After a few fallow years, which we blame on house building, COVID and other distractions, the Loxter Ashbed Quarry champions are back in action. We had a stand at the village newcomers event before Christmas and have some new volunteers in the group.

Taking stock

At our first work party this year we reviewed the state of the quarry. There have been some small rock falls from the face of the quarry and some growth of trees and other vegetaion over the top of the face. Lower down there were numerous ash trees taking hold as well as the regular population of brambles, ivy, nettles and other vegetation.

While the steps up from the road only needed clearing of leaves, the barrier next to the road was wobbly and the wood was beginning to rot.

The work begins

On the first day we pulled up a lot of ash trees and brambles from the quarry floor and cleared away the undergrowth on the path up from the road. This improved access to the quarry itself and gave us an idea of how much work would be needed. There is a sense of achievement pulling up a 5 foot ash sapling with one hand. There were some which had grown roots further into the rock and needed harsher treatment and the brambles were as thorny as ever. Away from the rock face Frank and Simon came up with a plan to make the barrier safe again.

The next two work parties were wet. Very wet. And muddy. That notwithstanding, we started work on boulders and the slope underneath the quarry face. We made good progress with this, clearing off the left hand side of the slope and the steps up the right side of the face. The boulders on the quarry floor had also become overgrown and have broken up so we spent time clearing off the vegetation and a growing layer of soil. These boulders have been the best source of fossils in the quarry and let visitors look at the rocks more safely than up near the quarry face.

Frank and Simon have put their plan into action and the barrier is now much more secure.

Going forward

We are getting ready to welcome a group to the quarry at the end of April. We are happy that the essentials have been done but want to clear more vegetation to improve the view of the quarry. There is also a village event in June which includes exhibits on the geology of the area. We plan to have at least one guided tour of the quarry in association with this event.

As with a lot of gardeners, we are hoping for a bit of drier weather to complete the work!