a day out repairing pathways in the mournes

[LandyLiam]

Late last night a gap suddenly appeared in this weeks busy schedule so i decided to join the Mourne pathway repair team for a day. A quick call to the Volunteer Ranger (Peter) to ensure he would be working today (turned out he wasn't going up today but it would be a good excuse to get out of the gardening tasks   ) so we met at 10am at the Mourne Heritage Centre (the wee house at the entrance to Silent Valley Reservoir). Emma, the Volunteer Co-ordinator appeared with some paperwork to sign to make me all legitimate, then we gathered some tools and drove up the the base of the Ben Crom dam. A bit of a hike up the steps (all 271 one of them   no i didn't count them , i googled it   ) carrying all our tools but Peter is very friendly and chatty so the time passed quickly and about 30 mins later we were at the Lamagan/Binnion saddle, our office for the day.

Now i had imagined i would be heaving large slabs of granite to make steps up Binnion but it turns out that there are contractors busy doing the heavy stuff. Our task was to do minor repairs to the path leading from Annalong vally to the saddle.

So here's the problem, none of us like walking on that loose gravel on these paths so we wander off track slightly and each year the path gets wider and new paths are created, some of them actually lead people the long way or even go nowhere!

The solution is the smooth out the surface of the ideal path route and to "roughen up" or even block the spurious new paths. Where possible small drainage channels are created to direct water away from the path, of course you will always get some water running down them so raised areas (sort of mini dams) are created to slow the flow of water to cut down erosion, also these dams act as sediment traps.

So there's the science behind it, i'm certainley no expert but i think Peter taught me well in the few hours we had. There a bit of a trial an error approch as its difficult to tell exactly where the water will run but as Peter is up here twice weekly he is monitoring the work and adjusting as necessary.




there's Peter hard at work


Before shot of the path


After shot, you can see how we have taken all the rough stuff of the higher path on the left and placed it on the lower path to the right, the higher path should be the drier one but walkers were avoiding it due to those nasty little "ankletwister" pieces of granite all over it. It doesn't look so pretty now but we replanted some heather so hopefully it'll all look well eventually.


the contractors mini digger further up the Binnian slopes

note: the digger was airlifted up there, but had to be dismantled into smaller pieces for the journey as the helicopters load limit was 0.9 ton






crazy man seen running around mournes with pick axe



carrying everything back down to Ben Crom dam


We were up there for about 4 hours and only managed about 50 meters of path repair as i didn't know what i was at half the time and was being careful not to cause more damage than good. It was a glorious day, very sunny with a nice breeze to cool us down, the walkers passing by were sweating more than us   its not strenuous work, the hardest part is getting there.


Anyone else fancy volunteering for a day?

Peter normally goes up on Tuesdays and Thursdays (athough he's away for the next few weeks) and this work will be ongoing, probably for years! so if you have a day free and want to "give a little back" to the mournes then contact him through www.mournelive.com (028437 24059)

or email him directly on  pbiol_mac AT yahoo DOT com

[LennyJ1]

good effort Liam, my hat is off.

[Gerry]

Well done. Great write up and photo's.


Gerry

[RedLeader]

Well done! Can anyone do this? Maybe we should organise an NI-Wild day at it.

[Spud]

i would be up for that!

[LandyLiam]

Maybe we should organise an NI-Wild day at it.

This is what i was thinking, weekends suit us best but unfortunately it doesn't suit Peter. But if someone else has enough experience then they can lead the work, most of it is obvious stuff like moving stones.

Very little equipment needed, pair of work gloves and a rake would be the essentials. Extras would be a spade, rhino tub, pickaxe, crowbar. Wear old rough clothes, knee pads might be handy too.

[RedLeader]

This is a great photo. It looks like great fun.

[MG1]

I'd be up for that too

[Scribble]

Glad one of us actually made it up  that's me back from Donegal and I have just read his e-mails it will be a few weeks till the next outing , I hope to meet you and peter at last ,

Great write up and pics and meeting you with a pickaxe would be very daunting 

[LandyLiam]

this sunday (2nd oct) there is a group going up to do some path repair, doesn't happen too often at the weekend so here's your chance to put a little something back into the mournes 

http://www.nationaltrailsday.ie/events/down/event-details/article/trail-repair-in-the-high-mournes/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=58&cHash=b3693989dd0abbac25fa21015aa8b1fd

Looking for something different to do on a Sunday?  Come and try your hand at pathbuilding in the High Mournes.  Not for those who are afraid of getting dirty!Do your bit for the environment by helping construct a path in the Mournes - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  A great opportunity to do something worthwhile surrounded by some of Northern Ireland's most beautiful scenery.The experienced guide will help you gain practical conservation skills as you build alongside others.  No previous knowledge of path building is required, just enthusiasm and a willingness to get stuck in!

Host organisation(s) Mourne Heritage Trust
Contact name Emma Cunningham
Phone number  028 4176 5489/9825
Email address emma.cunningham(at)mourne.co.uk
Meeting point Donard Car Park, Newcastle
How to get there Drive to Newcastle County Down, continue through town to Donard Park. Mourne Heritage Truck will be waiting at bottom of car-park, close to the river.

Is pre-registration required? Preferable. Email [email protected] to register.
Time of event 10am
Duration 5-6 hours
Suitable for Adults and over 16 year olds with parental consent (contact us prior to arrival please). 
Instructions Wear wet weather gear and sturdy mountain boots. Bring a hot drink and a packed lunch.

[ChuckMcB]

There was about 10 people at the National Trails Day event Liam posted about (pics - mine is the big green arse sticking in the air ) and five people last Saturday....even a team of three can get a small stretch done. And it's not all about throwing boulders about, they also have a need for a couple of people to 'landscape garden' the path afterwards with heather etc.

The Mourne Heritage Trust are trying to start regular weekend path work. Will post up more details.

[LandyLiam]

mine is the big green arse sticking in the air

those pants are very 80s looking    we'll definitely have to get n ni-wild group up there for a day

[RedLeader]

We could probably provide small groups for this. Do you know what their requirements are in a body?

There was about 10 people at the National Trails Day event Liam posted about (pics - mine is the big green arse sticking in the air ) and five people last Saturday....even a team of three can get a small stretch done. And it's not all about throwing boulders about, they also have a need for a couple of people to 'landscape garden' the path afterwards with heather etc.

The Mourne Heritage Trust are trying to start regular weekend path work. Will post up more details.

[ChuckMcB]

Do you know what their requirements are in a body?

Sorry, not quite sure what you mean "in a body".

[RedLeader]

What would a person need skills or fitness wise to come help. Probably wasn't my most clear statement ever

Do you know what their requirements are in a body?

Sorry, not quite sure what you mean "in a body".