Practical dyking (and bridging) day at Wooplaw

On Sunday we revisited Wooplaw Community Woodland (www.wooplaw.org.uk - see blogs passim) to continue with the build of the wall we've been working on. As per usual, I forgot to take a 'before' picture - the excitement of getting to work seems to be just too much for me, I'm afraid. However, if you look back to the previous Wooplaw post (September 2014) you can see how we left it last time, which is pretty much how it was when we started this time.

I was pleased to see that the Stone Bridge (I've decided to capitalise it, so that it can become the Wooplaw Stone Bridge) was still up and functional.

While doing some wood-related work elsewhere in the woodland, Stephen (he's a man of may talents) had spotted another muckle stane which he reckoned should be added to the bridge. The good news was that it was easily big enough and flat enough. The bad news was that it was at pretty much the very far end of the wood. However, with the help of his barrow*, we managed to lug it over to the site.

* It may just have done some of the journey in the back of my car. Well, you wouldn't want it falling off the barrow and damaging the road, would you.

And after some improvements and extensions to the supporting retaining wall lining the ditch (which was a bit less muddy than previously - perhaps even due to the improved bridge no longer being a blockage point in the drainage system) the new stone fitted in very nicely.

And proof that either it's safe to walk over, or that Alan's very brave. 

Further down the same wall there's a place where we (well, Richard) had build an arch where the ditch crosses under the wall. The arch itself was still fine, but the copes above it had started to come off and the wall to one side had followed them down (proof, I'd say, of the soundness of the arch, at least).

Fortunately we'd caught it in time, and it was easy enough to build the wall back up and re-cope it.

Meanwhile, work was continuing apace on the wall, interrupted only by lunch and a brief break to rehouse a toad.

And by the end of the day we'd added another four meters or so (as yet uncoped, but we've got another couple of visits scheduled for this summer, so hopefully we'll get it all done before the winter).

Bob Fleet fae Wooplaw showed up just as we finished off and insisted on taking a photo of the gallant builders (less Stephen, who'd had to head off early as his wife is in danger of becoming a Wooplaw widow).