Slightly off Topic about Dry Stone Walling

[Phil_G]

Any of you chaps know any wallers/farmers/land owners/masons in the North Wales and surrounding areas that deal with Dry Stone Walling.

The DSWA are a nightmare, seemingly charging £80 for a training weekend which is pretty crap.

Looking for someone to do a few weeks/months on a regular basis to get the basics embedded.

Happy to pay someone for the guidance I just can't justify $80 for 2 day substandard course that is far from 1 to 1.

[trigger_andy]

8 hours ago, Phil_G said:

I just can't justify $80 for 2 day substandard course that is far from 1 to 1.

That seems dirt cheap to be honest. But I guess there is only so much you can learn from that. Still sounds well worth doing if nothing else turns up. Our local collage does courses in Dry Stone Walling, but we are in farming country. 

[Matthew Storrs]

I’m a dry stone waller mainly. Been doing it 12 years professionally- but since I was about 5 as grew up on a hill farm spent my childhood messing about with granite. It takes about a day to learn and a lifetime to master. Seriously- get yourself a good book about it and go from there. 90% of it is getting your eye in and the only thing can teach you that is practise  and experience. Some of my early walls weren’t the best- but they’re still standing.

or look at conservation charities- snowdonia national park etc- often they run short courses for a nominal fee. I agree though £80 isn’t a lot- that’s not much more than a meters worth of walling!

[Mark Bolam]

I could put you in touch with a mate in Northumberland if you like?

Not in your area, obviously, but if you did a week up there with him you’d learn more than a lifetime of courses.

 

Here’s one of his rebuilds from this week.

 

[Mark Bolam]

I built this wall when I was 19.

There’s a lot wrong with it (be quiet Matthew!), but it’s still up 33 years later.

 

 

[trigger_andy]

1 minute ago, Mark Bolam said:

I built this wall when I was 19.

There’s a lot wrong with it (be quiet Matthew!), but it’s still up 33 years later.

 

 

Thats great! At 19 its very impressive. 

[Matthew Storrs]

2 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Thats great! At 19 its very impressive. 

Agree. That’s pretty damn good!  It’s not easy getting the coping stone lined up nicely. 
 

What I love about walling is every area has a pretty different style. Where I work it’s mainly big lumps of granite- it’s not coursed and you really have to try and fit it together like a jigsaw.

[trigger_andy]

Just now, Matthew Storrs said:

Agree. That’s pretty damn good!  It’s not easy getting the coping stone lined up nicely. 
 

What I love about walling is every area has a pretty different style. Where I work it’s mainly big lumps of granite- it’s not coursed and you really have to try and fit it together like a jigsaw.

Ive never tried it but would like to give it a go one day. Is it true that if you pick up a stone you have to use it?  

 

[Matthew Storrs]

6 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Ive never tried it but would like to give it a go one day. Is it true that if you pick up a stone you have to use it?  

 

That’s the theory! I think if your a waller dealing with courses and sedimentary rock you should be able to use what you pick up- Dartmoor walling is a bit different as much of it has to be manipulated into place with a digger so you ‘eye’ it from the digger cab- there’s room for error 🤦

[Mark Bolam]

49 minutes ago, Matthew Storrs said:

Agree. That’s pretty damn good!  It’s not easy getting the coping stone lined up nicely. 
 

What I love about walling is every area has a pretty different style. Where I work it’s mainly big lumps of granite- it’s not coursed and you really have to try and fit it together like a jigsaw.

Thanks Matthew, and Andy.

I cheated on the copes and Mucked them on, but the farmer had some big beasts in the field beside the drive at the time!