Throstle Nest: Stile repairs
A day with better weather conditions than were forecast . . . until after lunch when, by way of compensation, conditions were worse than forecast. So an average sort of a day!
Frank S and Frank H, joined at the last minute by Jerry, carried out repairs on a couple of stiles.
Stile 1. (Mainly Jerry and Frank H)
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| 1. Single-step stile with too high a step-up and a rotten leg |
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| 2. Work in progress. Conversion into two-step stile underway. |
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| 3. Stile steps completed. Volunteer CROW making safety test! |
The fencing had been tidily constructed and, in general, ran parallel to the ground. Unfortunately, this meant the top rail of the stile is not on the horizontal (horizontal being CROWS' preferred option).
For the moment we have left the structure as in the picture because, now the step positions and heights have been re-adjusted, the stile is easily negotiated with a 'turn and leg-swing'.
Making the top rail horizontal was tested but the outcome looked (and was) most unsatisfactory.However, the taller side-post may need replacing in the near (ish) future when we can consider rail position and also whether width adjustment would be useful.
Stile 2. (Mainly Frank S but with occasional help from Jerry & Frank H)
Some 30 m away another stile presented similar problems:
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| 1. Two-step stile but lower is step missing |
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| 2. New two-step stile with position of lower step adjusted to optimise leg clearance over sloping top-rail. |
Encroaching foliage has been cut back and the stile is now easy to access. Staples have been added to the existing higher step to improve grip. Having a sloping top-rail is not ideal but (similar to stile 1) the new position for the lower step makes the stile easy to negotiate . . . as was demonstrated by an elderly pensioner with artificial hips (unfortunately no picture available!)
Today's work was funded by a donation from the landowner. Many thanks.
