Dog Hill Farm, Krumlin.
1st March, the first day of Spring and it was snowing! Today’s task was to clear the overgrown path from Dog Lane Farm to Hand Croft as shown on the map below, the team consisted of Jak, Linda, Jerry, Graham and Angus.
This was also an opportunity to trial a range of electric power tools from Husqvarna supplied through Balmers GM, many thanks to Craig Cooper from Husqvarna and Andrew Meeks from Balmers GM for their time and assistance and also for getting stuck-in with the rest of the team.
The Details
What greeted us at the start of the day
The path hadn’t been used for several months/years and was totally overgrown with brambles and bracken, along with the weather this presented an interesting challenge for everyone. Using the electric hedge cutters, we got straight into it and they made light work of carving a path through the tangle of brambles to expose and wide and walled path. After a couple of hours, we had exposed the complete path but as the snow got heavier it became somewhat muddy underfoot, several small saplings and overhanging branches were removed using an electric chainsaw and pole saw.
There is still a bit to do to sort out the drainage at the
lower end of the path where it joins Bottomley Lane, and to clear the material
cut back during today’s work. The result is a clear access path for walkers
which now avoids the narrow bend at Clough House, it is hoped to open up other
footpaths in the area to increase the access for walkers. This is one of the
first tasks undertaken by the Ryburn work party, further increasing the CROWS presence
in this area, please be sure to report any issues you feel CROWS may be able to
assist with via the website – www.crows-coop.co.uk
The finished job, well for today at least.
It was a bit miserable for the all-weather warriors!
Nice to get a quote from a local resident, Barry Crank, on the days work - "Wowzer Jak, the CROWS are absolutely amazing. For what the weather has thrown at them today, and to see what it was like at the start and what its like now...all I can say is what amazing people they are!!!
