Cairn rebuild at Storthwaite Hall, North Yorkshire - 21 July 2015

Following a letter in the June edition of the Dalesman, expressing dismay at the derelict state of the stone marker cairn near Storthwaite Hall in the Arkengarthdale area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, our intrepid NE area coordinator for the National Park and YDSWG committee member Dick Laidler decided this could be an ideal project for his walling group volunteers to tackle.

Having obtained the necessary permissions from the landowner via the area ranger, Dick and his group set off on a particularly blustery Tuesday to strip out the offending landmark and rebuild the edifice to its former glory. They had to employ a considerable amount of guesswork in the process as none of them had seen any pictures of the cairn in its original condition.

The task was completed in one day and it is hoped that the Dalesman correspondent is pleased with the result, particularly in view of the fact that Dick admitted that none of the group had tackled a cairn before this one—he “blagged” his way into getting the job done.

Clive and Steve are looking forward to the wind dying down so they can let go and get home for some tea

Photos: Dick Laidler