On-going stuff.

Our work on the new diversion channel above Braithwaite moved another step forward last week when we broke through the wall going out of the old dam.  It was a lot easier to do than ‘breaking in’ to the dam.  

None of this will pose a problem for walkers because the channel is narrow enough for them to hop over quite easily.  The next stage will be to install a 6m x 600mm pipe.  That shouldn’t be too much of a problem as the ground is soft at present.   Thankfully my fantastic volunteers are still with me on this one!

In stark contrast, the drilling at Force Crag is hard going just now.  The drill has encountered about 3 or 4 metres of very hard rock and a larger rig has been brought in.  If this doesn’t do the trick a change of drill bit or a relocation of the drill site will have to be tried.

Later in the week,  Alistair, our North Lakes General Manager hosted a meeting of Trust general and property managers at Bowe Barn.  This included a trip over to Derwent Island to look at work that will need to be done there and to generate ideas about how to make it more accessible for members of the public.  At present there are some open days with limited numbers of places.  Watch this space for open day dates. 

Evening walk.

Spot the squirrel

At the weekend Jan and I went to Edinburgh.  It’s nice to visit a city for a change and Edinburgh is a lovely place.   Of course the pandas are drawing large crowds at present.  Then, when I returned home and took Reiver for a walk on Friars Crag, just by being alert to the surroundings, I saw a red squirrel, a nuthatch and a tree-creeper.  We sometimes forget to take the time to see what is around us all the time – no queues and no charges!