Drystone Walling Course July 2006

Drystone Walling Course July 2006 (Instructor Chris Hodges see website)

We gathered at the Mountain Air car park at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday July 29th. After a brief roll call and identification of Chris as the professional drystone waller and teacher for the day, we made our way to the gate to the forest and stopped just inside whilst Chris selected a section. Then he asked us to dismantle a section he had marked out, making sure we kept small stones together and kept the largest stones closest to us.

Shifting ten tons of stones was not an easy task but after an hour or so we revealed the soil beneath which had not seen the light of day for 200 years. In the foreground is Roy Dixon, one of the directors of Blaen Bran Community Woodland

After a well earned rest, Chris then showed us the three rules for drystone walling – always place the stone lengthways, alternate longer and shorter stones so you get an interlocking pattern and always wedge stones in from the back. Then he used string to make two straight lines that were to be the guidelines for the wall and told us to use the biggest stones for the foundation row as they had to take the greatest weight.

This was hard work and selecting the right stone not always easy. It was like doing a gigantic jigsaw puzzle but with no picture to work from. Placing one stone often seemed to mean moving others and many a finger was trapped and bruised between stones. Then just to make our day it started to rain. Fetching, carrying and placing slippery, wet, heavy stones was even harder.. After completing about two rows we broke for lunch and flung ourselves to the ground under the trees for shelter and ate whatever lunch we had brought.

Standing up after our break showed tired stiffening muscles and we set to again, trying to keep each layer roughly level, wedging small stones called “hearting” to steady awkward shapes. The figure in the foreground below bending with his back towards the camera is Chris, our teacher for the course

By 3 o’clock a mist had descended and we were all tired from slipping and sliding carrying these stones. However we had made very good progress and decided to call it a day as we had completed about two thirds of the wall. We all went home to a much needed bath and a well earned rest. I think we all slept well that night. You can see below how misty it had become in the picture below

The nest day we were all early for the start, determined to finish. We swapped stories of aching backs and limbs as we waited for Chris. Now we were refreshed and as the wall gets higher it is easier as you don’t have to bend when working and the stones are smaller. Chris then showed us how to finish the wall – no dressing but just making it level. Again, a line was used to judge level and we set to bringing the wall up to it.

Soon after midday we had finished. We put all the spare stones into a gap and admired our handiwork which should at least another 200 years.

In the above picture you can see those who stayed to the end of the second day. From the left they are Alan Boucher, Brinley Philpott, Brian Jones. Rob Haton. Alan Rosier, Roger Stevenson, Roy Dixon and .Frank Vincent.

Finally we could stand back and admire our handiwork, filled with a sense of real achievement. 12 metres completed and only 488 metres to go

Roger Stevenson 11th September 06