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Working on Pen Y Fan building a drainage ditch
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Some 200,000 visitors a year use the footpath we're helping to maintain.
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First a ditch is dug and the front lined with dug in stones
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Then the base lined, again dug in so they hold fast
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The base of the ditch is spade width, so it can be easily cleared
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The base of the back wall is then dug out and lined to wedge the base in place
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Gaps are filled with stones and soil, all tanped in
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A finished section. Turf added for additional support and prevent erosion
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Happy volunteers a new section of drain complete
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Glimpse of the view between the clouds
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Relaxing back in the bunk house - with wood burning stove
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What a difference a day makes - a clear view
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Ditch complete we head up the moiuntain
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Of course being OCV we have tools and clear the ditches and culverts on the way up!
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Breath taking
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The long walk home
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Wind sculpture
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Where's Heathcliff?
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Dan-y-Gyrn bunkhouse
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Hay on Wye
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Selection of stones is important
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And digging a good trench is important too
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First: place upright stones along path edge
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Next: line the base of the drainage ditch with large stones
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Then: put stones in line with the hillside for water to drain down into your new ditch
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Partially completed section of ditch
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BBQ dinner
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Chef Andy
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Day 2: Section completed yesterday looks authentic
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Day 2: putting some turfs in to fix the soil in place
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Day 2: finished article
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Visibility was low this year
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3 men supervise while 1 woman digs
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Commuting up Pont ar Daf
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Tea and scenery
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Dinner time at Dan y Gyrn base camp
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The Ditch Pitching Gang
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A beautifully pitched ditch
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It was very windy - we aren't just being silly!
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Lydia working on a calvert
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Jo pitching in
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A pitched ditch
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OCV tasks aren't all about work...
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Says it all really...
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A walk in the woods
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Sgwd-yr-Eira waterfall
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Climbing Mount Fog
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At the summit
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More juncus plantations
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Amazing juncus plantation - surely pedestrians will now not stray off the path!
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Lunch break
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Inigo flying his kite
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Going to the pub
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Tea break
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Where is jo?
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Hmmm... not sure what's going on there!
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Great photo where no-one is looking
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Digging ditches for drainage
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Setting off
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Culvert clearing
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Lunch time
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Happy path-maintainers at lunchtime
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Continuing upwards
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Sgwd-yr-Eira waterfall
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Steep scramble on our walk
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Completed stone pitched culvert
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Completed culvert
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Playing pass the pigs at the NT base camp
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The result of a hard days work
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The serious art of Pictionary
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Barbeque time
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Chopping firewood at the basecamp
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Clearing rubble from the path ready for new scalpings
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View from Pen y Fan
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A fine specimen!
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Beautiful scenery... lucky Welsh people!
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Top of Pen-y-Fan
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Men lighting a barbecue
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Sgwd yr Eira - A very fine waterfall and a good spot for lunch
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Dan Y Gyrn Base Camp - Official Photo!
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View from behind Sgwd-yr-Eira falls.
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Lunch stop at Sgwd-yr-Eira waterfalls
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Woodland footpath down to waterfalls on day off
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Sgwd Clun-gwyn waterfall
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At the Storey Arms after a day's culvert clearing
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Path down from Corn Du
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Culvert cleared of debris, with outflow channel extended toward edge.
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Liz & Naomi clearing one of the final culverts.
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Our descent from Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du whilst culvert clearing
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Peaty pond near the obelisk; Corn Du
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Chris takes time out from the executive stress of leading
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A culvert unblocking team at work, with Corn Du in the background
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Working our way down Corn Du for lunch at the obelisk
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Resting atop Pen-Y-Fan, highest point in the Brecon Beacons
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Digging new drainage ditches along footpath
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National Trust warden spreading grass seed in the new ditches
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View south down valley from top of Pen Y Fan
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Looking down on Cribyn from the blustery peak of Pen Y Fan
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National Trust training on the essential conservation skill of 'leaning on a spade and chatting'
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Tea cosy - de rigeur in the Beacons
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Lunchbreak
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Beacons Way - worn deep and wide by many feet and lots of water
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Rob Reith - National Trust Access Warden for Brecon Beacons NP
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Descent back down from worksite to basecamp
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Where's Renaud......?
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Naomi flipping lamburgers on the barbecue back at basecamp
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Grass-seeding to help bind the thin soil
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Human JCBs! - digging out drainage ditch and backfilling spoil on to the trail
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Out for a walk on our free day
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Climbing up the Craig Cerrig - it was actually sunny (for a while)
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We had great views on our free day.
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Second work site
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What a jovial bunch of people
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OCV and the National Trust show their undying loyalty to Queen & Country
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Anyone for Chess?
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Crossing a bridge to get to our work site - the previous one collapsed!
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The Henrhyd waterfall
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Rob, the National Trust warden
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Base camp
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The badger, of course
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Our fearless task programmer
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Dinner at base camp
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Walking along the ridge after we finished work
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