A frosty start..
Working on the steep banks.
Glorious views.
A well earned tea break.
Trouble starting but now roaring away.
A much clearer southern bank.
Photographs (below) from when we last visited this site….
TEN years ago!
(Spot the "Old Timers" who are still attending the GG sessions -
two of which are working in the same spot 10 years on.)
As we assembled in the Downs car park the temperature had only just climbed above the over-night low of -5C….Brrrrr! Wrapped in in at least three layers WITH hats, scarves, gloves, we made our way over the hill and down to Little Jane's Quarry. The clear, blue sky and bright sunshine would have been even better if we had not been working in the shade all the time. The contractors had made a wonderful job of mechanically stripping the vegetation from the bottom of the pit but the steep sides seem to have defeated their efforts. So, bring on Team GG to get the job underway….. they were soon climbing the steep chalk slopes, chopping back the overgrown undergrowth as they went. The task was to clear a very overgrown path on the southern side, then collect all the cuttings before burning them on a fire. The reason for doing all this? Cutting everything back allows the grass and wild flowers to flourish, rather than the undergrowth, encouraging the wildlife to re-establish in the area. The fire proved to be a bit of a struggle to start but, in true GG tradition, they persisted with it until it eventually roared into life - well done the "firemen"! Exceptional progress was made on the clearance but it would be nice to return (perhaps on a warmer day!) to continue the work. Let's hope that it isn't another TEN years before we get a repeat visit….!
Many thanks to Mark for both the recent and historical photographs.
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