V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
keep it coming boyo .... this is fascinating with all the old drainage, that's maybe going back many decades ..... life must've been bloody tough going back then, eh? 
Sorting out the drainage in the lower field and other gubbins. An apprentice digger driver writes.
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
Bloody clay!
You pro operators must curse when you come across this?
I've found the clay bucket thread so will eventually put some chains or cargo straps in there.
All around the drystone walls are falling down in certain areas. The cause is faulty drainage. The water goes overland, spreads and goes through the walls, washing away the bases and causing the ground to go soft. It's been happening for years and is still happening now which is why i'm using my evenings and weekends to sort it out. Big problem is it's often other peoples fields which are causing the issues and getting them to act is sometimes difficult, my closest A.hole of a neighbour refuses to pay for some £50 bits of pipe even when I said i'd do the work in laying them - on his land! Some people are just rotten to the core and proud of it.
This is another neighbour however, this is a field he rents to the left of our wall:
When you rent you also have to look after it, but he hasn't. The water is supposed to go underground diagonally left to right, under a bridging stone on the dividing wall and run through my land (currently) in a ditch. As you can see it's an almighty mess with water escaping overland over his field when it shouldn't be.
Here you can just about see standing water and the wall is leaning dangerously over to the left in one place:
We had words and an on-site meeting, he said he would see what he could do. To his credit a few weeks later he borrowed an excavator and followed my example by unblocking his collapsed soughs. This below is that long streak of overland water a day or two after he'd done the work:
Even after a bit of rain today it looks better:
Instant success
You can see where I put in a ditch to the right of the wall too. I'll keep an eye on that and the land around it, if it's needed in the future it'll stay like that.
I'd previously made sure my side was improved too. It was already running, but was overgrown and with some minor blockages here and there which came to light when it really siled it down.
As far as neat ditchwork is concerned it's crap! I took the wrong bucket with me and have still a lot to learn. It does flow though.
I'll go back in Summer when it's dried out with the ditching bucket and make a better job. Also over time the weather will break down the cack I dragged out and i'll be able to either flatten it out or put it in the dumper and take it elsewhere.
Our fields are rented off to a farmer who puts Herdwicks on there, they sometimes silently approach and quietly watch me work!
As i'd taken out some rubble they were using to get across I thought it only right to put a bridge across for them. Found an old flat gate post lobbed in the field so lowered it down:
I think we're more or less up to date with field drainage now, as said, time to watch and see if or how it works now.
You pro operators must curse when you come across this?
I've found the clay bucket thread so will eventually put some chains or cargo straps in there.
All around the drystone walls are falling down in certain areas. The cause is faulty drainage. The water goes overland, spreads and goes through the walls, washing away the bases and causing the ground to go soft. It's been happening for years and is still happening now which is why i'm using my evenings and weekends to sort it out. Big problem is it's often other peoples fields which are causing the issues and getting them to act is sometimes difficult, my closest A.hole of a neighbour refuses to pay for some £50 bits of pipe even when I said i'd do the work in laying them - on his land! Some people are just rotten to the core and proud of it.
This is another neighbour however, this is a field he rents to the left of our wall:
When you rent you also have to look after it, but he hasn't. The water is supposed to go underground diagonally left to right, under a bridging stone on the dividing wall and run through my land (currently) in a ditch. As you can see it's an almighty mess with water escaping overland over his field when it shouldn't be.
Here you can just about see standing water and the wall is leaning dangerously over to the left in one place:
We had words and an on-site meeting, he said he would see what he could do. To his credit a few weeks later he borrowed an excavator and followed my example by unblocking his collapsed soughs. This below is that long streak of overland water a day or two after he'd done the work:
Even after a bit of rain today it looks better:
Instant success
You can see where I put in a ditch to the right of the wall too. I'll keep an eye on that and the land around it, if it's needed in the future it'll stay like that.
I'd previously made sure my side was improved too. It was already running, but was overgrown and with some minor blockages here and there which came to light when it really siled it down.
As far as neat ditchwork is concerned it's crap! I took the wrong bucket with me and have still a lot to learn. It does flow though.
I'll go back in Summer when it's dried out with the ditching bucket and make a better job. Also over time the weather will break down the cack I dragged out and i'll be able to either flatten it out or put it in the dumper and take it elsewhere.
Our fields are rented off to a farmer who puts Herdwicks on there, they sometimes silently approach and quietly watch me work!
