Constructing a cleft fence at Alderley Edge on Sunday 30th March 2025

We gathered at Alderley Edge carpark at 10am on clock change day, a little later (or earlier) than usual depending on whether you were on Saturday's time or Sunday's.

We left most of our cars in the main carpark and took one and the NT pickup loaded with equipment round to the Mottram Road quarry where there is only a small carpark.  The job was to remove the old fencing and replace with cleft fencing next to the carpark.

The new fence posts and cleft rails were being made from trees cut down on the Alderley Edge estate and are untreated wood, which means they are better for the local flora and fauna and have a low carbon footprint.

As the logs are locally sourced they didn't come presplit or with rail holes so we had to split one of the logs  to create a half post using wedges and hammers.  Splitting the log by following the natural grain of the wood gave it a rustic look.

We also shaped the ends of the cleft rails using hand axes so that they would fit into the holes we had to cut in the posts.

It was satisfying taking local timber and creating a fence with (mostly) hand tools. 

Jenny 

Woodland work at Chirk Castle on Sunday 23rd March 2025

Three of us met up at Quarry Bank Mill at 8:40 to carshare to Chirk Castle for 10am where we met up with four more members of the group.  The castle is an impressive sight on the hill.  We were working just inside the entrance (on the right) so we took two cars round the one way system to get to the worksite.

The mixed wood has had extra trees planted there over the last 10 years to fill in the gaps.  The trees still had plastic guards round them that had been put on to protect the saplings from rabbits.  Our job was to remove the guard from any tree with a stem bigger than our thumbs in a glove.  We set to work removing the guards and bagging them up.  By morning break we had filled two bags, so the ranger went back for several more.

By lunchtime we had filled enough bags to put on the back of a flat-bed truck, so one of the group went to help empty the truck.  The tree guards will be recycled by a specialist company and the stakes and reusable cable ties will be salvaged and reused.

We had another break for lunch.  Although the weather remained dry it was a bit cold to sit around for long so we went back to work.  By the end of the day we had collected guards from over half the trees and filled two flat-bed truckloads of large rubble bags with guards for recycling.  We drove back up to the castle to reunite people with their cars and travelled home.

The ranger was very happy with our progress and asked how to get us back to help again.  At the moment there are only two staff to look after the whole estate land so they really appreciate help from volunteer groups like MNTV.  The next time we visit the ranger. who we met on Sunday, will actually be living in the castle as warden.  What a fabulous address!

Jenny

Rhodybash at Lyme Park on Sunday 16th March 2025

The programme said Styal, but due to staff illness there they cancelled and so we contacted Lyme Park and asked if they would like some volunteers on Sunday.  Chris said he would be delighted to have our help and confirmed that the staff rota showed they had someone who could join us.  Ten of us gathered in the carpark at Lyme at 9:30, joined by Duty Ranger Claire, who had been in the park since 7am, enjoying the countryside.

We made our way up to Lantern Wood via the stable yard to pick up tools and fire lighting materials.  We followed the Kuboto up the right hand side of the wood until we reached the path taking you across to the Lantern.  Halfway along the wall up the hill beside Lantern Wood there is work being done to create a vehicle entrance and move the ladder stile.  When we stopped to catch our breath and take in the view across the Cheshire plain Claire explained what was going on:

The deer to the right of Lantern Wood have been overgrazing the moor and struggling to survive.  Although numbers have been reduced to an estimated 80 deer, Lyme decided that the best thing to do was to move the deer to the deer reserve along East Gate road on the other side of Lantern Wood.  They started to feed the deer with deer nuts from the back of the Kuboto whilst driving across the moor.  Over a few weeks the deer were happy to follow the vehicle to get the nuts.  Once they had about 60 deer willing to follow the vehicle they opened up the path through Lantern Wood and Pied Piper style led the deer through the wood following a trail of deer nuts!  The deer then mingled with the herd on the other side.  Buoyed by their success they decided to go through the same process to gather the remaining deer.  The remaining deer were more cautious but after a while they would recognise the vehicle and follow it.  This time they collected another 50 deer, more than expected, and after several more weeks they managed to lead this group through the wood to the better pasture on the other side as well.

After morning story time we made our way to the rhody to cut and burn.  There was a lot of rhody already cut and quite dry so we managed to have two fires going and also cut more rhody ready for another group to burn.

Jason swapped places with Claire in the afternoon and explained that the cutting season in Lyme is a bit longer than other places because the weather is a bit harsher up there and bird nesting is a bit later.  We did hear several birds, including a curlew.

Jenny

Rhodybash on Middle Moor, Hayfield, on Sunday 9th March 2025

Six of us went to Hayfield today and worked with rangers Chris and Mark.  We parked our cars in the rangers compound at Park Hall Manor then had an exciting drive onto Middle Moor in two 4x4s.  The worksite was at around 350m high and had wonderful views all round, especially of Kinder Scout and the Downfall.  It was a beautiful sunny day but with a cold wind blowing off Kinder.

The main plantation of rhoddies has been cleared from around the hall but there are still seedlings and young bushes that have spread up onto the moor and throughout the heather.

We pulled out the rhoddies by hand or cut them down with loppers and bowsaws and filled almost three large bags.  The rangers then hammered herbicide "bullets' into the stumps to kill the rhoddies.

A great day all round.

Martin