How many volunteers does it take to clear a drain?

We had a great work party on ashness fell on thursday the 11th of august, despite the midges!  It was james squires last day on the fell, all the best to him in the future.  The work involved transplanting heather and turfs to block off shortcuts and keep people on the path leading to the new digger path.  A massive thank you to all who suffered through the horrendous conditions, it is as if the shortcuts were never there.

The footpath team have been helping ranger roy this week with a group of diverse volunteers from the organisation GOAL.  The "go away and learn organisation" helps develop education of young people internationally, irrespective of a young persons' culture, race or religion, enabling them to participate in educational travel in the UK and abroad.

 

  Above the GOAL volunteers carrying materials to replace a style and do some fencing on the side of  grey knotts overlooking seathwaite.  We carried thirty fenceposts, four 6" by 6" square 3 metre posts, a roll of fencing wire and four rails.  We got it all done in a day! thanks to their help.

   Walking up sty head pass doing a drain run with thirty two volunteers.

                               Clearing a drain using team work.

We had sixty two volunteers with us over two days,  and six different nationalities.

                                  
                       Lunch time at sty head tarn.

A big thank you to all the volunteers for your help,  Grazie     tando, muchas gracias,  obrigado/obrigada, grazzi, Děkuji, danke, Nice one.

Farewell, then, summer?

As I type, the heavens have opened, the sky is black and the few days of summer sunshine we have had recently already seem a distant memory. It has been exceptionally hot and humid, conditions which have provided their own set of challenges when doing a heavy job such as ours, so slightly cooler conditons will be welcomed by all team members.
However, even in the heat there were signs of autumn's approach. The bracken is now turning yellow and orange in many places along Langstrath while a Common Sandpiper, perhaps having recently left breeding grounds, has taken up residence at the foot of Stake Pass, its shrill calls advertising its presence each morning. And the dew on the grass in the valley floor is another reminder that summer does not have long to run here in the uplands.
Work on Stake Pass is progressing nicely thanks to the efforts of our colleagues from the South Lakes footpath team, who are with us for the rest of August. With their help we shall soon have the fourth switchback of the season completed and work on the footpath as a whole approaching halfway down the north side of the Pass. We'll see you up there perhaps!