Dry Stone Scotland

26/05/2015

Curved retaining wall at Cloybanks entrance.
Cloybank do some great work running youth and adult training programmes.
They also have a menagerie of rescue animals - everything from horses to chickens 💕
I had worked a couple of days on this driveway when three of the Estates teenage trainees asked if they could help me.
Great fun the last couple of days helping the lads get to grips with dry stone walling.
Tough job to learn on but they have done so well.

18/05/2015

My talented friend Louise was wonderful enough to make this lovely little video for me.
We filmed it on site at Westerwood Golf Course a few weeks after I had completed the bridge.
She chatted away as we filmed and I couldn't quite believe how beautiful the footage came out.
Thank you so much Louise.
- during the interview myself and the camera had a very near death experience with a golf ball - seemed like a fitting end :)

Shared with Dropbox

06/03/2015

Back in Castle Douglas today working on a boundary wall.
There was some lovely big sandstone blocks that wanted turning into something nice ... so I turned them into the seat for this bench within the wall.

03/03/2015

Over the last few months I have been very very busy...
After a discussion over a coffee about how much I would love to build a bridge... One thing lead to another and the idea grew arms and legs...
Westerwood Hotel and golf club are very close to me and they were delighted to host my project ...so delighted that they let me build it at the 18th hole!!
I built it in my spare time ... And I mostly built it alone ...
My friend Stephen helped as much as possible and by the time I was half way through my Dad had also joined in... He couldn't resist - and turns out he's a natural!!!
I started in Sept and whenever I got the chance I was there ... In the wind, rain, hail, snow and right through to the last day of winter - when the last stone was placed...
Its been an education, rewarding, exhausting and amazing.
And now it is done...
I feel a little sense of loss at the end of this incredible journey but hope it leads me on to new and exciting projects!!

Please feel free to share this post and the pictures and should you know of anyone who would like a bridge point them in my direction .... I would love to start this journey all over again!!!

16/02/2015

Been a while since I posted - I have however been busily working away on a couple of projects.
The one in the pics is a continuation of the build in Castle Douglas of a house boundary wall.
The other project is nearing completion and I'll be posting about it shortly.

So, over the weekend I built up 5m of wall and finished off a cheekend next to the entry gate.
The sandstone blocks in the pics are the beginning of a bench built into the wall.
Great weekend with the winter sun reminding me spring is on its way!!
Love building with this crazy random stone...

22/08/2014

This is a bit back to front (and old news to some of you :) ).
At the start of August I sat and passed my Dry Stone Walling Level 2 Test.
It was a looooooooooong day in the most interesting of weather conditions.
I cannot begin to describe how pleased I was to succeed.
Great feeling.

If you like what I do please feel free to share my page :)

18/08/2014

20m of wall with cheekend and curve.
Spent the last two weeks in the most beautiful setting with incredible views building this boundary wall in Castle Douglas.
Has been an absolute pleasure to be there and build, the crazy weather made it interesting but didnt ruin a thing.
The landscape and the wildlife were awesome - unfortunately my photography isnt quick enough to capture the birds of prey, deer and hares that were around the whole time.

21/07/2014

The most incredible setting for working.
High up on a hill side with panoramic views of the Stewartry.
Hares, butterflies, huge snails, rain, wind, sun, more rain, more sun.
This is the very beginning of a looooooong wall that is going to run round the boundary of my friends house.
Couldn't wish for a better setting.
And to top it off her wee 4 year old daughter did an amazing painting of me building the wall - which is now my profile pic.

21/07/2014

Up dated profile picture to a painting of me building a dry stone wall. Painted live as I was actually building - by my friends wee girls :) Best profile picture ever!!

13/07/2014

Timed test practice today.
7 hours (we should get 8 in the actual test as this is considered hard stone to build with).
Strip down the wall (you can see the 45degree angle line in the first pic where wall had to be taken back to) all the way to the foundations.
And then rebuild it.
Was perfect conditions today with a little breeze to keep the midges away.
Though sadly my wee sheepy friend was absent - all nature had for me today was this wee bug who got very angry with me and started making a hissy buzzy sound when I got the camera all up in his face...lol
I completed the practice in about 7 hours 15 mins with only a 10 min break for lunch!!
Phew....

12/07/2014

My last day at Erskine.
Rain.
Building in the rain.
Tea in the rain.
However, it was strangely pleasant to be rained on today after being sun baked for so many days now.
The landscaping work still has to be completed before I can get pictures of the finished project.
The walls are going to get a turf top and planted with wild flowers.

08/07/2014

Another beautiful day to be out walling.
A little bit of atmospheric thunder and lightening and no midges. And the company of my wee sheepy friends.
The blackface sheep are supporting some impressive horns!!
Stripped back the cheekend and rebuilt it.

This stone is crazy. It just looks like a big ole mess until its complete and you step back and then its like magic - suddenly the stone makes sense....