It seems as though 2001
is starting much as 2000 finished, wet and wild. Not weather to be working
outside generally but the hardy bunch from West Vale have been busy and
progress, I am pleased to report, is again being made on our section. We
have been very busy in areas as diverse as the World Wide Web of the
Internet to the deep dark dirt of Steppingstone Lane.
The first working party
of 2001 was very productive and the good news is that the Cemetery Path is
now fully surfaced, looking very good and being regularly used by the good
people of Shrivenham, both as part of the Shrivenham Circular Walk and as a
safe dog walking route to the canal and Canalside Park. We are still
uncertain as whether to install a new “kissing gate” at the park
boundary to match the one at the cemetery end. This is a relatively small
task and no doubt a decision will be reached in due course. [20/03/01: The
kissing gate has now been installed. Click here
for details. RB]
Our February work party
was to be used to set up the Steppingstone
Lane Bridge (SLB) “base camp” so that work could begin to clear the
path for the bridleway diversion before birds start nesting. Plans were made
to move the steel container known locally as the “Bluebox” from the car
park at the Canalside Park to SLB to give us a dry secure facility for
keeping hand tools such as spades and axes and somewhere to store cement,
bricks and the like. Additionally we intended to relocate one of our
PortaKabin units (kindly donated by a mobile phone company – thanks
George) to give us a dry “brew-up” area. Our latest member, Andrew Webb,
was able to borrow a very large tractor and trailer to assist in the move
and a local building supplier made available a truck with a HIAB crane to
assist with the lifting at the park. All was set and fingers were crossed
for a good dry period on, and leading up to, the 17th February.
The approach to SLB site
is via a bridle-path which is very soft in parts, so we intended to minimise
the number of trips to 3, to avoid cutting it up too much. The plan was that
we would send the mini-digger on the trailer first, followed by the Bluebox
and then the PortaKabin. All went well, at first, with the day starting
foggy but dry. The digger was successfully loaded onto the trailer and
despatched with Andrew and the WPO Chris Forward, to SLB whilst the rest of
the team readied the Bluebox for the next trip. The Bluebox was raised to
approximately 3 ft by the HIAB and was blocked ready to be sat on the
trailer. All was set, ready for the tractor and trailer’s return. Which it
did, but unfortunately it still had the digger on it!
On reaching SLB, the
digger had failed to start so could not be offloaded, leaving Chris &
Andrew no option but to return to the Park. After several failed attempts to
start the digger, it was eventually off loaded from the trailer (no mean
trick without a working engine) and replaced by the Bluebox. Andrew plus 4
trusty stalwarts then travelled with the tractor to SLB to off-load. It was
now mid-day! The day had brightened and the ground softened considerably by
the time the container arrived at SLB. It was impossible to manoeuvre the
trailer into the correct position due to the very soft field edge, and
sadly, several very large ruts were made in the field. Plan B eventually
came into effect and after contacting the farmer, the Bluebox was deposited
in an adjacent grass field.
Back at the Canalside
Park, Chris had stripped the digger engine down and found that there
appeared to be a problem with the injector pump which would take several
days to fix. It was now time to consolidate. The muddy situation at SLB
excluded any further move of the PortaKabin so that was shelved until the
summer and, hopefully, drier times. The dead digger now needed putting away
into the secure shed at the park. Not an easy task but thankfully, by the
clever use of a hurriedly manufactured “sledge”, a long electrical
umbilical cord, 4x4 Nissan and the large tractor, was achieved without any
further mishaps.
It was agreed by all
attending that this work party had been very “interesting” if not very
successful. “The best laid plans of mice and men………..” Still, it
all helps to prevent complacency!
Over the next few months
we expect to begin the “archaeological” dig at SLB and hopefully be able
to confirm the state of the footings as suitable for restoration. All
visitors are asked not to take any vehicles up the bridleway to this site,
but to park in Bourton village and walk. This will prevent any conflict with
the local residents. [20/03/01: Foot-and-mouth disease has called a halt
to further work on Steppingstone Lane Bridge for the time being. RB]
At the beginning of this
report, I referred to the WWW. I am now pleased to announce the arrival of
the West Vale Branch Web Page! Richard Breese, our branch member from
Lambourn and now crowned the West Vale Branch Webmaster, has put together a
very informative web site that includes maps and pictures of our section and
restoration exploits. In fact there are already several pictures and details
of our last work party for all to see. Our web site can be found at http://www.westvalecanal.fsnet.co.uk
or follow the links from the Wilts
& Berks Canal Amenity Group web site.
The Branch has also been
active on the local landowner front during January and February with two
very productive meetings with landowners culminating in one letter giving
permission to restore the canal across their land with the possibility of a
further letter to follow. Additionally, a lease for the land at SLB is
nearing completion so much so that we obtained permission for the siting of
the SLB “base camp” from the landowner and tenant farmer before the
final signatures to the lease which is expected soon.
Hopefully,
there will be lots to report in the summer so watch this space (and our
web-site) for more exploits of the West Vale Branch.
Orph Mable