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I fancy doing a bit across my back garden, but never tried it before. I understand the theory, can get the stone, what could possibly go wrong?
Done a few, years ago.
It's not difficult, just bloody hard work.
It's great fun, don't underestimate how much stone you need though.
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/dry-stone-dyke-building-anyone-had-a-bash-at-it
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Hmmm...
I shall report back when I've made an attempt...
I built one in our garden with stone I dug up while laying the lawn, its adequate, but not child safe. I will need to cement it soon to stop the boy pulling it down
A couple of friends do it as volunteers for the National Trust. Peter came into the pub last night looking knackered - he and his mate had just finished 2sqm each that day which is an old rule-of-thumb target. But he was broken. And he knows what he's doing.
An old boy on a farm I used to work on would be paid to do dry stone walling all summer before the harvest. He produced some beautiful cotswold stone walls on an estate above Stow on the wold that will be there for generations.
Id rather lay a hedge than build a wall personally 🙂
Done loads with the NT when a teenager on Acorn Camps - mcmoonter speaks wisely, they eat stone and time.
What is the local stone, depending upon where you located are it will make all the difference in how easy/fiddly it will be.
Stone that has natural shear planes will be a squillion times easier to use than random lumps.
There's heaps of good stuff on the internet, worth reading up on what style is local to you. It is time consuming but fab therapy.
Oh, if your back garden is on a serious slope (meaning you'd have to carry the stone uphill to the future wall location, or FWL as those in the know call it, this might be a good time to rethink your plans.
I built one high up on a Cornish slope once - all stone delivered to the road 250m below... and this was a two-sider with earth infill. 👿
Helped do a bit when I was in the scouts.... ditto the above about it being hard work and taking time.
Yup, did a course on it.
Loved it.
As above, it's bloody hard work.
Once you pick up a stone, never put it down, just find its place in the wall..
It's very satisfying but tough work. Your local geology will decide how easy it is.
Pretty sure I saw a poster for a dry stone walling course round here (Hebden) soon but I can't seem to find the details online. Think it was something to do with the NT.
Seem to remember you might not be too far away crikey.
Sorry for the vague, unhelpful post. 🙂
Once you pick up a stone, never put it down, just find its place in the wall..
That's the challenge. 2 of us just replaced 15ft x 3ft tall in our garden, 2 sides with rubble/earth in the middle. It was a nice way to spend the day. 2 year old loved 'helping' too... Found it amazing how sturdy the thing ended up.
Just been to the local stone merchants, they've got the retaining walls from Huddersfield Uni in big piles in their yard. £50 a ton, "be the dogs bollocks for building with, that".
We shall see, my back is hurting from digging out a footing trench, so no more just yet.
Have had to repair/rebuild quite a few over the last couple of years, due to the OH horses making bids for freedom. As others have said its hard work, but I find it therapeutic. Don't try it if you can't do jigsaws. Also it helps if you cheat a little and use mortar on the inner edges of the stones to help stabilise them.
use mortar on the inner edges of the stones to help stabilise them
Oooh, Miss, he's cheating!
Camo, think of it as more improvising, adapting, and overcoming. 😆 But yes, yes it is cheating.
I've done a bit, it's good fun, but I was a fair weather waller. My dad used to do a bit, a couple of mates do it for a living. I think aslong as it's not raining and you don't have OCD, you'll be alrite.
This is apparently a good stretch of walling on the left (bearing in mind it goes up a hill), hopw it inspires you!
This is apparently a good stretch of walling on the left
Phwwwooooooar!
It's a real head turner isn't it!
Dang, that's a good looking wall.
Your work, davidtaylforth?
* Doffs chapeau if so, keeps chapeau firmly in place if not *
Can someone post a screen shot pic please?
I had no hand in it. I often admire it when I cycle past it though.
You really need google maps so you can take in the full length of it!
Use to help my Grandfather repair the walls on the farm when I was a nipper, he has an incredible eye for it but it did teach me to have a good spacial awareness. I did a very basic small one in my garden a few years ago not a proper double walled filled version. I was able to spot what stones would go where with ease so guess I picked up more than I realised.
You really need google maps so you can take in the full length of it!
Found it. It is indeed a thing of beauty.
Stoner I think my father in law was taught DSW in the 60's by that old boy?
Anyway whoever taught him did well as he's won prizes for it and despite still running a coach company full time @73 he still does a fair bit of it in his spare time along with restoring Ferguson tractors!
stevebbrain of this parish is your man for walling. proper expert.
MrOvershoot - there's a lot of experience gone from the world these days. Charlie must be past his walling days by now - he was 65ish in 1995 when I worked with him. Fair play to your old man if he's still going at it. We worked the Great Rissington Manor farm.
I did a course on a Saturday morning - absolutely loved it. There is book that is well worth getting - Drystone Walling: A Practical Guide
I feel I must apologise, the link I sent before is wrong. As nice as it is, the real treat is just before that section of wall. My pc was playing up and I think I pressed a few wrong buttons when I posted the original link.
Follows the lye of the land beautifully,vI cycled past it earlier and took a picture but I cant seem to get it onto my computer. Noticed a few other great walls on my way aswell, Torver is a real wall hotspot!
Where are you Crikey? If your near Swansea I could give you a day as a labourer and you can pick up some tips. Not for till next month though. Restoration this month which sounds interesting but its basically hacking off cement
Don't know about proper expert ton :-), but yes I do it for a living. Been at it on and off for about 10 years including a fair bit of work on the Chatsworth estate. Currently doing a job up royd lane above Millhouse Green (Penistone) by the big windfarm. Always loads of cyclists going by so someone may have seen me grafting.
Trying to concentrate on pretty garden walls these days as it is blo0dy hard work and my body's creaking a bit :wink:.
I'd post a picture of my work but I'm a techno numpty.
Ha Stoner I've just spoken to him and it was a chap called Stan Clutterbuck in 1961 near Tetbury (who was probably 60+ then!) he was also a dab hand at hedge laying 🙂
Like you say lots of experience is being lost. Much like in my trade of flour milling 🙁
I laboured as a teen for an old boy Cotswold waller. Hard work(my back aches just thinking about it), lots of stone but a beautiful thing when done. As stoner said laying hedge is also a great thing, did lots of hazel on the farm as kid. I ride past some of them these days.
SteveBbrain aka 'Dad' transformed our back garden.
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^ Is that so you can snoop over the neighbor's fence? 
MrOvershoot - there's "Clutterbucks" who farm on Castlemorton common here under the Malverns. Its a great old name isnt it?!
Milling - you're not up at Shipton are you by any chance?
crikey,they do stone walling courses at Shibden park in halifax. its held in a stone walling exhibition area that has all the different types of walling done in yorkshire using that areas local type of stone, costs about £20 i think, as an aside on sept14th there is are xbike events in park & on the sunday 2x Tdf route rides starting from Shibden as well!!
Stoner - MemberMrOvershoot - there's "Clutterbucks" who farm on Castlemorton common here under the Malverns. Its a great old name isnt it?!
Milling - you're not up at Shipton are you by any chance?
Its supposedly in the top 2% of monied names? And has a concentration in Gloucestershire & Kent IIRC.
Not at Shiptons,but I know some there. Used to work at Priday's in Gloucester but now work for ADM in Liverpool.
in Liverpool.
My condolences. 😉
Stoner - Member"in Liverpool."
My condolences.
Don't live there 😉 but its 10 x better than Gloucester 😀