Undeterred by a looming Siberian weather front, fourteen brave souls gathered for Sunday’s task at Cross O’ Cliff Orchard.
This Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) site is a hidden jewel tucked
away just off Cross O’ Cliff Hill on the south side of Lincoln and at nearly
two hectares is one of Lincolnshire’s largest remaining orchards. It’s over
one hundred and fifty years old and contains many old traditional apple and
pear varieties. It’s also a great haven for wildlife.
We were greeted by Matt Davey from LCC’s Planning and Conservation Department who is tasked with looking after the site and Richard, a local guy with a terrific knowledge of the orchard having given many hours to it over the years. They treated us to a guided tour and an overview of the work being carried out there which was an interesting first introduction for some of us and a chance to observe the fruits of last winter’s labours for others.
Our tasks for the day were explained to us which included two stretches of hedge that needed laying on the western boundary and a lot of already cut scrub that required clearing.
We split into three teams, two groups of four hedgelaying whilst the rest set about processing the scrub and dragging the brash to two embryonic fires. This proved warm work, which was just as well as the first snow shower of the day began to blow through. LCG members are a hardy bunch however and the odd mini blizzard was never going to deflect us from the important matters of the day - tea and chocolate biscuits were still taken in line with tradition!
Luckily,
the snow showers were punctuated with spells of bright sunshine and we were
able to complete more than we’d expected given the weather forecast. The
people clearing got through an impressive amount leaving space for new trees
to be planted while the hedgers added many more meters of improved habitat
for nesting birds and an altogether healthier and more attractive hedge.
As the days begin to stretch out towards spring we were blessed with some late sunshine and worked until gone four o’clock for the first time in a long while. We were just packing up as the first serious snow arrived.
A very enjoyable and productive task!
David