Loading the barrows..
Above and below - off to repair the pot-holes.
Sitting IN the dried-up pond, for our tea break.
Another section completed...
but still some to done.
With the majority our summer GG sessions being taken up with pulling pesky plants, it was most enjoyable to be doing something different and at a completely new site! Mark gave us all extremely detailed instructions on how to get there - this resulted in people arriving from all four corners of the compass (but we all got there - eventually!). Swanmore Meadows is a large area of land, with it's boundaries including Alfred Street to the north, Monkton Mead brook (and the railway) to the east, Rosemary Lane to the south and Ashey Road to the west. Have a look at this link for further details of this site…. Swanmore Meadows | Gift to Nature.
Nick the ranger had pre-dumped a huge pile (about 5 cubic metres) of recycled road chippings so it was out with the shovels and wheelbarrows to start repairing the rather neglected pathways. Other GG members started trimming back all the overhanging obstructions to make access easier. Initially the loads had to be transported some considerable distance but as the piles diminished, the trips became shorter (thank goodness!) Although everyone worked VERY hard, we didn't quite get to the bottom of the chippings pile - oh well, I am sure we will have another visit here soon. Have just checked the programme and we are back here in two weeks time - hopefully we can finish off that huge pile of chip pings then?
During the session, we met a large number of dog walkers who were all complementary about our efforts - so nice to be appreciated and that the pathways are obviously well used by the locals.
The rather cloudy start to the session turned into bright sunshine and we had a really good turnout of GGmers.
Many thanks to Sue for taking the photographs this week.
Historical Note. As we walked around the site, we kept coming across pieces of architectural stonework. As a child I used to play in the area and could remember a large, partly demolished, house up in Ashey Road - which backed onto this area. A little searching on the internet came up with this link The Ghost of Hazelwood, Ashey Rd, Ryde, Isle of Wight. | Flickr Anyone see any ghosts today???
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