We are the mountain people

This photograph was taken in the gloaming time as a clear-skied winter night was drawing in, following a perfect day on the Hatterrall ridge in the Black Mountains; walking and working on the watershed that presents a physical manifestation of the, in reality more culturally fluid and shape-shifting, border between England and Wales.

The technical quality of the image may not be the best, but it captures the light, the colours of this transitional time of day. Looking at it, I am also reminded of the magical pull that this place, this self-contained and enduringly mysterious old red sandstone massif, has had on me for the last ten years or so.

Having spent several weeks immersed in the prehistoric world recreated in Raymond Williams' People of the Black Mountains, energised by the on-going rain and wind-lashed endevours of the Black Mountains Upland Path Volunteers and with a potential landscape archaeology research project focussed on the area in the pipeline, this topographical fascination looks set to continue and deepen.   

For those of us lucky enough to find a place like this, we are indeed the mountain people:

They'll seek us in the valley
They'll seek us on the plain
They own the milk and runny honey
And they're not quite the same

And we
Live together under
Fantasy
Oak trees
In the dark 
We make sparks
So unique
We're the mountain people

Super Furry Animals - We Are the Mountain People

The path, winding like silver, trickles on...

Offa's Dyke National Trail

I've signed up to a new and inspiring initiative set up by the Brecon Beacons National Park: the Black Mountains Upland Volunteers scheme.

The idea is a simple one. To train up a network of volunteers who will give as much time as they can (a minimum of 10 days a year) to help maintain the network of recreational paths across the Black Mountains in the east of the National Park; taking part in larger scale upgrade and repair projects, working alongside National Park staff and contractors, but also operating in pairs or alone to carry out on-going smaller scale maintenance. The intention is that volunteers will take responsibility for their own 'patch', as well as working co-operatively with the others in the group, report on work done via an on-line system and generally become self-sufficient. Stores of tools will be kept at a number of locations on local farms around the area. Thus the National Park Authority can focus its limited resources on larger scale strategic projects (with helicopters used to transport in large quantities of stone costing £900 per hour to hire), whilst the wider pathway infrastructure is kept ticking over and in good repair with limited need for full-time staff to be diverted from other tasks.  

Listen and learn

Last Saturday was the introductory day for the scheme and so I found myself in the good company of 8 like-minded souls and 3 members of the National Park staff, initially for an induction session in Hay-on-Wye Town Hall, and then for an afternoon spent walking a section of the Offa's Dyke National Trail at Hay Bluff in the north-eastern corner of the Black Mountains. 

Biodegradable dam to aid heather regeneration

Luckily (and atypically) we had picked a blinder of an autumnal day for our trip up into the hills. Blue skies, no wind and views stretching for miles across the Beacons, mid-Wales and over the Herefordshire lowlands to the Malvern Hills. During the afternoon Richard, Jason and Huw showed us sections of path that had undergone various types of maintenance work; and explained the techniques used to combat the erosion that is an ever-present problem for well-used pathways across the layer of peat that underpins the heather moorland of the Black Mountains. We also tramped across areas where various techniques for regenerating heather, burnt out in the late 1970's, have been tested out. It soon became clear that good drainage is the key to quality paths through a well-balanced upland ecosystem.

Mad dogs and volunteers out in the midday sun

Willing volunteers we may be and itching to get started. But understandably, and wisely, we will have several supervised training days over the next couple of months before we are let loose on our own. This will be important, not least because the whole upland massif above the 600 feet contour is scheduled as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and, as such, has significant restrictions and requirements for permission for any work carried out. Additionally, most of the moorland is subject to common grazing rights for local farmers; there are also, therefore, the sometimes vociferous views of the Black Mountains Grazier's Association to take into account. The tensions between recreation, conservation and economic needs are often to the fore in highly valued landscapes; and are here played out in microcosm even in the seemingly straight-forward process of ensuring well-kept paths.     

Path from Llanthony Priory up to Haterrall Hill, Black Mountains

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the challenge and have some homework on upland path maintenance to do. 

"The path, winding like silver, trickles on..." (The Path, Edward Thomas).

In landscape: some thoughts on the best ways to get out there

There are many better ways to experience the landscape than sitting in front of a computer, and here, in no particular order, are some of my personal favourites; no doubt others will have some even better suggestions.

 In the company of children

A walk or adventure in the countryside with young ones helps to bring out the inner child in all of us - camping, poo sticks, building dens, searching for the Gruffulo. My first experience of landscape was through family walks as a kid and roaming around the local area; memories that are still vivid. I hope my children have the same.

