Balsam bashing at Lyme Park on Sunday 23rd June 2024

We spent today balsam bashing at Lyme Park.  Seven of us met new rangers Jason and Alister by the kiosk in the main carpark at 9:30.  Alister has joined Lyme from Clumber Park and Jason was an evening ranger at Lyme but is now full time.  Neither ranger had heard of MNTV (!) so we introduced ourselves and the group to them.  Alex Bond, ex-MNTV and then a Lyme ranger, has left the Trust and taken a job with Natural England.

The worksite was a field beside Red Lane and we got there by taking the electric minibus to the entrance booth then walking the 400 metres to the field.  The field had been grazed by the Highland cattle but they'd been moved out.  The balsam was mainly growing in dense patches of brambles so we cut those back with loppers then pulled out the balsam by hand, breaking the stems near the root and piling them into "tonne bags" for the rangers to take back to their compound.  The balsam had not yet flowered or released seeds so this was an ideal time to bash it to hopefully ensure less balsam grows back next year.

We often had to look very closely to see the balsam:

It was hot work, especially when the sun came out, and we stopped for water breaks in the shade before and after cake and coffee at 11 and lunch at 1.  

We began to wilt in the heat by 2:30 and started to wind down and put all uprooted balsam in the bags.  At 3 o'clock we began walking back to the entrance booth where luckily we found the e-minibus waiting which took us back to the main carpark.

Daniel

Clearing brash alongside a footpath at Alderley Edge on Sunday 16th June 2024

After our workday at Erddig was cancelled, Ally asked around and Issy very kindly found us jobs to do at Alderley Edge, so four of us met up with Issy at the car park at Alderley.  Neil read as far as Issy in the email and went to Lyme - oops!!  He managed to join us by the time we had collected tools, walked to the worksite and Issy had showed us the various jobs we could have a go at.  At that point she had to leave us to our own devices.

We set to slashing back nettles, thistles, brambles, etc then started clearing the path.   After brew Andy and Neil cut down an overhanging tree (well, three trees as it was a multi-trunked tree) and repaired a bench.

We had plenty of people using the path and all were very appreciative of our work, plus we had a herd of young cows visiting us throughout the day and actually thought they could join us for lunch!

On the way back to the cars we spent a while cutting back a hawthorn hedge that although not belonging to the NT was making the path virtually impassable.

Thanks to Issy for helping us out and special thanks to my colleagues for their hard work on a tough job and on a warmish day.

Christine 

Woodland clearance at Formby on Sunday 9th June 2024

We met up with ranger Al at the Lifeboat Road carpark where he gave us directions for walking to the worksite.  This was basically back up Lifeboat Road then turn into woodland just before the houses.

Al explained that the area had been fenced off in 1991 and the children of the local primary school had helped to plant trees. It was intended to be somewhere schools could take classes to work with nature.  This year they have gone back to the same primary school and asked the children for ideas of what they would like in a nature trail.

As always, nature had started to take over the site.  This is were we came in.  We set to taking out self-seeded sycamores using tree poppers or, if too big for those, the trusty bow saw.  By lunchtime we had made a big impression though you couldn't tell for all the piles of discarded trees.

After lunch Al had us clearing ivy from the gate post and trees.  There was so much of it that you couldn't see some of the trees for ivy.  We had to leave one tree because a blackbird had actually nested in the ivy.  I am hoping that we didn't drive it away as she was sitting on eggs.

We were joined for lunch by a robin and a tree creeper.  I wasn't quick enough to take a photo as it moved up the tree very quickly.

Thanks to Al for a very enjoyable and productive work day, and we wish them luck building the children's trail.

Christine.

Staking the dahlia walk at Biddulph Grange Garden on Sunday 2nd June 2024

Today nine of us met up with Holly for our annual task of staking out the dahlia walk at Biddulph.  It was a beautiful day for the task ahead.  We had been led to believe we would be taking out the tulips prior to staking out the beds, but this had been done earlier in the week.

As all but Gaynor had done this job [staking] before we had it finished by lunchtime so in the afternoon we pre dug holes in front of each stake ready for the dahlia tubers to be planted, which will be in the next week or so.

We had lots of visitors asking what we were doing and thanking us for our hard work.  We also had questions for directions, not quite so good on that one though.

Thanks to my colleagues for their hard work and good company.  Also thanks to Holly who took over admirably from Leslie, who has left to become a postie!

Christine