HARDCASTLE

CRAGS

Below is a short write up of my NT working holiday in March this year (2005) on my first National Trust working holiday. I am writing this in June so some of it might be a bit hazy! (Now incuding update on site!)

I arrived at the basecamp a little wary as it was my first holiday going on my own and I was there for a week but there was no need to be worried as everyone was welcoming. The basecamp was an old chapel (previously working cottages) with a graveyard right outside! It was basic, and very very warm!

                                                 

Inside Blakedean Basecamp

Our main task for the week was to replace a footpath which was collapsing into a riverbank. When we got there it looked like an imposible task to complete in a week. We had to cut a new path into the steep bank above, it took a bit of vision to work out where it would run specially as we were split into two groups working from either end and couldn't see the other group so we used sticks as marker posts...it worked as the two sections met without a hitch!

    

On left start of path from the left of the site and on the right start of the site!

We all got very muddy but it was part of the fun, thankfully it didn't rain...apart from our day off! Which we walked part of the Pennine Way....funnily we all kept stopping to look at how other footpaths and steps had been built on the walk!

We also helped collect stones for a drystone waller and put up fences around a NT holiday cottage and had great fun playing with the wardens dog Thai who had endless energy!

                                           

The finished product!

Finally whilst we were there I went for some early morning walks and was blessed with some stunning scenery, the photo's don't justify it!

    

From snow to stunning sunshine just minutes walk from the basecamp!

UPDATE!

I was lucky enough to get the chance to go back to the site in July 05, four months after we built the path to see how it was doing. Most of the vegitation has re grown and parts of the the path seem completely different to the muddy quagmire we were working in, almost magical in places, then again I am biased! Below are a couple of photo's I took.