After recent rain and weather warnings, we were thrilled to meet up this morning under a clear blue sky and bright sunshine.
This week’s task was replacing a double stile over Northwood area, on land adjacent to Ivy House Farm. We were kindly allowed to park in the farm’s yard and even got to use their RTV (Rough Terrain Vehicle) to transport tools and materials across the field to the work site.
We made quick work of removing the old stiles, one of which was next to an old oak tree and of course, big old trees mean big old roots. We dug several holes, hoping to find a clear spot where we could dig down a 2-foot deep hole—but no luck. So, for the first time ever, we were slightly beaten and couldn’t go ahead with plan A using a standard stile kit.
Undeterred, we returned to the farm in the RTV, where we were given some extra-long wooden bars to build our own version of a stile, using two existing fence posts. In the end, it worked well, although we still had to dig holes for the steps.
All in all, it was a hard, tiring day. Be sure to check out how we got on.
Finally, a huge thanks to Charles Forester for the parking, the RTV and the timber.