Wadsworth: tough going again on a tough stile!
On a suprisingly warm and calm late October day, Jan and Duncan revisited a newly reconstructed stile that was ~100 m up the narrow path that goes from Hurst Road in the direction of Fearney Fields (see map) to retrofit a dog-gate as requested by the landowner.
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| 1. Worksite: the blue pin marks the spot |
The cost of the materials for today's work was covered by the landowner and labour costs were paid for by Wadsworth Parish Council. Many thanks.
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| 2. Starting point: A new stile created a couple of weeks ago, but with no easy access for dogs because of the stock fence. |
The problem was that the most appropriate place to fit the dog-gate was obstructed by the stay for the straining post stay and by the stock fence to the left of the stile. These would need to be removed and/or repositioned to make room for the gate. Removing the offending stock fence also meant that new rails would have to be fitted to the stile to prevent escapees from the field.
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| 3. First step: Duncan, having removed the straining post stay, cutting away the unnecessary section of stock fence and retensioning the wire around the stile post - a tedious task. |
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| 4. Next steps: The unecessary section of stock fence removed and uprights and brackets for dog-gate fitted. Additional top rail and section of bottom rail still to be trimmed. |
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5. Next step: Innocent passer-by (with reluctant dog) invited to test the nearly complete, but safe, stile and dog-gate. |
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| 6. Final result: A rather pleasing and functional stile and dog-gate combination - just the waymarks to be re-attached. |
