Bales of fun in the sun!

12 GoodGym runners braved the summer heat to help out the National Trust on the Bath Skyline walk. We pulled up Ragwort and organised some bales of hay. Our hard work has helped maintain the beautiful space and helped keep it safe for cows that fancy a snack!

Welcome Iona and Jamie!

We met outside the leisure centre and welcomed two runners to the group. We were delighted to welcome Iona to her first GoodGym run and to welcome Jamie who usually runs with GG Croydon and is earning his 'GG on tour' badge with us! After a warm up we were on our way.

After running down the river Avon we turned off Widcombe Hill and onto Church Lane to get to the fields by the lower entrance to Prior Park. Despite the heat we were keen to get some extra training in and we paused to do some wall-sits by the Co-op in Widcombe. My quads are still burnin'!

Get a mooove on, we don't have all night!

The first part of our task was to scour the field by the Prior Park entrance to look for Common Ragwort. The fields are very species-rich limestone grassland which is really important for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, but some plants, like Ragwort, need to be controlled quite closely. Ragwort is poisonous to cattle if they eat it in large quantities and it also spreads very easily.

Cows are an important part of the management of the fields as they keep the level of the grass low and stop the grassland getting long, rank and full of nettles. So we combed the field, walking up the hill, like a forensics team and managed to pull up a hefty bunch of the weeds. We did a similar task a few weeks ago, so we were well practised in pulling up these tough old weeds!

"Hay jude ... take a bad pun, and make it better"!

Once we made it to the top of the hill by the 'Park Run steps' (as they seem to be known...), the second part of our task involved organising some bales of hay. The fields near where we laid a hedge with the National Trust earlier in the year have now been cut to hay, and the bales were left where they were formed.

We worked in teams to shift the bales and move them into an organised pile. They weren't as heavy as we thought, but were quite awkward to carry. Another great job done!

And it was all yelloowww...

The third and final leg on our journey was to remove any Ragwort from the field next to where we started. Luckily this meant walking downhill for a change (except for Mary who offered to go back up and leave the Ragwort at the top on her way home - thanks Mary!).

Among other things, we spotted a buzzard, lots of butterflies and some buzzing bees too. It was a real treat to be outside surrounded by nature enjoying the views over Bath on such a spectacular evening. Last night was a classic example of how getting involved with GoodGym can make a huge difference to our mental and physical health ... at the same time!

Thanks!

Thanks to Emily for backmarking for us on this one, and also thanks to Emily for the pun this week! And thanks to Tabi and her team of Rangers at the National Trust for organising for us to come along and help out. We had a great time and can't wait to work with you again!

Upcoming runs:

• Next week we are gardening at Donkey Lane
• On 17th August we have the GG West Summer Party