Path Clearing In Linn Park
When an e-mail came round the office a few weeks ago asking for volunteers to go and help with some conservation work, both Lorna and I thought it might be something we'd like to do (and it meant a day away from the office).
Anyway, we eventually learned that we'd be going to Linn Park, Glasgow's second largest public park, to help with some of the ongoing conservation work there - clearing paths, planting trees, that kind of stuff. It's miles from our usual haunts and I'd never even heard of it before now. I grew up on the north west side and Lorna's not even from Glasgow.
Anyway, we eventually learned that we'd be going to Linn Park, Glasgow's second largest public park, to help with some of the ongoing conservation work there - clearing paths, planting trees, that kind of stuff. It's miles from our usual haunts and I'd never even heard of it before now. I grew up on the north west side and Lorna's not even from Glasgow.
The White Cart, Linn ParkThe weather had been reasonable all week but when we looked out this morning - it was raining! So, all wrapped up in waterproofs and with a flask of hot soup packed, we headed off, hoping that the weather would clear up.
13 of us turned up at the park where the professionals from the ranger service and BTCV soon got us organized into clearing all the undergrowth and overgrowth blocking out the view of the waterfall on the White Cart and overcrowding the path leading down to the viewpoint. We also had to dig a trench down the side of some steps and across the path and then lay some pipe in it to divert rainwater from eroding the path.
We also got some good health and safety advice on handling, carrying and using loppers, bow saws, spades and mattocks. All of these tools are pretty sharp or pointy and I don't imagine they wanted anyone being injured - kind of puts a dampener on the day of that happens.
Come lunchtime, it was still raining heavily so some hot soup and a sarny in what looked like a converted cargo container (but at least it was dry) and we were back out again and managed to get all the tasks done before posing the obligatory group photo and then heading back into the office and a welcome change of clothes.
13 of us turned up at the park where the professionals from the ranger service and BTCV soon got us organized into clearing all the undergrowth and overgrowth blocking out the view of the waterfall on the White Cart and overcrowding the path leading down to the viewpoint. We also had to dig a trench down the side of some steps and across the path and then lay some pipe in it to divert rainwater from eroding the path.
We also got some good health and safety advice on handling, carrying and using loppers, bow saws, spades and mattocks. All of these tools are pretty sharp or pointy and I don't imagine they wanted anyone being injured - kind of puts a dampener on the day of that happens.
Come lunchtime, it was still raining heavily so some hot soup and a sarny in what looked like a converted cargo container (but at least it was dry) and we were back out again and managed to get all the tasks done before posing the obligatory group photo and then heading back into the office and a welcome change of clothes.
The End Of A Very Wet DayAll in all and not counting the awful weather, I think we all enjoyed the experience. It certainly makes you appreciate just how much hard work goes into to keeping our parks accessible. Nature never sits still and I don't imagine it'll be that long before the Rhododendrons, Japanese Knotweed and general undergrowth are all clawing their way back again but it was worth the effort to clear it all away for a while.
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