Birch thinning at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 19th February 2023

Today, two of us ventured down to Bosley Cloud for a rare workday there - our first since 3rd November 2019. We knew in advance that we'd be joined by a large number of Congleton Volunteers and Congleton Harriers and so it proved ... there were 30+ of them (!) plus rangers Tim Ryan and Sam. The two 4x4s moved all the gear as far up Gosberryhole Lane as possible and then we wheelbarrowed it up onto the heathland.

The red chevron marks the worksite

We spent the day digging up birch trees (big ones needing saws, loppers, mattocks and winches) and using most of the cuttings to block offshoot footpaths near the summit of the Cloud to keep walkers to the main footpath.

At lunch we walked up to the summit from where the views to all points of the compass were wonderful. The toposope pointed out distances to nearby hills and landmarks but showed too the distance and direction to Snowdon (81 miles), Land's End (264), John o'Groats (380) and Charing Cross Station (143)!

Daniel

Footpath work at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 3rd November 2019

First there were four... then there were more...

Waking up on a foggy Sunday morning in the dark is not the best way to start at workday but hey ho, I put on the thermals and brewed up a strong pot of Yorkshire Tea for my flask.  Never has inclement weather stopped us MNTV'ers from getting on with the task in hand!

Four of us arrived at Bosley Cloud and thankfully we were joined by the Congleton group as the task of laying a footpath was back breaking work!  For a first timer at Bosley Cloud I wasn't quite expecting the 30 minute walk up a vertical steep incline carrying tools part of the way and then pushing wheelbarrows containing the rest of the tools to the site.  That was a challenge in itself... then the real work began!  By this time it was nearly 11am, we skipped tea break and set to the task in hand.

Firstly we started by shovelling out the mud and leaves from the path to create a foundation for the path to be laid upon.

Picture shows muddy path before work started

The tree trunks on these photos were felled from the wood a few weeks ago and were used to lay the edging for the new foothpath.  Good job we had plenty of strong men and women as it took six people to carry each trunk from the wood to the path.

Picture shows tree trunks used to create edging for path

Firstly we split up into teams, four people cleared the pathway, one person was making stakes to hold the tree trunks in position and six people carried each tree trunk to the site.

Picture shows stakes being driven into the ground to secure the edging

The stakes were driven into the ground and nailed to the tree trunks to form a secure footpath edge.  In one area of the path it was particularly muddy so we created drainage channels for the water to run underneath the path and down the hillside.

Picture shows drainage channels created

By lunchtime our MNTV team were down to three people and we stopped for a short lunch break and a slice of homemade Yorkshire parkin.  Congleton group decided to carry on in earnest and started to transfer the gravel from a huge mound which had been strategically placed in the wood and covered with tarpaulin.  (The gravel came from a local quarry).  

Picture shows part construction of path with drainage

This is when the hard work got very hard.... digging gravel out of a mound and transferring it into wheelbarrows is back breaking work and we soon discovered that a pick axe was needed to loosen the gravel.  From then on our system was dig, dump and rake and a couple of hours later we had our finished path.

The finished path... to be continued... by another volunteer group...

The fog did clear but I didn't notice until until I was part way down the hillside pushing a wheelbarrow full of tools, trying not to slip in the mud or topple the barrow over so couldn't get a photo but it was a splendid view... maybe I will come back to Bosley Cloud again... if they install a chair lift!

That's all for now, see you next week for bash and burn.  Denise

*CANCELLED* Workday at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 31st March 2019

Today's workday at Bosley Cloud was cancelled owing to lack of interest, perhaps because today is Mother's Day.

Daniel

*CANCELLED* Workday at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 24th February 2019

Today's workday at Bosley Cloud was cancelled owing to insufficient numbers.  The task planned by rangers Tim and David required a large turnout.

Daniel

Fencing at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 27th January 2019

It was a cold and very blustery day for our second visit to Bosley Cloud this year.  Once again our planned worktask changed due to there being just three hardy volunteers - well that was two plus myself!  This worked out well for Tim (Ranger) as it enabled him to complete a job started last year but not finished ... something more important kept cropping up.

