Most of us have seen a dry stone wall. They are the most basic of durable barriers built from material literally torn from the earth. Different regions will have different styles of wall. This may depend both on the type of local stone that is used, but also on regional identity. Rural walls may be rougher in appearance than those bordering urban properties, however they are of no lesser strength. Dry stone walls can be very old. Carbon dating of peat covered walls in County Mayo dated them to 3800BC, however with rebuilding it can be difficult to date a wall. Often built to keep livestock in, sheep can frequently damage a wall by clambering over it, and sheep being sheep, others will follow, bringing down further stones. Frequently a farmer will add a layer of wire above a dry stone wall in an attempt to discourage this.

Over two thirds of our nation’s dry stone walls are thought to be in a ‘derelict’ state. The art of the dry stone waller, or dyker, is still very much in demand and they are an expensive alternative to simply throwing up a few wooden posts and some barbed wire. Many wallers have attained various levels of certification indicating their level of proficiency.

I have simply included here a few images taken on a two week walk up the spine of England on the Pennine Bridleway, one of the National Trails of England and Wales. I haven’t even included location, just some dates as I moved northward from Derbyshire to Cumbria, as these are typical images of the type of wall you might see from a car, bus or train window as much as from walking between the walls bordering a bridleway. Sandstones, shales, gritstone, limestone and others, the geology of the land walked through dictates what might border a path.

You might have gathered that I have a soft spot for these hard stone walls. I love them, I love that they furnish and compliment a landscape. I love that they are part of the fabric of my country. That they bind together our culture and countryside as much as they are bound together by expert hands to form an (almost) impenetrable barrier to the wild eyed sheep, nervous lambs and doleful cattle beyond. They also do a good job at discouraging the furtive backpacker looking to hop over for an out-of-eyeshot wildcamp!