Hayfield workday on Sunday 31 January 2016

Six valiant (some would say foolhardy) stalwart MNTV members braved the appalling freezing rain to meet up with the rangers in the Sett Valley Trail car park at Hayfield this week.  After some deliberation Shane the head ranger decided the conditions were too extreme for us to make the trek up onto the moors to fell rhododendron so the group decamped to the base camp at Edale.

The task awaiting the group after the drive through the rain and snow was the sorting and processing of firewood.  Though the task was inside a barn the temperature was still below freezing.  An old fence had been broken up and the rails needed de-nailing, cutting into six inch lengths and the four-inch wide pieces splitting into three.  The resulting kindling was then bagged up.

At the end of the day there were 31 big bagfuls, a record number for any group.  We also moved logs in the log store to different bins depending on their respective dampness.

Breaks where taken in the barn with some of us incongruously reclining in deck chairs more suited to a sunny beach than a freezing shed in the Peak District.

Thanks to Shane and Miles for looking after us and providing an interesting and productive workday.

Tim