We met Tim a little later than usual (at 10 o'clock) to enable him to collect required materials then went in his pickup to Red Lane.  Here there are two footpaths to the Cloud and we were working on the lower path.  Our task was to take out old fencing, move one of the new posts to a better position and replace with new cleft fencing.  Whilst David and myself started on this, Andy dug a hole for a new National Trust sign at the stile entrance.  Tim had to cut the notches in the posts using drill and chisel plus shape the rails using his chainsaw.  

Team work prevailed and we just managed to get it all completed in time.  We met several walkers checking on the best route to use but didn't get anyone to volunteer to help. 

Christine

Construction & destruction at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 6th January 2019

Ten MNTV members plus Josh who is doing his Duke of Edinburgh award came out for our first workday of 2019 to blow away the cobwebs and work off the mince pies.  They still managed to eat lots of cake!

As there were so many of us we split into two groups.  The first group stayed with Tim (Ranger) and his truck and erected a sturdy gate and fencing.

The other group grabbed some tools and walked up the hill to the open heathland for a spot of destruction.  We pulled up saplings so visitors and wildlife can continue to enjoy the open aspects of this part of the hill.  Pulling up the birch saplings was hard work (even the smallest saplings held on by long roots) but we persevered.  We carried the saplings to the forest on the other side of the track to rot down and provide a wildlife habitat.

Bosley Cloud was true to its name.  At the top of the hill we were mostly in cloud but the ground was nice and dry.

Jenny

(Photos: Jenny and Karin)

Tree work on Bosley Cloud on Sunday 29th July

It started as a VERY wet day!!
Nine of us met on Tunstall Road, Bosley, where we swapped into 3 cars and drove to the layby at the top of Red Lane.
By then the rain was coming down fast but we weren't going to let it deter us from our task!!

Sheltering from the rain!

We started to walk up The Cloud with our tools and met Tim the NT Ranger and Paul, his long-term volunteer. They provided us with some extra tools, including a large 2-person 'push pull' saw and then showed us where we would be working and what needed doing.
We had hoped we might get the chance to winch some tree trunks out of the ground but Tim had other plans for us!
As we walked into the wood, there were a number of large pine tree trunks that had already been felled, waiting to be taken to the edge of the wood and left in a line, so that they could easily be chained up to a Quad bike later in the week and dragged to where they were to be used. This was likely to be as an edging to the various paths on The Cloud.
Tim had other groups of volunteers to supervise as well, so he headed off to meet them, leaving us in the capable hands of Paul.
Some of us started by tiding up the floor of the wood of trip hazards - removing and stacking smaller bits of wood that were lying around, tidying up brambles etc.  We also dug up some Holly and Birch trees which needed removing.

A large tree trunk needing 6 of us to move it!

Most of the pine trunks needed 6 people to carry them. Some, which were a bit smaller, only needed four. On the larger ones, we used 3 straps to wrap around the trunk then pushed our mattock handles through the loops at the end of the straps so a person could take the load on either side. Once strapped up and lifted, it was a slow and ponderous job, making sure that everyone was going at a speed suitable for them, sometimes stopping and putting the trunk down if it got a bit heavy and, of course, making sure to avoid any trips, slips or falls!

We had more-or-less cleared and lined up all the trunks by lunchtime, so after lunch we each had a go at felling a tree, which was then carried and lined up with the others.

Throughout the day, the weather improved, it stopped raining by mid-morning and then the sun came out:-) 

Group photo with the line of pine trunks:-)

We all had a great day, learning new skills, using different equipment and, as you can see in the photo, we could visually 'measure' our achievements by the long line of trunks that had been carried and laid out ready for the Ranger.

Tim was delighted by what we'd achieved:-)

Pathwork at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 13th May 2018

 

 

This Sunday seven of us travelled to Bosley Cloud on what turned out to be a glorious spring day.

We started slowly, hunting for a new signpost that had disappeared, then we made new ones for alongside the new path to discourage wandering off-piste.

We worked our way to the top and stopped for coffee and brownies in the sunshine.

Then Tim the ranger showed us the job for the rest of the day, continuing the path laying which we started earlier this year.  Matt and Neil started on making steps using sawn tree trunks and backfilling them to protect the path from erosion.

