Way out West ............................

......... West of Derby that is, to be more specific on the Mickleover and Hilton Greenways, where there has been some activity in an otherwise quiet period.
On Tuesday the Community Payback Team came along at rather short notice to start the winter programme of hedge cutting. We are working them out of Mickleover towards Bonehill Gate at present and hope to see a big improvement in the width of the path verges and we have enough work there to keep them busy throughout the winter.

This is the view eastwards from the Curved Seat and the pile of prunings on the left has been cut from the hedge on the right.
Much of this has thorns in it so I think that we should burn it ASAP.
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Wednesday's gale force winds brought down a dead elm tree on the Mickleover side of Heage Lane at Marsh Cottage. There are several dead elms here and they are all heavily covered in ivy. It was possible to sever the ivy with loppers and to cut through the trunk with a hand saw.

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Meanwhile over at Hatton on NCN 549, our Ranger Yvonne, has has been busy keeping tabs on the plans for re-routing the path next to the Nestle factory where a considerable area of land is being fenced off to facilitate a large industrial extension. A new path will be constructed around the land, and we expect that it will be of a much higher standard than the existing one. Vital that Sustrans have representation in these discussions. It is so much easier to get things right at the beginning than try to change them after the event.
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And finally, the construction of a new sponsored seat for the Hilton Greenway is now complete and we hope to stick it in the ground next week, thus qualifying for the sponsorship cheque. This will ease our funding, not helped by a poor year for income due mainly to bad weather at our events.
Perhaps we need some quantative easing (whatever that is!).