Where have the Malverns gone?

As we have remarked before, the view North West from opposite the Royal Oak at Gretton is one of the finest from the GWSR. Usually! On our first working day in February there was no view – just mist. Freezing mist at that, thick enough to be fog at times. This did not shift until gone 2pm. However, with a job that needs completing before the beginning of the running season, eight hardy soles from the team pressed on.

Midday - and the outline of the Royal Oak pub is only just visible.

Thursday 6^th February

First task at Winchcombe was to extract some dumpy bags of pea gravel surplus from other projects. Jonathan loaded these onto the white tipper Transit using the telehandler, then set off for Gretton with the telehandler. The rest of the team, loaded all the other required materials and tools on to the blue LWB tail-lift Transit and the Isuzu. So it was a convoy of four vehicles that headed to Gretton. We required the telehander there to both unload the bags of material and convey them up the haul road; the slope is too steep and currently too muddy for heavily loaded Transits.

The telehandler with the first bag of pea gravel looms out of the mist approaching the top of the haul road.

Roger and Nigel set up the submersible pumps. One on the down (Cotswold) side to pump out the 24A inlet chamber and thus stop water running through the bore whilst we are working. The second was to pump out the base of the chamber – that did not have to run all day. Then Polly assisted by Roger got to work laying the concrete blocks of the final courses of the new chamber. Nigel was manning the mixer. We also used some grouting to seal the lower courses of the chamber.

Pumping out the down side inlet of 24A.

 

No hills to be seen in the background - just mist. Getting ready to lay the final blocks of the new chamber.

Meanwhile, Dave and Martin took some brush cutters and loopers down to the exit ditch of cross drain 24B; to clear that out down to the boundary hedge. The plan was also to make a start on the clearing of the access to the ditch by the hedge that flows down from 24A. However we abandoned this; the growth is thick willow trees that will need cutting with saws. A job that has to be done outside of the bird nesting season. Andrew barrowed some of the broken concrete slabs down to 24B to use as anti scouring material where the outlet ditch is being down cut.

Martin attempts to work uphill from 24B along the ditch line by the boundary hedge.

After delivering the first bag of pea gravel to the top of the haul road; Jonathan accompanied by John set off for Bishops’s Cleeve to collect more building sand from Elliot’s. They also made an important stop on the way back – at North’s Bakery to obtain some large hot pasties for the team. Once back at 24A, all work momentarily stopped whilst the team had an extra break to devour the tasty pasties. On a cold, frosty, misty day, some hot food mid morning is a necessity not a luxury!

The supplier of essential hot pasties! [Photo by Jonathan]

 

 

 

Once back to work; Jonathan fetched the other bags of pea gravel, carefully delivering them to the top of the bank by the track. Andrew and Martin the carefully shovelled the gravel to cover the length of new twinwall pipe leading to the chamber. Nigel, Roger and Polly continued with the chamber build – installing the six GRP chamber rings. Dave and John descended to 24B to install the anti scouring, not quite such a crazy paving appearance here as the outlet ditch is narrower and deeper than that of 24A.

Anti scouring concrete blocks and broken slabs in the outlet ditch of 24B. [Photo by Dave]

 

All blocks laid; so next task is a mortar bed for the first GRP ring. Note first loads of pea gravel on the low mileage side of the new twinwall pipe.

 

Nigel - you have been framed! The first GRP chamber ring goes on. (Don't try a one man lift with a concrete ring!)

Roger (l) and Polly make sure the first ring is level and square to the blocks

After lunch, Jonathan returned the telehandler to Winchcombe, as he had to make some repairs to the towing hook and electric socket of the Ford Ranger. Martin and John returned with the white Transit at the same time – as we need an escort vehicle for one right hand turn with the telehandler. Back at the yard, they unloaded the building sand and reorganised our storage in the old wooden shed; essential as all the tools were coming back from Gretton.

Dave and Polly undertook one of our regular winter tasks, clearing debris from the grill where the exit ditch of culvert 24C enters a pipe under the neighbouring property. This grill is essential to stop medium and large items from entering this long pipe and potentially blocking it.

Regular blog readers will not doubt recognise this at the 24C exit grill at our boundary. Cleared again! [Photo by Dave]

 

Roger, Nigel and Andrew stayed at 24A tidying the side and loading all the remaining tools onto the blue LWB tail-lift Transit. To keep the 24A bore and new chamber dry for as long a possible, the last items loaded were the generator and the submersible pump from the down side.

Chamber build complete. All that we need to do now is back fill the hole! That will need 5 more tonnes of pea gravel; then some stone and the excavated material replaced. Then we will use the infill from Broadway platform 2 excavations, which contains a lot of clay, to grade the whole of the area at the top of the haul road. Plus of course the new chamber needs a lid!

 

All back to Winchcombe for a welcome cup of tea in the warmth of the Churchward House mess. Of course, just at that moment the mist and fog lifted to reveal a deep blue sunny sky. Almost spring like!

Wildlife report: With the cold, frosty and misty conditions, most animals and birds were sensibly not venturing out. We did note a kestrel; and a robin which followed us from 24A to 24B and back again. The number of snowdrops in bloom was greater than last week; and we spotted a couple of daffodils just about to bloom.