Hedge laying

On Saturday we went to watch the national hedge-laying championship, which this year was at Rutland Water.  It's fascinating to see the different styles traditional to each region - Devon, Midlands, South of England, Derby, Welsh etc.

Basically each man has a 10 foot length of  young trees which he must bend to form a four foot high stock-proof hedge. The bending is done by partially cutting through the tree trunk near the ground, so that the tree can be bent over but will continue to grow through the part which is not cut.  The new growth fills in the hedge in future seasons.

After that, there is quite a diversity according to the regional style. Most have the width of the hedge to one side of the posts, but some have the posts in the centre.

A lot of details count towards the result - for example, the angle at which the saplings are bent must be matched by the angle at which the retaining posts are trimmed.

 And the final touch is the woven trim at the top.

I don't know enough about it to risk labelling any of the pictures, (I think the photo above is South of England, but may get corrected if any expert views it)

It all takes place between 9am and 2pm, followed by the judging and awards and I can thoroughly recommend it if you ever hear of it. A lovely gentle traditional day out.