Delta Ged, Volunteer Ranger @ National Trust Lyme Park : November 2014

Thursday, 27 November 2014

Week 46 26/11/2014 - Winter Gray and Damp; Stags and a Mandarin

Photo Blog Week 46 - Wed 26 November 2014

A drizzly day with poor views and a wet steamed up camera when ever it came out. There would be very few photos this week but for two Red Deer encounters from which, as usual, I've hacked many photos out but still probably have too many. Another treat was a Mandarin duck on the Mill Pond.

In the summer I was often continuing though to around 5 o'clock. I now find the Park emptying and the light fading by half past 3 so am finishing earlier which is resulting in a drop in mileage covered.

route: Car Park; The Knott Car Park; The Knott summit; Equestrian field; Crow Wood path; Mill Pond Bridge; Timberyard (lunch)

A winter population of cars under the South Face of The House

Across Drinkwater Meadow to the high part of Park Moor

Red Deer Stags - encounter 1

This really is an excellent time of year to see the Stags with their beautiful antlers. They a wandering in large placid groups in the public areas of The Park as this photo shows.

Red Deer Stags by the drive to The Knott Car Park

I like this one with antlers silhouetted against the background of The Moor

Fungi fest': very delicate white

A lone Buttercup; a brilliant highlight of colour among the autumn leaves

route: Timberyard; Mill Pond Bridge; FourWinds; Green House Fm; West Park Drive; Deer Clough; Paddock Cottage; Drinkwater Meadow; Timberyard; Car Park (end)

Mandarin Duck

Hey! I've got a white front.

Mrs Mallard thinks he's a show off

Working conditions a bit miserable for the walling team up at FourWinds

Red Deer Stags - encounter 2

This group was in the far West area of the Park toward the Middlewood Way and Higher Poynton accessed either from The Knott Car Park or Four Winds track but not visible until over the summits.

The white roofed buildings in the background are Woodford aerodrome.

Green House Farm and Alderley Edge escarpment

A seasonally confused bramble in Haze Bank Wood

Larch needles are now dropping and carpetting the paths in some of the woods

Paddock Cottage

Today's track and profile

5.9 miles 4 hr 30mn

This Time Last Year

Have a look at This Time Last Year 27 Nov 2013

Friday, 21 November 2014

Week 45 19/11/2014 - Winter Coat time for Lyme Park

Photo Blog Week 45 - Wed 19 November 2014

Initially out of the car, I thought it was going to be cold and fastened my coat before sorting my boots. However, by the time I was ready to walk away I was warm and ended up leaving my big coat in the car and walking just with fleece jacket. Lovely dry day with dull skies and very short views. Breaking clouds late afternoon gave some lovely mood lighting.

There is a real wintry feel to the Park now with silhouettes of leafless trees against the skies, boggy patches returning on the Moor and the smell of damp leaves. All that said, many beech trees are still carrying brilliant orange leaves and the larch needles are turning gold before dropping. The grassland of the Park and the Moor have taken on the tan coloured coat of winter which I actually find more attractive than the summer greens.

A murky morning toward Derbyshire

Stream converted under the main drive near admissions hut

The Grade II Listed gate piers by Red Lane Lodge

Beautiful low set cottage between Elmerhurst and Admissions

Meandering stream by Elmerhurst

Nature's Artwork: twisted stems of creepers on fence

Elmerhurst Wood path

Golden Beech leaves

Footbridge in dell in Elmerhurst Wood

Colourful Beech leaves

Shells of Beech nuts lie densely on the ground beneath the tree.

This is one of the reasons that the ground tends to be bare underneath Beech trees as it forms a growth suppressing mulch sometimes known as, "Beech Mast".

Running Repairs

Section of path restored on Crow Wood

Walling and Conservation volunteers at work near the weir

This corner has been reset and back-filled.

Note that mortar is being used to fix the upper levels. This is an unusual material for the Walling Team members who are usually building and repairing 'Drystone' walls. The 'Drystone' refers to the absence of any mortar in walls which retain there integrity purely by their own weight when constructed correctly.

Lower centre - this side has started to collapse and is the next job.

Monkey Puzzle tree in Crow Wood play scape

A quiet day for the slide

The Mill Pond looking toward the main car park

Track up Drinkwater Meadow toward Knightslow Wood

Exit gate from Knightslow Wood to Park Moor

Location of Trespass incident in recent "The Village" TV production

Red deer spread across the track to Bowstones in front of me

No cityscape today

Two Hinds with a Calf

Stag with The Cage just visible in the mist top right

Boundary wall running close to the ridge out toward Spond's Hill

New stock fence dividing Park Moor

The new stock fence runs parallel to the Bowstones track from the boundary near Bowstonegate Farm aerials down the Moor to Knightslow Wood. Cattle graze on the Moor in summer to assist with habitat maintenance and conservation and this fence will may it a lot easier to manage this large area. The Red Deer can easily jump this height of fence and therefore still have access to the whole Moor.

Boundary Wall collapse fenced awaiting repair

Yet another urgent job waiting for resources to repair. The walling team only have so much manpower available.
As the stone has frequently degraded, often the cause of the collapse, there is also the cost of bringing in new stone at around £50 per tonne which represents a single square metre of an average wall.