Last autumn, we had three new apprentices join us in the countryside worker team; Aliesha, Olivia and Jasper. We didn’t hesitate getting straight to work, taking on the mammoth task of replacing a section of the aging boardwalk at Forge Valley, north of Old Man’s Mouth carpark.
In total we spent four weeks throughout the autumn dismantling the existing boardwalk and constructing the replacement. It was a brilliant opportunity for the new starters to get to grips with a variety of the hand tools we use and to start to develop an array of new skills that we will use throughout our careers. It was also an excellent chance to get to know what it’s like to work outside in all weathers, with a lot of our time spent there in the rain, regularly getting stuck in the mud! We can definitely see why a boardwalk is needed there.
At the end of our time, we had completed a whopping 150 metres of new boardwalk and had time to give it a good clean with a leaf blower before we left.
We’ll be returning to Forge Valley soon to connect our section to the existing boardwalk, nearer the carpark, and officially reopen that section after being closed for over two years.
We’re now about halfway through our winter months working with the Lineside Conservation Department of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR).
During this time we carry out a range of tasks from surveying and habitat management to constructing fences and installing gates. Recently we’ve been rebuilding a stock-proof fence along the lineside that collapsed due to a landslip from the Levisham Estate.