fencing

'Something there is, that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen ground swell under it
And spills the upper boulders in the sun'
Robert Frost

I'm with you 'Something'.

I've never liked barriers of any kind and always look for ways around or over them.

But sometimes they are necessary and we came upon this necessity when we began to plan the site development.  'Mushroom Farm' is right next to a neglected piece of woodland called 'Crimea Plantation' and this woodland has a lot of public access. There are dog walkers, pony riders and daredevils who launch themselves off amazing earthworks they've constructed to support their mountain biking passion.

So, some kind of barrier had to be there to make clear where the woodland ends and our garden starts.

After much deliberation we opted for a plastic coated metal fence and it was erected last week. The fence is not intrusive and gives good views of Crimea Plantation. Almost any other choice of fence would have looked out-of-place. You begin to get a sense of the size of the site when the boundary fence is seen.

Establishing the line of the fence wasn't easy, but fencing contractors P&J (Pikemaster) Fencing of Old Clipstone were excellent and cleared the line so that we could prepare it for hedge planting. Thanks Paul and team.

Our venerable oak was smack bang in the line of the fence and so, with Vickie's permission, we took our fence around it so that we could disturb the tree as little as possible.


Here it is, raw and bare on the day after erection and awaiting the soft cloaking of the native hedge that will accompany it along its length.


We have included two pedestrian gates in the fence to allow access for maintenance. The previous owner of our site remembers access to the wood next door with her grandmother and so access to the plantation and country park beyond is long established.