well. Shall we try again?

Osian did a wonderful job on this grave - these are only photos of the computer screen. The software allows you to swivel the images around so that you can view the object from every possible angle. If you click on this link you can see it in action. All you need to do is drag the image around and it will move.


If you looked underneath this grave you could see the inside of the box. 
Luckily there was no body there!!

Thanks to Richard for a well organised and really enjoyable day. We can't wait to use our new found skills on some of Nidderdale's heritage - for example, the carved rocks in Guisecliff Wood and the Toft Gate Lime Kiln.

Ros E.