Tuesday 15 December 2015

Christmas walk: 15-12-2015

No tools were needed this week - we were having our annual Christmas walk and lunch instead of working. Hurray!!

James promised us that the circular route from Ramsgill via Dale Edge that Graham had kindly planned for us would provide: "Glorious views of Gouthwaite reservoir". These views can be seen - in all their glory - in the photo blog below. At least we got plenty of exercise (different pieces of technology measured 11, 8.5 and 9.3 miles over a route that we were told was 7 miles) so this was a bonus on a day that no-one in their right mind would have gone hill walking. The other bonus was a lovely lunch of soup, sandwiches and chips, funded by the AONB office, and cooked and served to us by How Stean Gorge Cafe staff - thanks guys!!

Special note - any poor photos taken outside are due entirely to the weather conditions. 
The poor ones taken inside are due entirely to the wobbly nature of the subjects.

The walk began outside the York Arms, Ramsgill, 
which was looking very festive in the morning gloom.

 Lots of us came wearing festive hats.

 Santa spent all day gazing skywards and 
complained of an aching neck at the end of the walk..

The pixie ears got very droopy by lunchtime, 
thanks to them soaking up the atmosphere.

Off up the hill to look for these glorious views.

Is this one?
No.

Perhaps this?
Definitely not.

Coffee time at the bridge...

... where James brought forth a tin of the MOST  
delicious brownies (thanks James!!)

Oh - wow! A glorious view!

Onwards to the shooting lodge before the 
hair-raising walk down the muddy path to the valley bottom.

The group spread out as everyone slowed down & tried 
to maintain a perpendicular position.

At least down here there was a bit of a view...

...although two tree hazards had to be negotiated.

Come on Santa - lift up your leg.

Poor Angela had both of her boot soles sucked 
off by the mud and had to tie them on with her laces.

At the cafe everyone settled down for their feast. 
Table one - present and correct 
(although wobbling around too much for a focussed picture).

Table two - all here.

Table three - yes. They eventually sat down too. 
(But had obviously caught the strange wobbling condition from table one.)

There were unusual Christmas trees here - 
a very creative use of sticks and screws.

The lovely ladies in the kitchen were given a cheer.

 On the route we saw some toadstools that 
Ros's wonderful fungi ID phone app could not identify. Any ideas?




After lunch a shorter walk back to Ramsgill. 
Again - a bit more to see - but not much!!

Just a little bit of non-walk news:

Audrey Summersgill, one of our more senior NCVs who keeps us fortified with flapjack on a regular basis, was awarded no fewer than two of Harrogate's Volunteer Oscars this autumn. One for her services to wildlife and another as a lifetime achievement award. How impressive is that?!

Audrey with her well deserved Volunteer Oscars.


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 
TO ALL OUR READERS!!

Ros E.

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Bryan's Wood - once more for coppicing: 08-12-2015

The promise of a dry day (and therefore a less perilous stream crossing) encouraged 10 NCVs and a team of 5 Heritage Skills folk to visit Bryan's Wood to complete the current round of coppicing. There was a variety of tasks that had to be done. These can all be seen in the photos below.
  • First up - removing a tree that had fallen across the path near the wood's entrance.
  • The coppice's deer fence needed some refurbishment:
Team work makes life easier - both with post knocking....

...and tying.
  • Coppicing ensured a rapid rate of hazel pole production:
 Jan felt it easier to kneel down to the job...

... whilst Laura preferred the deep forward bend approach.
John used the vertical tree impersonation method.


James orchestrated the whole affair.
  • Two new brash piles were needed to accommodate all the extra waste material: 

Well done - that's nice and tight.

Ros K. rooted around for any remaining twigs 
at the end of the day.

Finally it was all done. The fence and ground was visible at last.

  • The cut hazel poles then needed bundling up, ready for transporting out of the wood (until the string ran out!):
 Tony practised his knot tying.

Vanessa wisely kept the bundles to a 
sensible size for carrying.

The bundles just kept mounting up.
  • The additional poles needed stacking on a wooden platform to keep them off the ground, until such time that we can return with more string!!
This week's competition - guess how many poles still need bundling.
Winner gets to carry them out all on their own!!
  • Finally - the bundles had to be carried out to the lean-to near the entrance. They will be left there to keep dry until they are needed elsewhere (e.g. during hedge laying).
James making a 'two bundle' trip.

By 2:30pm the job was complete and some managed to get back to their cars before the rain started to pour down. Others were not so lucky!!

Ros E.

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Return to Bryan's Wood; 01-12-2015

Water, water everywhere - yet still 19 volunteers turned to help James continue the coppicing work started in Bryan's Wood last week. Two streams had to be forded by those with wellies, whilst those without tried the circuitous route - which wasn't much drier. Luckily the rain eased off mid morning so work could continue in slightly better conditions (apart from the mud slicks underfoot!!). The photos tell the tale.

Ros E.


The NCVs followed the wet track up to the wood....

...and were then faced with raging torrent number one.

Bags were left in the relatively dry conditions of the shed.
The flash photography makes this shelter look 
100 times more inviting than it actually is!!

Dave found an empty lager bottle - had Anita 
started before the sun is over the yard arm?

Into the coppice and yet another brash pile was started.

Hannah and Dave just kept adding to last week's. 
It started to assume gargantuan proportions.

Gradually the hazel and birch were cut down....

... and hazel poles were trimmed and stacked.

At lunchtime there was chair envy as Joanne took
 out her fancy little folding seat. 

The rest of us had to slum it on logs.... 

...although Hannah did try to maintain standards
with her pink ming dynasty cup.

After lunch the new pile grew and grew.

James tried the trampolining technique to 
ensure the brash pile stayed nice and tight.

Will's technique was simply to throw the vegetation from 
a distance, so he had to be given a lesson on what to do....

"First find a stick. Then go to the pile. Next make sure 
the stick is the right way around. No - the other way round. 
That's right. Now poke it in. Well done!"

The last men (and women) standing at the end of 
the afternoon, proud in front of their pile.

The coppicing is not far off done - just one more day should do it.
However - there was still that raging torrent to be faced....

Ros E. and Josh had gone back before lunch and tied a rope across.

This made life a bit easier on the way back to the car park, 
although by then the water level had fallen a bit.