Snowdonia Weekend - 15-17th August 2025

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.

Both days we worked in the valley a few miles south of Hendre Isaf:

On Saturday we  worked in woodland south of the road (red square on map).  We travelled there by minibus (Lewis picked us up at Glan Dwr) and met Andy and Clare at Hendre Isaf because they were staying near there in an NT cottage (chosen because the rest of us were staying at Hendre Isaf - only we didn't!).  Lewis explained that the aim is to open up the wood to the public by creating a footpath through the wood.  He and a previous group had marked out the footpath and we filled in holes in the path to make the surface more level and slashed bracken to extend the path in one section.  The conifer plantation above the wood had recently been felled and replanted with hardwood (alder, birch, oak, etc).

Jack took some remarkable photos with his 360º 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

Cutting back vegetation at Alderley Edge on Sunday 10th August 2025

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

A 'sunshine and showers' balsam bash at Lyme Park on Sunday 3rd August 2025

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.

Sue B 

Ragwort pulling at Styal on Sunday 27th July 2025

Seven of us met up with ranger Ashley on a warm and dry morning. The Merseyside volunteers were also there so we made a 12 strong team ‘looking forward’ to a day of ragwort destruction. 

Cheshire has lost 99% of its meadows since the 1930s.  The NT is using Highland cattle for conservation grazing to increase biodiversity and encourage wildflowers and pollinators. Ragwort is tasty but poisonous to grazing animals even up to 10 weeks after being cut.

We threw bagfuls over the fence so it could safely decay.

After a couple of hours

‘Sheep (or cattle) may safely graze’.

A herd of highland cattle are already in the field opposite waiting patiently to relocate.

After lunch we moved on to another field near the Apprentice House. The ragwort here was so thick it looked like a plantation. Too much to finish in one day!

We accomplished a lot more than Ashley expected and had time to do a few small jobs such as moving cattle troughs. This gave her a head start on the work for the coming week and the amount we did proved the value of teaming up with other volunteer groups.

Jean

Building a gate at Alderley Edge on Sunday 20th July 2025

Five of us joined Alysia and two of her colleagues for a day of various jobs.  We were working in the tree nursery, which is in the field opposite the former Wizard Inn.  It is a volunteer run project set up by the Alderley rangers.  They have put in some raised beds and are starting to grow several species of trees and are now at the stage of expanding.  This is where we came in.

They have been collecting shredded foliage from local landscapers and our initial job was to spread out cardboard and cover this with the shredding.  Tick job done.

That was simple, next was to remove a fence post and put in two substantial posts to hang two single gates, not so simple.  The ground was quite compact and took some effort to make the holes big enough for the posts.  All this was made even more difficult as everything we were using was pre-loved.  Holes had to be measured then measured again then drilled.  No problem for MNTV.

As we finished this job Alysia said we had done what was required and it was possibly a bit late to start something else so we packed up for the day, just as the rain started.  Perfect timing!

Thanks to Alysia and her colleagues for a good workday and my colleagues for their hard work  good company and laughter.

Christine 

Balsam bashing at Erddig on Sunday 13th July 2025

Today three MNTVers (Daniel, Christine and Andy) travelled to Erddig near Wrexham for a day's balsam bashing with ranger Francis and seven of the Merseyside volunteers.  The day was forecast to be the hottest and last of the current heatwave, but thankfully it never got too hot.  We worked all day in the shade of big trees beside a stream with a nice breeze blowing.

The balsam was often unto head height and pulled out of the sandy soil very easily.  In no time at all we had made piles of broken balsam and built them higher and higher during the day.

We began at 10 and finished at 3 and had lunch inside the volunteer centre beside the Felin carpark.

Daniel

Balsam bashing and fencing at Styal on Sunday 6th July 2025

Eight MNTVers met ranger Caera to work on two different tasks at opposite ends of the Styal estate.

It’s the peak of the balsam bashing season and four of us worked on clearing the hillside near the new housing development at Bank House Farm.  It was a routine job made more difficult than usual by the steep, wet and uneven ground, but we made a good start on a job that will keep us occupied for a good few years to come.

The other group helped Caera complete fencing in fields near the Apprentice House that used to be planted with potatoes when Bank House was a working farm.  The soil has been enriched over the last few years and will soon be home to Highland cattle.

Gordon sent in this report about the fencing:

We were working in the corner of the field where the path from the Apprentice House to Norcliffe Chapel approaches the chapel lych gate.  This photograph was taken from the Apprentice House path.  A gate has been hung but it had no post to close against - this gate is at the left hand edge of the to photo.  The corner post visible in the photo was in but not braced and the hole for the corner post at the far end near the edge of the woods was part dug.  The part dug hole was finished and that post embedded in rammed earth then braced.  A clapper post for the gate and another king post were dug in.  Some intermediate posts and other bracing were added.  Useful work but this still leaves the staff a lot of more to do to have the fields secure ready for the Highland cattle conservation grazing after the hay has been cut.

Jean