by Martin, 21st March 2010, 15 Volunteers
On this occasion, Malham itself served only as a meeting point for our team of volunteers. Then all aboard the minibus driven by warden Tony for a journey via Langcliffe, Settle and Giggleswick to the outlying property of Routster Farm. Deep pockets of snow still evident on the northern slopes of the hills were a reminder of the harsh winter we had endured at lower levels a few weeks earlier.
Our task today was to spread a woodchip mulch along the line of a newly planted hawthorn hedge. The tiny saplings were protected on each side by wire fencing, so we split into two teams. Those outside the fence shovelled and bucketed, and those inside the fence emptied and spread the contents before tossing the buckets back to be refilled. The usual competitive spirit between the two teams ensured that the task was rapidly completed, and we took an early lunch. A beautiful place for a picnic, far off the beaten track on a bright sunny day but with a chilly breeze!
After lunch, we clearly saw the reason for our morning’s work. Another line of hawthorns planted last year had not been mulched, and was completely overgrown with grass. Without this being cleared, much of the hedge would not have grown any further, so six of us set to work carefully uncovering the stems, some of which had completely vanished in the undergrowth. The others bucketed up the rest of the woodchip, to be ferried by Tony in his 4x4 to the new point for spreading. Fortunately, not many saw my comedy turn when I lost my footing and emptied a large bucket of woodchip over myself, but only my dignity was injured!
We nearly completed our task, defeated only by running out of woodchip before reaching the end of the hedge. But the remaining stems have at least been cleared from the undergrowth, so should have a better chance. Back on the minibus for our return trip, after another very satisfying day. It wasn’t really Malham, but it was a very good substitute.
Martin
