A year on Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail - July 2012, Part 7

My first visit to my section in July was to be on the second day of the month. After the torrential rain we have experienced, I made sure I was carrying all of my waterproof  clothing and I was expecting to have to walk through large areas of wet and muddy ground.

Starting off, waterproofs were to stay in my rucksack and the Trail on the grassland was drying out and not as bad as I expected. It was not to last though, I had to walk through some showers and try to get through some large waterlogged and muddy areas.

Waterlogged Vallum beside the Trail - 02/07/2012.

 During my walk of the section, I am always on the lookout for litter and as usual, there was some to pick up! I also had to cut back the vegetation around the gates, stiles and fingerposts. The wet and warm weather certainly is making everything grow fast.

Being a Monday, I tend not to meet many walkers, today I met and talked to ten walkers completing the full Trail. Four were Dutch and two were Australian. Moving off the grassland, it was not long before I came across the rain affected areas. The Trail became waterlogged and very muddy. In some places there was no option but to walk straight through it.

Mud on the Trail - 02/07/2012.

The worst part of my section was found to be the Trail in Stanley Plantation. Walking up the slight gradient to the highest point was quite difficult because of the mud. You could see where the walkers have got off the path to avoid the mud. In my time as a Volunteer Ranger, I have not seen the Trail in such a poor condition. Worse was to come as I came to the gate out of Stanley Plantation travelling east. The heavy rain had made the path a quagmire.

Waterlogged Path in Stanley Plantation - 02/07/2012.

Before going out for my second visit of the month I watched an early morning weather forecast. The presenter after describing where the rain would be, said, "It was more like October than July!" It was again waterproofs weather as I started off from Heavenfield.

I had only walked about a hundred yards when the rain started to fall steadily and my walking boots were starting to get very wet and muddy. Over my last few visits there has not been a great deal of litter to pick up. Today there was a large amount of litter over the whole of the three and a half miles to The Errington Arms car park. I picked up four plastic water bottles discarded on the path. It surprises me how walkers can carry a full bottle, but are unable to carry them when they are empty!

View of waterlogged Vallum - 09/07/2012.

I had my section of the Trail all to myself for at least two hours. As I was walking east I stopped at each gate, stile and fingerpost to cut back the grass, nettles and other kinds of vegetation. It was while I was cutting the grass on the last stile that I was to meet five walkers with a large black labrador dog.

Finishing the job, I packed all my tools into my rucksack and set off on the return leg to Heavenfield. The rain had eased by eleven oclock and I made good time dodging the muddy and waterlogged areas.

View looking north - 09/07/2012.

If the rain continues, I suppose we will be on for the wettest July on record. It certainly is making the path hard to walk on. Stanley Plantation path is virtually muddy along its entire length. Even when you get out of the wooded area, there are other parts that are as muddy.

Another muddy section of the path - 09/07/2012.

What kind of weather would I experience for my third visit to my section? The week between my visits saw torrential rain again and we actually got some sunny and dry days towards the weekend. One thing for sure, I will make sure I carry all of my waterproof clothing, just in case. This time last year, the ground was dry and rock hard on the Trail. 2012 will probably be remembered as the wettest and muddiest!

Starting again at Heavenfield, the sky was full of dark clouds. It did not look as though I would do my walk without any rain. The path in Heavenfield had been cut since my visit last week. The ground was less muddy and further work had been carried out beside St. Oswald's Tea Room - vegetation that I had cut back to clear the path had been completely strimmed by the permanent lengthsmen.

Newly mown path in Heavenfield - 16/07/2012.

After I had been walking for half an hour the rain started, it passed over quite quickly and I was to complete the walk and work along the section without the need of putting on my waterproof gear. The path still continues to be very wet and muddy. At various points along the Trail you get small amounts of foxgloves growing in the Wall ditch, amongst the now flowerless gorse bushes.

Foxgloves on the Trail - 16/07/2012.

It was very quiet for walkers on the Trail today. I only spoke to four walkers in the three and a half hours I was out. As I was nearing Stanley Plantation, I came across the two lengthsmen from Hadrian's Wall Heritage Limited. They had been very busy cutting back vegetation, relaying stone flags and laying plastic boards on the muddy sections.

It was a transformation from what it was like last week. Walkers will be able to walk on this part keeping their feet dry and out of the mud. Hopefully the heavy rainfall we have experienced has finished and we can finish the season with some dry and sunny weather.

Maintenance of the Trail - 16/07/2012.

It was great to carry out my last visit in July in dry weather. I did not need my gaiters, waterproof jacket or over trousers. The Trail was drying out and I managed to finish with dry and mud free walking boots. Reaching Errington Hill Head I looked to the north and saw a rainbow, I quickly got out my camera and the following photograph.

Early morning rainbow - 23/07/2012.

The warm and wet weather has continued to make the grass and vegetation grow fast around the gates and stiles. I have managed to keep on top of this over the last few weeks and it is a relatively easy job to cut back. A small amount of litter was discarded by walkers and I picked this up on my walk travelling east.

On the trail return leg - 23/07/2012.

