Saturn-day mission on the mound

Finding the meeting point for today's mission was simple enough - just past Saturn, on the right as you head towards Uranus. This was where Goodgym member Leanne met Peter, Sustrans ranger and York Greenways volunteer, to pick up some tools and find out more about the mission. They chatted over a steaming cuppa, provided by Audrey, who looks after the Tuck Trike at Naburn Station.

The York to Selby cycle route is home to a complete scale model of our solar system. The cycle path itself is managed by Sustrans who make sure it's safe and usable, while York Greenways take care of the flora and fauna that surrounds it. Today's mission was to dig out all the pesky weeds on a viewing mound near Naburn Station, and replace them with pretty primroses, and other plants with less memorable names (henceforth described as 'primroses, etc').

"On a clear day, you can see the Minster from the bench at the bottom of the viewing mound. If you know it's there." (Peter).

It was a slightly hazy day, but if you looked really hard, and squinted a bit, you could indeed see York Minster!

Armed with a trowel, Leanne set to work digging out weeds from between daffodils, while Peter attacked the weeds on the side of the path with his scythe. 90 minutes flew by as we wrestled with nettles (and other weeds with less memorable names!), casually chatting away about running and cycling, and accepting 'thank yous' from a steady flow of cyclists, pedestrians and runners who passed us by. The steep sides of the mound added an element of danger and excitement to the task, and gardening whilst standing on a slope turned out to be a great workout for the calf muscles!

With a good section of the mound cleared of weeds, it was time for a tea break. This time, Audrey abandoned her camping stove to see if her brand new generator would boil a kettle (according to the vendor, it generates enough energy to power a small village). It worked a treat, so we enjoyed our second cuppa of the day with a piece of delicious flapjack from the Tuck Trike.

Back at the mound, the sun poked its head out from behind the clouds to cheer us on and soon enough the primroses, etc were settling into their new homes.

Another great mission accomplished.