Beginners' Training Course in Dry Stone Walling at South Mains on 7th & 8th August, 2021
The geographic spread of participants on our second course of the year wasn’t quite so wide as first, but nonetheless it is a fair distance from Castle Douglas to Strathpeffer and the weekend meant that 4 of the 6 trainees had to find accommodation in the area. We were pleased that Malcolm Collins agreed to be the instructor for the weekend and the group obviously appreciated his skill and knowledge of dry stone walling.
The weather was mixed, but the heavy shower didn’t last too long and the group kept on working throughout. Only Dorothy and I retreated to the barn for shelter!
Feedback from participants was very positive:
Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed the course this weekend. It was very relaxed with no pressure to produce immediate results , which made it so absorbing and fun…..Malcolm is an excellent instructor and is a real credit to your association.. Many thanks again and best wishes , Gregor I really enjoyed the walling course over this weekend and would definitely like to join the members’ event at the end of September, ……….. Many thanks again and I look forward to seeing you again soon.. Mike
Preparing the ground. Spades at the ready to remove any tree roots.
Early stages in the sunshine.
A later stage in the rain.
Mike shows off a find from the old wall! An ‘ancient’ lemonade bottle from Lamb’s of Strathmore.
The group completed about 6 metres of dyke. With three on either side this allowed for one metre space between the trainees. The result was very impressive for a beginners’ dyke.
Our hosts Daan and Kirsty once again excelled in their hospitality and Kirsty made numerous tasty morsels (sometimes not so small) for coffee and tea breaks and Daan made some delicious soup with home grown produce from their garden, for lunch time.
Two of the participants have already joined DSWA and we look forward to welcoming them to events in the near future.
The proud gang show off their wall.
Thanks to Judith, Mike, Gregor, Alec, Fiona and Kerr. for their hard work and to Malcolm who took the picture.