On this visit, I met fifteen walkers all completing the full trail. Over the last few weeks walkers have had to deal with the torrential rain and waterlogged and muddy areas. The walkers I met today included four Dutch and three Irish. Most of the time I was involved in carrying out the maintenance tasks when they came up to me. The walkers are very appreciative of the work that we Volunteer Rangers carry out and how well the trail is marked and maintained.

My last maintenance task of the day was to cut the grass under the stile close to The Errington Arms. My next visit to my section will be in August after I have been away on my annual holidays.

Last maintenance task - 23/07/2012.

A year on Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail - June 2012, Part 6

As we get closer to the longest day, the weather continues to be changeable and the number of walkers on the Trail are starting to increase. It is also at this time of year that the maintenance work we have to complete also increases, particularly cutting back the vegetation around the gates and stiles. 

A wet June morning, walking east on the Trail - 08/06/2012.

It was to be another early start for me as I started my first visit to my section in June. Full waterproofs were needed, as the rain was to fall steadily for all of the time I was out. The warm recent weather certainly makes the vegetation grow faster and you could see where the grass had needed to be cut on the Trail.

I was only to walk a few hundred yards before I needed to cut back the nettles beside the gate into Heavenfield. I was not really looking forward to my next task, even if it had not been raining! On my last visit the grass and vegetation was starting to encroach onto the path beside St. Oswald's Tea Room at Hill Head Farm. You could only just see the steps and I started to cut back, armed only with garden shears.

It took me about half an hours work to clear the path. At least the walkers can now walk through the area without getting their legs soaked in this weather.

Steps at St. Oswald's Hill Head Farm - 08/06/2012

As it was only a temporary solution, I had to report that the lengthsmen from Hadrian's Wall Heritage Limited would have to make a visit with their strimmers to complete the job.

The major task for me was completed and I then made steady progress in the rain stopping to pick up litter, rake over some molehills and cut back brambles in Stanley Plantation.

On the six and a half mile round trip, I met ten walkers completing the full trail. It was not the day to stop and talk and it was heads down for the walkers in a wide variety of waterproof gear. The Trail was drying out, but this prolonged period of rain has made the path in Stanley Plantation very muddy and waterlogged in the dips and hollows out on the grassland.

The Trail beside the Wall ditch walking west - 08/06/2012.

My second visit of the month was to be on a sunny June morning, summer is not far off and of course the longest day. There was not any need for waterproofs today and the sky was blue, giving magnificent views of the countryside to the north and south.

On my last visit the wet weather made for a miserable walk and all along my section you could still see the effects of the heavy rain: Stanley Plantation was still very muddy, there was standing water in the Vallum and Wall Ditch and the grassland was still wet under foot.

Sunshine on the Trail, travelling east - 18/06/2012.

 On my last visit, I cut back vegetation around gates, stiles and fingerposts. It was to be more of the same today as the warm wet weather has certainly made the vegetation and grass grow quickly. Overall my six and a half mile walk of the section took me just over four hours as I was stopping frequently to use the shears on the growing vegetation.

Stile and fingerpost on trail, looking west - 18/06/2012.

Normally when I am out on a Monday, I do not see many walkers, today it was busier than usual, I met thirteen walkers completing the full trail and a dog walker. I am not picking up as much litter along my section. There is normally something that has to be reported to Hadrian's Wall Heritage Limited, and on my eastward leg I had to take a photograph of a problem area.

The entrance to Stanley Plantation used to have a gate, before it was stolen. Now the coping stones and other courses of the wall are being taken. In this day and age nothing surprises me, but the cost of replacement and building work has to found.

Missing stonework at Stanley Plantation - 18/06/2012.

The forecast was for it to be calmer until midweek, but more rain was predicted before the end of what has already been one of the wettest Junes on record. This spurred me on to make another visit to my section.

Evidence of the heavy weekend rain - 25/06/2012.

The torrential rain of the weekend was still in evidence, as I completed my usual round trip of Heavenfield to The Errington Arms. The ground was waterlogged, muddy and slippery underfoot in places. This heavy rainfall is not the type of weather for a National Trail that consists mainly of grassland. The heavy footfall of high numbers of walkers soon churns up the ground and makes it very muddy. Cattle and sheep also make the path very muddy in places.

Waterlogged area - 25/06/2012.

It was to remain dry for my walk and the sun even came out at times in a cloudy and overcast sky. The round trip took me just over three hours as I did not need to do any cutting back of vegetation at any points. All of the signs and way markers were intact and I met eight walkers in total - three Americans were completing the full trail one walking it from the west and two walking east.

When we stop and talk to walkers, It does not take them long to see the logos on our waterproofs and that we are volunteers. I always ask if they have experienced any problems whilst on the Trail, if there are any, I pass the information on to Hadrian's Wall Heritage Limited. One thing I do find is that the majority of walkers are very appreciative of the work that we do, this makes all of the hard work worthwhile. I consider myself very lucky and privileged to be able to be Volunteer  Ranger on this fantastic World Heritage site.

Muddy path in Stanley Plantation - 25/06/2012.