Notes from Nature: Getting stoned with Dales wallers

As icons of the Yorkshire Dales, they stand as equals with the fells they decorate, like pearls around a pretty neck. Our dry stone walls have featured on a million picture postcards and holiday snaps but are we locals taking them for granted?

The fact of the matter is that dry stone walls are under threat because they are very expensive to build and repair and many modern farms do not have the spare time or labour to look after them properly. But who ever made a calendar with a picture of a post-and-wire fence which, all too often, replaces a damaged wall?

This has been a matter of concern for some years for the Country Landowners Association (CLA) and the Yorkshire Dry Stone Wallers Guild, who stage a competition every two years to find the best stretch of wall, either new or repaired.

Although the Dales hold an honourable place in the history of these walls, we are far behind northern areas of Scotland, where dry walls more than 3,000 year old have been excavated by archaeologists.

However, there are the foundations of walls above Malham Cove which date from pre-Christian times. In South America, ancient tribes built entire pyramids using dry-stone techniques – and today there is even a dry stone wall association in Australia.

The current Yorkshire title holder is Ingleton man Michael Coggins, who impressed judges with 10 metres of dry stone wall he built at Gillgarth Farm near Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

The closing date for entries is June 30 and the competition is open to all wallers who live and work in Yorkshire and is free to enter. Entry forms are available by emailing: north@cla.org.uk or telephoning: 01748 907070.