Neil gets handy with a mattock making a step

The rest of us hardy volunteers followed Tim who said he had found a nice tree trunk to continue the path. As nesting season is upon us the trunks have to be carried uphill by hand so the rest of us set to heaving it up using straps and mattock handles.

Martin holds the stake in place for Victor to give it a good whacking

 After a lunch break again basking in the Cheshire sunshine we continued our work bringing up another 2 trunks. To finish the day Tim found a longer tree that required a whole team effort to bring up.

Though hard work we had a lovely day and Tim thinks our section of path will last 20 years so we can go back many times to admire our handiwork.

Footpath work at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 11th March 2018

Just three MNTV volunteers turned out to continue footpath work on Bosley Cloud, although that wasn't a problem as we were also working with a larger group of Congleton volunteers.

The popular walk to the top of The Cloud has led to the paths becoming eroded and widening as people seek to avoid muddy and waterlogged ground. To combat this, Tim the ranger has been installing raised log borders and drains along the path. 

We began by cutting down some unwelcome birch trees on the heath and using them to make a brash border to discourage people from leaving the existing path.

At lunchtime we took the short trip to the top of the hill to enjoy views of the Cheshire countryside. We then joined Tim and the Congleton group working on the log borders.

This involved digging down through compacted sand and grit which felt like it had almost become sandstone, putting in upright posts along the border of the path and then laying long logs on top to create the actual border.

By the end of the day we had put down about 80 yards of brash and 30 yards of log border. We'll be back in May to continue the work.

Footpath work and pine tree clearance at Bosley Cloud on 18th February 2018

The weather was kind to us (for February) - although we didn’t get treated to the glorious views from the top of the Cloud we did get a dry day.

Tim, the NT ranger, had two possible jobs for us to do:
1.  Improving a footpath which was getting muddy and wider as people took a detour out of the mud.
2.  Chopping down pine trees from the heath.

Footpath in its original state

Six intrepid volunteers turned up for the work day which Tim thought was enough people to get on with the footpath.  Tim reasoned that if he could carry one of the short wide logs intended to go across the path up the hill on his own then four of us could manage one of the 16ft poles to go along the edge.  Between us we did manage to climb up the hill with several of the long logs, but we did have lots of stops on the way.

Carrying a log uphill

The long logs were staked beside the path with shorter logs going diagonally across to encourage the water to flow into a stream beside the path.  Tim pointed out that the “stream” was in fact the old path, which had been eroded away after people had created a new path a few feet away.  The work we were doing was to stop the same thing happening again.

After lunch we swapped from carrying the long logs to carrying smaller birch trees up the hill with lots of branches to fill in the side of the path to “encourage” people to stay on the path.

With a section of path complete, and no one having the energy to haul any more trees uphill, we decided to tackle a few of the pine trees.  At the start of the day I had envisaged chopping down majestic pine trees and shouting “timber” and perhaps singing the lumberjack song.  The reality was pulling up the smaller trees (2ft tall) and chopping down the slightly bigger trees from the heath.  We cleared quite a large area in a short time, ending the day with the satisfaction of two jobs done.

Jenny (first time worksite leading today!)

Heathland clearance at Bosley Cloud (aka 'The Cloud') on Sunday 20th Aug 2017

Seven of us met on Tunstall Road near the entrance to Gosberryhole Lane at 9.30am.
Despite mixed weather reports during the week, by the time the day dawned, no rain was forecast and it ended up being warm and sunny:-)
For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Cloud, it is 300m high and is a prominent and compelling feature in the surrounding Cheshire lowland countryside. Since 1800, 84% of Britain's lowland heath has been lost and as such, areas such as the Cloud are extremely important. This has been reflected in the Cloud being designated as an area of Special Biological Interest.
Tim, the Ranger who covers the Cloud, couldn't join us today so, earlier in the week, Sue had collected a few mattocks from him and a map with instructions.
The biggest 'downside' of Tim not being with us was that we had to walk all the way up The Cloud carrying our tools, rucksacks and First Aid supplies, instead of getting a lift in his vehicle - it's a long way up!
Having reached the top, we surveyed the glorious countryside and magnificent views, had a look at the toposcope, then worked out where we were to be working. It took a while to find the correct way to get over the wall onto the heathland but, once there, we saw the task before us - lots of lowland heath but with birch sapling growing in amongst the heather. Our task was to remove the birch including the roots and then carry/drag the tree's to another area.