Sleeping rough

In recent years I've been on an annual bothy trip with a group of friends, which is a great way to stay out in a remote landscape for a whole weekend, albeit with, at best, a basic level of comfort. Wild camping gives you even more license to find your own spot: in Scotland and Dartmoor you can camp on any uncultivated land and in the rest of the country, as long as you are away from habitations and livestock, just stay overnight and leave nothing behind you will generally be ok. There is plenty of good advice out there on bothies and wild camping.

A bit of danger is good for the soul

Some of the most memorable times I have experienced in the landscape have involved periods of uncertainty and a degree of anxiety: abandoning a mountain bike in a snowstorm and continuing my route on foot, lost and ploughing through thick snow in a whiteout in the Black Mountains; scrambling alone on rocks high up a mountain-side in Tierra Del Fuego to reach a glacier; and clambering along a slippery Striding Edge on Helvellyn unable to stand up due to high winds. Uncomfortable when you are in the middle of it but strangely satisfying when its over and definitely memorable. 

Localism

Getting to know your local landscape is certainly the easiest, and often one of the most satisfying, ways to engage with the environment. The majority of us live in urban areas, which are brim full of green space, woodland, historic buildings, rivers and lakes. No need to dream of that rural idyll, just step out of your front door. In my case, this is the Frome Valley and Oldbury Court in North East Bristol.

Time to study

If you can find a small area of landscape to study intimately - whether focusing on natural history, medieval field systems and settlement patterns or an abandoned industrial site - you can not only contribute in some small way to the body of knowledge and evidence of how the natural and human world work, find surprising things in the most unlikely places but also educate yourself on the world around you.

Conservation volunteering

I've worked as a conservation volunteer a number of times (as well as volunteering on archaeological digs) and I am always conscious that I should do more. Such work enables you to spend a sustained amount of time in the landscape and contribute to something tangible, personally rewarding and of benefit to wider society. BTCV, Wildlife Trusts and the Natural Trust, amongst others, all welcome volunteers.

The sunlit uplands

Any landscape has intrinsic interest but nothing stirs the soul more than getting into the hills and mountains and experiencing the ever changing weather and atmosphere that characterises upland areas; there is something elemental about this - the blood pumps harder, the senses are keener, the rain seems wetter! And there is no finer feeling than sinking a pint in a pub at the end of a long day of fell-walking, whilst your socks slowly dry out.

Using your hands

Without wishing to sound too much like a tree-hugger, a walking stick cut directly from a coppiced hazel tree is one of my favourite possessions. I'm no master-craftsman, as my rustically created bench, wood store, garden path and other efforts testify, but making something by hand using wood, stone or other natural materials links us both to our more highly-skilled and resourceful forebears and our environment in a way that many aspects of modern life shy away from or discourage. 

Festival in the sun

This is a bit of a boom time for music festivals 'out in the country' of all shapes and sizes. Whilst there is often a focus on mud and the temperamental British summer weather, drinking with friends round the camp fire and sitting in the sun listening to great music are the more common experiences - what could be better? My own personal favourites are the Green Man Festival and the End of the Road Festival, and everyone should try good old Glastonbury at least once. Or why not organise your own mini festival.

Taking it to the extreme

An adrenalin-junkie approach to the great outdoors can be tiresome and even indicate a lack of empathy with the natural rhythms of the landscape. However, reinvigorating yourself with a spot of coasteering, gorge-walking, white water rafting or mountain-biking from time to time is good for the soul. Ideally, keeping it simple without the need for expensive gear, gadgets or over-the-top lists of safety rules.

Night walking

For reasons I wont bore you with I once set off on a 15 mile circular walk around the North London/ Hertfordshire fringes late at night. It was cold and a bit eerie in parts but I was fortified by beer, had a few sleeps on the way and enjoyed the different perspective on familiar places. If its good enough for Charles Dickens, its good enough for me.

Step into the garden  

Gardens can easily be overlooked in favour of flashier landscapes. Building a pond, planting trees and generally encouraging wildlife in my modest city garden has given me as much pleasure as any of the other activities listed here. What can beat seeing frog-spawn magically appear in a pond in early Spring, a blossoming cherry tree or hearing chicks in a bird box?

Or why not just sit under a tree reading or dozing, relax, let all your senses take in the landscape around you and forget about the time...