Tree Planting at Tow Law and Reccying a Walk

On Saturday me and Dawn (LTD stayed in his pit on Saturday) spent much of the day digging holes, inserting oak and rowan saplings and cosying them all up with plastic tree guards. This was part of a project organised by Durham Wildlife Trust and Wolsingham Parish Council, replacing an old conifer plantation with native deciduous trees and shrubs. The small plantation is on an old quarry site on a  hill-edge with big views of Weardale. We kept digging up green-coloured clinker and the odd half brick and, apparently, this was due to theold quarry being filled with waste from the local steel foundries.

There were lots of volunteers and many trees were planted but as the rain started and some scouts had pinched our lump hammer (for driving in the stakes), we called it a day and repaired to knipetowers to drink tea.

On Sunday, it was time to reccy the third of my new(ish) summer programme Durham County Council guided walks – the one which starts at Baybridge and wanders apparently fairly aimlessly around local gills, pastures and moors. In fact, it’s an old route with a new start, mainly aimed at avoiding a really steep and slippery descent which is probably a bit risky for many of the DCC guided walks punters. The new route is a bit more interesting anyway and it has the added bonus of more contours, thus helping with anybody’s slimming plans or for hardening up their thigh muscles for proper walks in the Lake District.

We  (me, LTD and Dawn) managed to time the first half of the walk with a fine, sunny spring day with sunshine that had hints of warmth. After that it clouded up and drizzled a bit.

The route is fine, though, although I had to report FP no. 1 in the parish of Hunstanworth as blocked by fallen trees. A quick whizz-through with a chainsaw ought to sort it out, I would have thought.

It’s ten miles and the walk starts at Baybridge Pickernick Site at 10:00 on 15 April at a bargain cost of just £4. Bring butties and a drink. I’ll have to reccy it again about a week before and hopefully somebody will have been busy with their little saws and the sheep will have had their lambs. And so on, and so forth….

Next thing is to replace the knipemobile which has developed noises, vibrations and annoying messages about the left hand parking light being out. It’s old age. I’ve had it ten years…  I am in contact with Barclays Bank.