Mini Mountains Should Have Mini Mountaineers

Normally our blogs concern our day to day practical conservation work and of course our engagement with the public, on some days however this engagement become much more closely focused, and in this case definitely a lot of fun
We have always had connections with local schools and are keen to help get the children outdoors and closer to nature, well this week the children from Ennerdale & Kinnisde School got a wee bit closer to nature than they might have intended

Class teacher Mrs Watson leads the juniors up a very wet Rannerdale Knotts

On a very wet and wild Wednesday, Ranger Dan and myself, along with our guest blogger, intern Becky Ingham took 29 children aged 7-11 up Rannerdale Knotts to look at a range of subjects from glaciated valleys, NT footpath management, the water cycle and farming.

Becky explaining the Water Cycle while Ranger Dan shows us an ancient Potash Kiln

I’ll hand over to our guest blogger Becky to give you her impression of the day

“As an outdoor events intern I have been able to do so much with the National Trust in the last six months and I’ve found how much I enjoy being outside whatever the weather. That definitely came in handy on Wednesday when I went out with Rangers Paul and Dan and Ennerdale School up Rannerdale Knotts

Heading for the summit

The weather was magnificent, in the almost blown off your feet and wet enough to make a duck think twice about going out kind of way. It definitely proved the saying that ‘there is no bad weather, just bad clothes’ as we were mostly kept dry and warm by our waterproofs. We had truly fantastic views as the clouds moved, showing us the fells and then hiding them again. At one point we could see the rain shadow hurtling towards us over Crummock Water and making the fells behind almost disappear.
The Ennerdale kids were fantastic, as Paul said; ‘mini mountains should have mini mountaineers’ and that’s definitely what we had. I don’t think I heard a single moan about the weather, even from the littlest.

Are we there yet?

 I hope they enjoyed learning about the footpaths that wind their way all over the fells, the Rangers who look after them and the history of that beauty spot as much as I did”

We'd like to thank the children, teachers and parents, and of course Becky for giving Ranger Dan and I, a cracking if wet day out, looking forward to next time.

One day you're up....the next you're down

(re posted as original mysteriously went away last time)

November has been a month of changing weather and work sites, firstly we carried out the finishing touches to our joint project with the Fish Hotel in Buttermere, there were a few unkind comments about the length of time the project took but overall we’re happy with the results.

Next off, with Ranger Dan back in Borrowdale leading some farm walks at Seatoller farm (a place he knows only too well) I was joined by contractor Craig Shaw and his dog Jamie, our task? To repair- rebuild the boundary fence at the top of Kirkclose Wood by Buttermere, luckily as it was quite a steep walk up to site, the materials had been flown in previously, unluckily they had been dropped a considerable distance away!! So first we were forced to make far too many trips up and down the hill with posts and wire.

We were blessed with magnificent autumn weather, crisp bright and cold with just the odd flurry of snow, and offering some stunning views.

Could you wish for better views?

A classic indication that we were well into autumn was the presence of several hundred fieldfares and redwings, a sure sign of cold weather approaching.

Jamie says "You expect me to carry this?.........."

 Our peace and quiet on site was interrupted occasionally by the sound of chainsaws drifting across the lake, our forestry team were working in Burtness wood and on particularly calm days the sounds of falling trees could be heard, click here to see and hear how fast they work.

Following on from this and after a well earned half term break we re grouped, our usual Thursday volunteer team joined us at Netherhow on the shores of Crummock Water to help us repair a gate and fence which had been repeatedly vandalised over the summer, you have to wonder why given the amount of fallen trees and branches lying around, someone would prefer to burn a gate?

David had promised Christine a romantic picnic by the lake

 Now this was a fairly straightforward task but as we once again had combined work with water and our volunteers and some miserable weather, it was almost guaranteed to turn into yet another Whitehall farce. The end of the fence was deep in the lake, not a problem, we had some waders, Ranger Dan seemed quite pleased to tell me that they didn’t fit him so I did the decent thing and struggled out into the lake looking like a cross between MC Hammer and some demented water based superhero, can’t quite think which one.

Captain Whatever about to enter the abyss

 All was going smoothly with me in the water and the volunteers and Ranger Dan on dry land when suddenly a large piece of wood fell as if from nowhere right into the water beside me causing a large splash and soaking me entirely! Volunteers David ,Christine and Jim told me an enormous bird had flown across and dropped it and of course I had no reason to doubt them.

Just before the splash!!!

Very soon it was lunchtime and the job was completed, a quick tidy up of the site and all the rubbish loaded onto the quad and trailer and we were away again, off to Fletcher Fields to finish  some walling which we’d begun the day before.

Anyone know where this bit goes?