Hanging a new gate and building tree cages

Over the past few weeks we've continued our lower-level work around Grasmere, Great Langdale, Troutbeck and Windermere. One of our jobs was to replace a gate at the top of Deerbolts Wood near Loughrigg Common. As you can see in the photograph below, the old gate had certainly seen better days. The long-term plan is to have an oak gate at this site to match those at High Close Gardens and help to identify the site as part of the High Close Estate. But with it being such a well used path it needed a temporary fix, so we decided to replace it with a softwood gate.

 Old gate ready to be replaced

The new gate is a massive improvement, even if its only temporary. When the time comes to hang the permanent oak gate, this gate will be re-used elsewhere. As part of our continuing improvements around High Close, we've already started installing new 'High Close Estate' signs in strategic locations. There's been lots of work done over the past couple of years around High Close and if you've never been, it really is worth a visit. You can see a photo gallery of some of the work here... High Close Gardens Restoration

 Newly hung gate

We've also spent a fair amount of time tree-planting and constructing tree cages in conjunction with our farm tenants. The tree cages below were built on one of our tenanted farms near Orrest Head, Windermere. A single native tree is planted in each cage, which is designed mainly to keep cattle from grazing or pushing against the trees, giving them time to properly develop into large standard trees.

 Constructing one of the tree cages

It's nice to think that in a hundred years time the saplings that have been planted in these cages will be a feature of the landscape overlooking Lake Windermere.

Finished tree cage

Creating the new entrance into Stagshaw Gardens

Just before Christmas we spent some time improving access at Stagshaw Gardens, near Ambleside. Our work was to create a new entrance way next to the main car park that would mean visitors can enter the garden directly, without walking past the house.

Before starting work

The first job was to remove a couple of small shrubs that were in the way of the new path. The entrance needed to remain deer-proof so we started by erecting the gate in the garden before we adjusted the original fence line,

Starting work on the new entrance

The new gate was an obvious spot for deer to enter the garden so we made the gate higher with wooden rails to make it more secure.

Digging in a post for the new gate

Once the new gate was finished we altered the fence line to open-up the area and give us space to add an interpretation board at a later date.

Newly adjusted fence line

With the gate and fence completed it was time to start gravelling the new path.

Gravelled entrance

We continued gravelling through the gate and joined up with one of the original garden paths.

Nicely joined up with the garden path

Once we'd finished gravelling we moved the shrubs that we'd dug out at the beginning into a new position behind the fence to the right of the new gate.

All finished

By next summer the areas of bare soil should be nicely greened up and the new entrance to Stagshaw should look even more inviting.

Completed entrance