Magnificent views:-)

Some of the saplings were so small, they could be pulled out easily by hand, but others were bigger, more established and needed mattocks to loosen the soil around the roots and occasionally loppers to cut some of the really long roots that were difficult to pull out.

Working hard!

It was hard work but satisfying to see the big pile of birch that we'd uprooted by the end of the day.

Making a difference. 

The heathland didn't seem to look that different when it was time to leave, but we were pleased that we'd done our bit:-)

Group photo (taken by Adrian).

 Photo's taken by Adrian.

Footpath work at Bosley Cloud on 16 August 2015

Six of us went to Bosley Cloud today to continue the job we began six weeks ago repairing a stretch of the Gritstone Trail near the summit.  We worked alongside Cheshire Countryside volunteers Colin and Jim and spent the morning returfing eroded sides of the path by 'plug planting' heather sods cut from the heathland on either side.

The heather had come into bloom since our visit in July and the hillside was carpeted lilac and loud with the drone of bees.  In the afternoon we changed jobs and redefined and rebuilt drainage channels across the footpath that we had built or repaired last time.

Tim Ryan (Ranger) had chalked up an A-board to explain the work we were doing and why and who was doing it:

During the day lots of people walked up and down the path and we chatted to several of them.  Many expressed their appreciation of the work we were doing.

Lunch was taken at the summit where we had fabulous views north to Shining Tor, Shutlingsloe, Sutton Common, Macclesfield, Manchester and Alderley Edge.

As a treat for everyone Daniel had baked a Battenburg Cake and this was enjoyed at elevenses and at the end of the day.

Footpath repair at Bosley Cloud on Sunday 5 July 2015

Six of us spent today at Bosley Cloud with Tim Ryan (Ranger) and Colin (Alderley Edge volunteer) repairing sections of the Gritstone Trail near the summit.  Andy and Christine drove there direct and Daniel, Adrian, Jo and Paige carshared from Quarry Bank Mill.  We rendezvoused on Tunstall Road at the junction with Gosberryhole Lane at 9:15.

The worktask was to build stone 'run offs' to prevent water running down the path and instead drain across it.  This should mean the path is drier and encourage walkers to stick to it and not walk on drier ground either side thereby widening the path through erosion.  The first step was to dig diagonal trenches across the path using mattocks and spades and the second step was to unearth boulders from the path/heathland and manoeuvre them to the trench by rolling and/or using wrecking bars, then set them in place slightly proud of the path.  Gaps between the boulders were filled with stones and spoil.  The footpath was easy to dig into (compact sand) and the boulders could be chipped to size with blows from the mattocks.

We ate lunch at the summit of the Cloud and enjoyed wonderful views to all four points of the compass.  The viewing disc informed us that Land's End was 264 miles away, Snowdon 81, Liverpool Cathedral 38, John o'Groats 380 and London Charing Cross 143.

We are returning to Bosley Cloud on 16 August and will be building more 'run offs' then.

Daniel

(PS volunteers from the Congleton group and Congleton Harriers also repaired footpaths at the Cloud today but worked on the west side and not at our worksite.)

Pitching on Bosley Cloud 19 August 2012

Four volunteers turned out from our group and met up with 5 from the Congleton volunteers and spent some of the day working on the grit stone trail towards the top of Bosley Cloud.

We spent the day working on "pitched" grips or gutters - lines of stones fitted together diagonally across the path designed to direct rain water off the path.  This stops  water collecting on the path and running down hill - so preventing erosion.  Unfortunately not all walkers / cyclist recognise the long term advantage of having these structures and attempt to remove.  Others walk round the end of them or force their way through the vegetation making new parallel scars, sometimes known as a braided path.  The stones we were working with were quite manageable - though some of the structures were finished with larger stones / boulders on the ends - to encourage people to stay on the established path.  The work had been described to us as involving moving boulders but it turned out to be nowhere near as heavy as we had feared.

It started raining shortly after lunch and the weather forecast was poor for the afternoon - so we finished what we were doing and walked down to the cars.  In the event it has stopped raining by the time we were ready to drive off.