Northern team
Here we go again!
April 2010 by Paul Delaney
Preparations for the 2010 season have begun with a variety of tasks and techniques to get stone and equipment on the hills.
The most novel technique was the use of five Cumbrian Fell Ponies to transport 150 bags to an isolated location at Starling Dodd, between Ennerdale and Crummock Water.
The ponies were supplied by the Kerbeck Stud at Lamplugh, courtesy of Christine Robinson, and covered the 3.5 mile route over steep rocky terrain with very few problems except perhaps for the pathworkers trying to keep up!
The bags have now been filled and airlifted to Scale Force for path repairs by a local contracting team.
A break from the hills came with a visit to the Dunthwaite Estate near Cockermouth where we worked with the Fix the Fells volunteer lengthsmen to repair and replace flood damaged fences and riverside footpaths. A mass turnout of staff and volunteers saw a team of 19 make a huge impact on the repairs, with a return visit planned for May 4th. Local wardening staff kindly gave us a tour of the manor house and it was a rare treat for all to have lunch sitting in actual chairs.
We have been preparing for our main uplands project on the path from Grains Gill to Esk Hause by bagging stone on the slopes of Allen Crags.
In some very cold but stunningly bright spring weather, this also gave us a great opportunity to explain our work to passing walkers, some of whom seemed quite bewildered as to what we were up to!
With all the stone bagged up, we airlifted it the short distance to the path, where it sits ready for the project to start later this year after we have finished a joint project on Stake Pass with our colleagues from the central lakes team.
We will of course continue our work parties with the Fix The Fells lengthsmen teams and are heavily involved with the training programme for this years intake.
To find out more about the Northern team return to the diary archive
