Mowing verges

[Flat 10]

i first posted it on wreckers , they were talking about the Longmeadow . Photo was taken 27th of June 2020 .

Village called Longmeadow near here.

 

[Bogweevil]

Verges round here are often wide - maybe ten foot each side of the road. Village used to sell the grass on the "long acres" for mowing. But now too full of crap thrown from cars. Mostly, the local farmers just flail them.

Long acres, have not heard that for a while

 

[v8willy]

Used to be cut twice a year with hedger here, couple of men with sythes tidying up along with it, then in the winter the same men would used a lefthand offset plough which took a foot or so off the ditch & placed it back on top, they would clean the road ditch cutaways out with a spade so it let the water away, never had the same problem with floods back then.

Now it get's a very quick wizz with the hedger & that's it. & for a few years they seemed to be waiting till September, guessing the ban was the idea even though they don't do much with the hedges, was hard seeing round the weeds.

Seem to be back on track this year timewise, tho maybe that's to do with all the walkers complaining what with covid.

 

[kiwi pom]

Used to cut the verges at my mum and dads when I was a kid. Used a grass hook as a scythe was a bit big. Had nice tidy verges.
Nothing to do there now as the road sides have been ploughed up back to the hedge by tractors, trucks and RR's, passing where there isn't really room
Everything's bigger but the roads never got properly widened, looks a right mess.

 

[jimred]

Had a neighbour who used to just turn about 20 milk cows on the road when he was short of grass. Used to come wandering down our lane occasionally. Have been known to milk a few of them. That really wound him up.

 

[toquark]

My grandpa spent every summer chasing sheep and horses up and down the long acres, I don’t think anyone else took them on when he retired in the early 90s, too dangerous now I guess.

You’ll sometimes see gypsy cobs round here at the roadside but doubt they’re there legally, usually the few weeks before and after the Appleby fair.

 

[Lazy Sod]

The farm that I used to have is one of 3 that are encircled by a triangle of 3 roads, it's about 5.3 miles all the way round. When I was a schoolboy in the fifties, it was looked after all the year round by a lengthman. He cycled to work with all the tools that he needed tied to his crossbar. In the summer he would cut the banks with a reaphook and a crook that was shaped like a letter 7 and cut from a hedge. I'm not sure what he did with the grass.

In the wintertime, he would keep the edges of the roads clean with a shovel, brush and spade. Every week his foreman would cycle out from the town to see how he was getting on and probably give him his wages.
My father would often invite him in for a cup of tea when Mr White was working nearby. He once asked asked me to spell rhododendron and write it down. Of course I got it wrong, it was the h that caught me out.

Looking after both sides roads of the roads that formed the triangle was all he did. I would sometimes stop to talk to him when I cycled home from school. He was a kind man.

 

[teslacoils]

Council attempted to mow and collect cuttings for digester iirc. Then said was cutting less often to promote flowers. Getting too risky to top it with camera phone wielding village do gooders.

 

[puntabrava]

Would be better if they cut the hedges back in some areas, in places they cannot cut the verge as the hedge is out beyond it.

 

[J 1177]

A little bit different but our village greens have grazing rights by royal decree. We used to graze the dairy cows on it but stopped because of traffic a few lads tethered dales ponies on them but it's stopped because of complaints with newcomers. However it's come full circle and the parish council are on establishing some of these greens into wildflower meadows and want me to take the hay.
It does help that the head of the council is an ex officer from the ark royal and a farmers grandson from Woller in Northumberland who loves farming and rugby in equal measures. Makes a change from what it seems other farms have to put up with.