Our big summer
project: during the bad
winter and spring, the north entrance
became saturated and very muddy.
The soil is heavy clay, and we have
always had problems in this part of the
wood. The video below shows the
severity of this issue very well.
Several years ago,
we reinforced a section of the entrance,
and this year we decided to extend the
path. One problem we have is that
the area around the notice boards is at
a lower level, so we decided that the
only way forward was to create what are
essentially causeways at a higher level
than the existing surface.
We were fortunate
that our founder, Juliet Curry, ensured
that a grant was offered from the Trust
for Oxfordshire’s Environment.
We are also grateful to Stewart Milne
Timber Systems for support.
A total of 35 tons
of crushed stone (a base and a topping
layer) was laid onto a geotextile
membrane to create three paths radiating
from the noticeboard area. The
paths (S, E and W) have been established
by users – and we took the view that
these routes were the best place to lay
the amount of stone that we could
afford.
For general
information about Deer Park Wood, click
here.
The work team on the
preparation and marking out day - September 3rd
An archive image of the entrance in
spring 2018 - the area was completely waterlogged, and we
cut new temporary east and west access paths to avoid this
central area
...and a good
illustration of the problem: a video of Parkrun on
March 10th 2018, with runners struggling through the
quagmire, is here
Fortunately, we had dry conditions for
the preparations on September 3rd:
Path marking - Sept 3rd
September 10th - geotextile membrane is
laid to preserve the integrity of the path
The delivery of the first 14 tons of
base layer
We had to clear tree branches to allow
access for the delivery lorry, and to ensure that there was
adequate height for it to tip.
Since the original path was laid, there
has been a buildup of mud, which was removed. This
will allow better drainage of the original path.
The excavated earth was used to fill in
a low area to the east of the entrance.
Forming the base layer along the path
to the west
Helping paws...
Our plan was to form a granular path
surface above the existing ground level to eliminate the
chance of waterlogging.
The view from the end of the
east path - base layer
...and after compacting the base
layer. The excavated soil from the entrance path, used
to increase the height, can be seen.
A compactor in action.
A rounded profile and free draining surface material gives
better drainage:
The final stage - limestone
chippings are spread over the surface.
Contemplating a job well
done
We appreciate financial support
from: 
