Post and rail fencing at Styal 5 August 2012

I've been on holiday swimming and working in Devon with the NT.  Thanks to Daniel for text and photos

Eight of us and six volunteers from the Merseyside group spent today at Styal replacing a post-and-rail fence near Norcliffe Chapel.  The two groups put in 15 posts and 50m of fence.  The posts and rails were sweet chestnut and came from a forestry plantation in Kent.  Each post had pairs of pre-cut slits at both heights and rails ran “front to back” between adjacent posts.

The warm weather brewed up a spectacular thunderstorm at 3 o’clock and we took shelter from the fat raindrops and ate the last of Daniel’s homebaked chocolate brownies.  As we wound down the work the ranger tweeted about our handiwork (#NTStyalEstate).  The storm soon passed and we all walked the tools back to the toolstore – the first time some in the group had been there.