Author: Colin

Grimeford Village: Game of Stones

Dry Stone Walling 28th June 2026

This task sees us continuing our rebuilding of a long stretch of wall along Lower Rivington Reservoir. When we started in 2024 it was mostly just a line of rubble about a half mile long. Our mission: rebuild it.

Dry stone walling is an ancient method of building walls and other structures from stone without the use of mortar. Although walls were designed to create field boundaries they do benefit wildlife by creating wildlife corridors and shelter for invertebrates, small mammals, and amphibians. Over the years we have found toads, newts and shrews living in the gaps of old walls.

Dry stone walls have two sides made up of interlocking courses, any spaces between the two sides are filled with smaller fragments called hearting. No mortar is used, hence dry stone. Larger stones are used in the foundations and the lower courses of the wall, with smaller stones used as the wall narrows towards the top.

Choosing the right stone for the space it will fit in to is crucial to constructing a safe and stable wall. If the blocks don’t fit together properly then the wall will have weak spots. To improve stability through stones are used to act as wall ties, these hold the two sides of the wall together. Usually a line is used to ensure the faces of each side of the wall is straight and even. Once the wall has reached the required height it is topped off with coping stones. The Dry Stone Walling Association has loads of information about wall building for those who want to know more.

2013: Our first dry stone walling competition.
2013: Our first dry stone walling competition.

As always with each section of wall we work on we have to gather together all of the stone and sort by size with the largest pieces closest to the wall. Some stones are buried and need to dug out, some have been dragged away to make fire pits or just to be thrown in the reservoir. Fun for someone but not for us.

Then begins the process of building the wall course by course like a game of Tetris, except the courses don’t disappear when completed. It would be nice if the stones were neatly rectangular but as with all things in nature many stones are irregular shaped and it takes a bit of ingenuity to find a place for them. Many years ago we had an an annual dry stone walling competition, the prize being a stone shaped like a boot, the stone had previously been part of a wall. Our walling mentor, Paul The wall, once said that any stone can be used in a wall regardless of it’s shape, they just take a bit more work.

Thanks to United Utilities, Lucianos Restaurant, and everyone who turned out.

Firwood Fold: Balsam Apocalypse

Balsam Bashing Sunday 14th June 2026 – Tonge Moor Cricket Club

Balsam bashing. Words that send dread and fear through the souls of conservationists everywhere. The yearly exercise of ripping up Himalayan balsam, the persistent invasive that never goes away, can be soul destroying. But should be pack up our weed whackers and let the balsam win? No. Balsam may be here but it doesn’t mean it is here to stay.

So, what is the story of balsam. The plant with the pretty pink flowers was introduced to the UK in 1839 by the Victorians as a decorative garden plant. And like many of the Victorian’s favourite exotic plans soon went on the rampage across the countryside’s water ways. Balsam creates dense stands that out compete native species, in winter it dies off leaving riverbanks and the shores of water bodies exposed to erosion. It also interferes with fish spawning areas. There are some plant experts who dispute the negative aspects of balsam and think we should just live with it. Generally though, besides the Victorians. the only creatures that likes it are bees. More balsam stuff on this pocket sized guide.

As our balsam removal has been so successful on the area around pond our main target this time was the area behind Tonge Moor Cricket Club. We came, we saw, we bashed. Thanks to everyone for taking part.

Moses Gate: Tree Planting

3rd May 2026 Moses Gate Tree Planting

Our first task of May and we’re back at Moses Gate Country Park planting trees. We’ve planted here and nearby since 2022 and today’s session extends the planted area and also replaces some of the previously planted trees that have failed. We also cut back some trees and branches on the nearby reed bed. We plant some we chop some.. circle of life I suppose.

There’s no mystery to planting trees: you dig a hole, put the tree in it, put in a small stake for support and a tree shelter to stop deer and shrews nibbling it to death. Trees are planted a few feet apart and then grow as nature intended. There’s a bit more about tree planting on a previous post which you can read on this link.

We also celebrated Francis’ birthday, his age is an official secret so.. sshhhhhhh.

Thanks to Tom and Caroline for organising and every one else who turned up.

Habitat Management

The Barlow – 19th April 2026

Today’s task was just a but of tidying up on on the hedges with members of the Barlow’s volunteers. After checking the hedges for nests we gave them a trim and took out any overhanging branches and regrowth that risked shading out the hedge. You can find other work we have done here on these two posts about hedge laying and pond creation.

Other than that it was Eve’s birthday. Here’s a few photos to pad out this very short post.

Easter Task

5th April 2026 – JumblesCountry Park, Pond Work

his years hard boiled Easter task was actually on the day itself, Easter Sunday. Despite it being a popular day for family stuff etc. our numbers were pretty good, but we did get over a baker’s dozen of egg-ceptional volunteers turning up to continue the work on the Jumbeles ponds. If you want to see what we did here previously click here.

On the task side of things we did some trimming of branches, trimming of hedges, built a dead hedge, or linear habitat pile if you prefer, and some pond dipping.

In the pond we found the usual assortment of chocolates.. er.. creatures: fresh water shrimp, hoglouse, various types of rams horn snail, evidence of frogs and toads, and a newt larvae.

But mostly we found chocolate eggs.

Thanks to Caroline and Tom for organising, Jane for shelling out for the eggs, and everyone you made it a cracking task.

Happy Belated Easter from BCV

Ousels Nest Quarry: Natural Barrier

8th March 2026 – follow link for what3words location

Unusual task this time around which highlights how some conservation activities aren’t actual conservation but are still necessary to looking after a site. By this I mean making the site safe for visitors, and in this case the danger comes from a sheer drop of the edge of a cliff.

Some years ago a fence had been put up to stop people inadvertently walking off the edge of the quarry, the edge of the quarry being next to the car park. Over the years the wooden fence posts have rotted and the fence had fallen over; Bolton Council asked us to if we could do something to fix it.

The first time we came here in November 2025 we cut down the rhododendron that had grown up near the cliff edge and created a dead hedge set back from the cliff edge. Then we began restoration of a hedge that had been planted previously, partly by laying the hedge but also planting new hawthorn/blackthorn to fill in the gaps and extend the hedge line where needed. We then began the process replacing the fence posts, and recovering and reusing the metal sheep fencing that had become buried under years of fallen leaves.

This task we worked on the hedge again, and also along the path from the car park. We also continued rebuilding the fence using Tom’s fencing tools, and it doesn’t look to bad. Good job everyone.

More posts about Ousels nest here and here