Friday 20 May 2011

Annual Volunteer Celebration

                                                 The Wye Valley AONB's own 'Time Team' in action

On Thursday the 12th of May 2011 a group of sixteen Wye Valley volunteers accompanied by the AONB team joined forces with Herefordshire archaeology to take part in a dig on the Iron Age Hillfort site at Little Doward.
The group walked onto the site from the Great Doward passing King Arthur's cave on their way to the summit of the Hillfort. Neil Rimmington from Herefordshire archaeology explained the significance of the site and how recent excavations have informing their current  understanding.

Once at the top the group split into three separate task groups. Controlling vegetation on the ramparts and taking part in the dig.

The group managed to knock back a large area of bracken growth from the site and will return in June to continue the good work.

                                                Base camp for the picnic

                                           Neil Rimmington explaining the archaeology


                                                    Extending the excavation.

Works on the Wye Valley Walk

Wye Valley AONB volunteers have been working on the Wye Valley Walk to improve access to the viewpoints, newly conserved  as part of the Overlooking the Wye Project. This portion of the walk takes in the designed eighteenth century landscape created by Valentine Morris and celebrated through the Picturesque movement
Historic features along the path include the Alcove, Grotto, Platform and Giant's Cave. Between these fascinating features, walkers are now able to benefit from a broadened pathway on some of the most challenging sections of the walk.

There is still more work to be done and we will return to this job later in the year, giving the group the opportunity to assess how the improved surface has fared over the busy summer months.

                                                                All hands on Deck

Thirteen volunteers toiled with spades mattocks put the path back onto it's historic line.

                                                          Consolidating the new surface