As i'd taken out some rubble they were using to get across I thought it only right to put a bridge across for them. Found an old flat gate post lobbed in the field so lowered it down:
I think we're more or less up to date with field drainage now, as said, time to watch and see if or how it works now.
Attachments
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
Thankskeep it coming boyo .... this is fascinating with all the old drainage, that's maybe going back many decades ..... life must've been bloody tough going back then, eh?
It's bloody tough enough now
yeah, I would not have wanted to put all that lot in by hand. But then when the sun shines and the birds sing there is a lot of pleasure to be had from working with your hands out here too. You've just got to forget modern life, stress, money etc and crack on. They were probably more relaxed times back then with less to worry about.I'm usually a 3 meal a day man, my stomach tells me to eat, but when i'm down in the fields on my digger making improvements I forget all about lunch and work right through until it gets dark.
This is my way of saying thanks. Thanks to hosting a good and useful forum with some friendly and helpful members who have helped me out.
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
you're going to enjoy yourself here Boyo ...... we all love a good craic, seeing what we all get up to and looking at plenty of pixThanks
It's bloody tough enough now
I'm usually a 3 meal a day man, my stomach tells me to eat, but when i'm down in the fields on my digger making improvements I forget all about lunch and work right through until it gets dark.
This is my way of saying thanks. Thanks to hosting a good and useful forum with some friendly and helpful members who have helped me out.
I for one never realised the efforts that went into draining upland ground like that ..... did come across a clay land drain, clearing a ditch here and thought .. Jeez some poor sod had dug a trench to bury that by hand decades ago !!! but those soughs are in a totally different league altogether .... wonder just how old they actually are ???
diggerjones
Well-known member
Looking for drains 
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
I believe they are Victorian which makes them circa 150yrs old.you're going to enjoy yourself here Boyo ...... we all love a good craic, seeing what we all get up to and looking at plenty of pix
I for one never realised the efforts that went into draining upland ground like that ..... did come across a clay land drain, clearing a ditch here and thought .. Jeez some poor sod had dug a trench to bury that by hand decades ago !!! but those soughs are in a totally different league altogether .... wonder just how old they actually are ???
I've heard one of the neighbouring farms has drains put in by POWs, but don't know what kind they are or how they know this. Will find out more one day
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
Great pictureLooking for drains
There must be a story there. What's the yellow pipe for? Is that a later 803 than mine?
Lancs Lad
Well-known member
Well interesting.I believe they are Victorian which makes them circa 150yrs old.
I've heard one of the neighbouring farms has drains put in by POWs, but don't know what kind they are or how they know this. Will find out more one day
There were camps at Skipton I think. Grandad was at Buxton camps and said a lot the farms took pows from the camps as farmhands. Never had any issues esacping...life was better here than at home
diggerjones
Well-known member
No bit bigger than 803.Great picture
The yellow pipe is the jetter
diggerjones
Well-known member
I'm taking the picture Gra, abandoned shipwhere's yer life jacket Dyl
GazCro
Well-known member
There's some fields about 15 mile away from me where there's hand dug horseshoe tiles nearly 7ft deep!
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
Lancs Lad
Well-known member
Especially if it's anything like a lot of the lakes area ground conditionsbloody hell .... seven feet is some hand dug trench
GazCro
Well-known member
Old fella that got me father down to dig in to fix them was something else with land drains and sussing them out and it was the only time me father ever thought he was wrong. I think they dug about 5 foot down in half a dozen places with no sign and so went back round the holes to take a bit more out as old bloke was so sure and he was right.bloody hell .... seven feet is some hand dug trench
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
Yeah it looks a bit bigger when half of it isn't in a lake
diggerjones
Well-known member
Think they did them from the top and put pipes in from top.bloody hell .... seven feet is some hand dug trench
We did for 2" pipes. There's not alot of room in a 7' x 2" trench
GazCro
Well-known member
A lot of land drains were put in by POW's across the country as after war there were big changes in ag production and making use of the land. Made use of cheap labour. Mind i think a lot go back to POW's from wars further back than you might be thinking as wellI believe they are Victorian which makes them circa 150yrs old.
I've heard one of the neighbouring farms has drains put in by POWs, but don't know what kind they are or how they know this. Will find out more one day
L
LKSF
Pennine Hillbilly
What are those?
M
Monkeybusiness
Well-known member
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