Today’s workday was due to be a balsam bash near the main carpark at Dunham Massey but was cancelled because of forecast high winds (> 40mph). We would have been lone working for most of the day with occasional visits from the one ranger on duty and an alternative work task couldn’t be provided that was not under trees and near his duty area (mansion house).
Daniel
Starring Andy, Clare, Daniel, Denise, Jack, Jenny, Neil and Sarah plus David and Di from Merseyside and Eryri ranger Lewis.
For our first weekend away of the year we went to Snowdonia - this time in the summer not at Christmas. A last minute change to accommodation arrangements meant we stayed at the Glan Dwr Mountain Lodge in Capel Curig not Hendre Isaf. Glan Dwr is the Eryri base of the New Forest Climbing Club and is beside the Avon Llugwy. After weeks of drought the water was still churning past so it'd be a spectacular sight after heavy rain.
The weather both days was glorious - sunny and warm with a cool breeze. The contrast with Storm Darragh last December could not have been more stark. Both mornings there were terrific views of Snowdon from Capel and each night the sky was inky black and you could see thousands of stars and the Milky Way.
Jack took some remarkable photos with his 360ยบ camera:
On Saturday evening, Daniel, Jenny and Denise cooked up a hearty dinner of spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread followed by apple & blueberry crumble with custard.
After dinner David set us all a quiz. We did it in two teams (girls v boys) and tied with 37 points each. The most fun part was picture 2 in the Faces round - David as a 12-year-old schoolboy. None of us guessed him!
On Sunday we worked in the same valley but in woodland to the north of the road (red chevron on map). We drove our cars there so that we could go home directly from the worksite and anyone who needed to leave early could. Across the valley you could see Saturday's worksite:
We did two tasks. Half the group slashed and cleared bracken to make a switchback footpath on a very steep slope ...
... and the others with Lewis made a stepover stile. The stile is tightly screwed together and anchored in the ground and should give many years of use when the footpath is opened.
All told it was a super weekend full of enjoyment and good company. Thanks to Lewis for having us to stay and giving us satisfying jobs to do.
When we are next at Hendre Isaf it will be interesting to go up the valley and see how both worksites look months later.
Daniel
Four of us met in the car park near the Wizard Tearoom on a beautiful warm and dry August morning. The job for the day was cutting back vegetation on the footpath opposite the Castle Rock viewpoint. It’s a popular and well-used route but it was getting a bit overgrown.
Loppers and slashers were the implements of choice. After a day's work the path was in a more useable state and we got a lot of thanks from walkers using the route.
Jean
We met Ranger Claire in the main car park near the kiosk in the rain (!!) and tempted everyone out of their cars into Claire's vehicle so we could get to a field which was off Red Lane, just outside the boundary of the park.
We climbed over a stile to get into the field and walked down towards the bottom of the field where the railway line ran past. There were still trains using the line even though Stockport station has just closed for a month so the bridge over the railway line can be demolished and then replaced. We thought there was probably a bus service laid on from Hazel Grove to help people continue their journeys.
We either had drizzle, rain or no rain, on and off all morning and into the afternoon, which meant that we hid under various trees for our coffee and lunch breaks so we didn't get too wet.
Although the balsam was spread about, we didn't let the rain or drizzle deter us. It was hoods up or hoods down, dictated by the weather, but it didn't stop us pulling up and destroying as much as we could, focussing on the stalks that were already in flower to ensure their seed heads didn't pop and spread the seeds far and wide for next year's growth in the next few days or so.
Into the afternoon, the sun came out and we stripped off our coats to enjoy the warmth. Ranger Jason came and joined us so Ranger Claire could head off to the office to complete some admin.
Despite the weather, it was a great day - plenty of chatter and laughs, and loads and loads of balsam destroyed.
Claire and Jason said they were impressed by the amount we got done, so we were really pleased.
