Lifting fencing material to high fence above Ballachulish village
The images are courtesy of Peter Weir, Glencoe, who worked as Forestry Commission ploughing tractor driver for many years. Here he is one of the team distributing and erecting a fence in some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland. The fence went from about sea level near Ballachulish to over 800m before it crossed over into Glen Duror. Fortunately Peter was a very fit member of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue and able to endure the daily hike up to these high elevations.
Here the fencing material is in the process of being lifted onto the route of the fence line by Dollar’s Bell helicopter with Registration Number G-BGAM.
Peter comments:
“We did the bundling of material down at road level. The forestry borrowed a banding machine for the bundles from the British Aluminium Company in Kinlochleven. I walked the fence before the helicopter arrived and worked out what we needed at approximately 50 metres per drop including material for water gates. I tied a red marker onto a tree or whatever at about every 50 metres. Me and sometimes my workmate would head out and unhook the bundles at the markers. You had to be pretty fit to keep up with the helicopter and I was very fit back then as I was in the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team.”
See the PDF below for more views of the operation.
Download Large Version (453kB)
Groups: Aircraft in Forestry Work, Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action