Picture Gallery of Volunteers.

Just some examples of the work volunteers have been

involved with in the Central and East Lakes region over the course of 2015. 

With thanks and good wishes for 2016!

 Matthew clearing away wind-blown trees from woodland wall. More firewood for the Footprint woodburner!

Combating invasive plants at Dora's Field Grasmere.

Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed.

Newton Rigg students replacing worn out steps at Wetherall Woods, near Carlisle.

Cumbria National Trust Volunteer Group.

Putting in stone setts at Ambleside Roman Fort.

Working Holiday Group upgrading Millerground Footpath and lake shore revetment work.

Volunteer group from Shardale.
Footpath improvement and resurfacing work.

Interim repairs to the St. Catherine's drive.

In the aftermath of Storm Desmond repairs to the three hundred metre plus drive to St. Catherine's, The Footprint and Gatelands, are now well underway as the following images show...

Blue obligingly posed to give some sense of scale to the problem.

Central East Lakes pick up and two ton tipper trailer put to work.

Craig and Nick from the South Lakes region were quick to offer their assistance in the running repairs to the drive. Here Craig is loading the dumper driven by Nick with material washed down in the flood.

...another load of salvaged aggregate ready to be raked in.

James, Ray and a special mention for Leila, academy ranger from North Lakes, in helping to spread the retrieved aggregate brought up by the dumper. 

John gathering up more aggregate.

Here come the cavalry....The firm I.T Shaw were commendably quick to arrive on the scene with the heavy plant machinery needed to deal with the massive amount of work required just to reinstate vehicular access to the property.

The excavator at work with the dumper in attendance.

A twenty ton load of MOT Type one sub base arriving from Burlington... making it two hundred tons delivered up to press...ready to be spread and rolled. The final top layer will be put down in the New Year, once the drainage for the drive has been reinstated and improved .

Thanks are owed to I.T.Shaw and their prompt response in dealing with the situation and to Craig and Nick from South Lakes, and Leila from North Lakes for all their valuable assistance.

After The Deluge

Images from around Ambleside and Windermere in the aftermath of Storm Desmond. Sunday December 6th.

The calm after the storm! Rayrigg Meadow, Bowness.

Sheep reflecting sheep in the now unruffled flood water.

Stock Ghyll Force looking impressive after 'unprecedented' rainfall.

The wrecked driveway..to National Trust St. Catherine's, The Footprint, and Gatelands.. after Wynlass Beck burst its banks during the relentless downpour.

The drive is extensively damaged throughout its entire length with ruts of over two feet deep in places.

Tarmac ripped up by fast flowing flood water. Ambleside.

The rubble strewn A591 at Troutbeck Bridge.

Waterhead Marine.

Lake Wardens going to the assistance of a stranded Land Rover.

Jenkyns Field.

The dry boathouse at Jenkyns Field!

The A591 between Ambleside and Windermere with flood water gradually receding but more rain forecast for the week ahead...

BARN STORMING ABIGAIL! Storm damaged barn at Troutbeck Park Farm.

Friday 13th.....an unlucky day for this National Trust barn which was extensively damaged by high wind speeds generated by 'Storm Abigail' (A BIG GALE?), the UK's first named storm.

Because of its remote location and the rough track leading to it, the National Trust builders requested the help of the rangers, with land-rover and trailer, to transport acrow props and scaffolding tubes up to the barn. 

The first acrow prop in place. (above and below). These props will give some much needed support to the roof.

As the  building is in a dangerous state, temporary barricades have been put in place, but more substantial and secure barricades will be erected as soon as possible.

Unfortunately in this instance, the somewhat appropriately named Storm Barney, the second storm strong enough to be named by the Met Office, is following hard on the heels of Abigail. Further damage to the barn may occur with it's structural integrity already seriously compromised.

Troutbeck off-road Footpath.

An off-road footpath, running between NT Howe Farm land and the busy A592, overlooks the Troutbeck valley and was constructed many years ago; so long ago, in fact, that ownership of the path has now become blurred over the years.

After consultation with the Troutbeck Village Society the NT agreed to maintain and look after the path until ownership can be established. This will give the dual benefit of encouraging walkers to use the path instead of a potentially dangerous section of road and it also helps to improve links with the network of paths in and around Troutbeck.

Up until recently the three hundred metre path had become very uninviting... as can be seen in the image above; it was even worse than this until Trust rangers strimmed, and cut back encroaching vegetation. 

A large volunteer group from Shardale, led by NT Base camp rangers, Rob, Phillipa and Matt, came along to help us with improving and resurfacing the path on the third and fourth of November. 

The first task was to cut back the turf  in an eighty cm. strip along the length of the path... prior to resurfacing it.

Measuring sticks were used to determine the width of the path back from the leading edge.

Almost ready for resurfacing.

Approximately twenty tons of aggregate, from Elterwater Quarry, was used to  resurface the path.

Yet again the indispensable power barrows came into their own on a project like this.

The land-rover and tipper trailer with another two ton load from Elterwater.

A scene from the quarry. (Two very misty days)

Smiles at the end of the second day and the first phase of the project completed.

Above ....

....and below!

The first walkers to use the upgraded footpath.

Thanks to everyone involved with this project, especially the volunteers.

It was a most enjoyable and productive two days!

Job to be proud of.