Troutbeck Fencing Project with the National Park Fell Futures Apprentices.

The first batch of fencing  materials arriving on site.

National Trust rangers based at St Catherine's had the pleasure of working with the National Park Fell Futures Apprentices.

In just a few days the first phase of a big fencing project, in the Troutbeck Valley, was completed.

The aim is to fence off a long stretch of Troutbeck to exclude livestock; this will assist natural regeneration, reduce erosion to the riverbank, and lessen the risk of flooding.

Apart from the fencing work, six new gates were installed for access along the length of the new fence line.

Distributing the fencing materials along the line of the new fence.

Part of the Troutbeck river bank soon to be fenced off.

The fencing work well under way with the gates and posts  awaiting installation.

Three of the apprentices working well as a team........

.........and with Trust!

Cutting back some inconvenient thorn that was in the way.

More Teamwork

Tidy Job.

The uneven ground proved challenging in places.  In the left foreground, the bottom plain wire, the stock netting and the barbed wire have been fully tensioned. Beyond the strutted strainer post, the barbed wire has been laid out on the ground, ready for tensioning or straining. From the next strainer post, the stock netting is about to be tensioned.

Another batch of posts and stock netting (Rylock) loaded up and ready to go.

Strange phenomenon at Troutbeck.......An Astral Mug!?....Weird or What!?

Quite a distance.

Getting the gates, posts and rails to the more inaccessible parts of the ground by means of the invaluable power barrow. Landrovers have their limitations.

Neat post and rail job on part of the fence line.

Using  a post hole digger.

Lining up the gate post......

......and getting the gate positioned.

Yet another gate further along the line ready to be fenced up to for phase 2 of the project.

A celebratory leap after completing phase one of the fencing........who was it that said "Youth is wasted on the young"!?...............SURELY NOT!

What a team! With all good wishes for the future from the National Trust Countryside Rangers at St Catherine's.