Two weekends ago I joined fellow cutters from the South of England Hedge-laying Society at Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst, for the first of this season’s gatherings. I was particularly looking forward to this day as I wanted to get in some much needed practice prior to the National Hedge-laying Championships on the 28th October.

The weather was superb and we were working on a nice conservation hedgerow which was mostly Hawthorn, but with some other species as well.

The hedge itself varied considerably in thickness but the section that I was laying was exceptionally well grown and bushy meaning plenty of work for the chainsaw.

With a fair bit of hard work I got the hedge down and staked and it started to look more like the finished item.

After putting the binders on and trimming up I was able to stand back and admire the finished job. It’s always very satisfying when you finish a length of hedge, especially when in the company of a great bunch of guys like the SOEHLS. The camaraderie and passion for hedge-laying is tangible and you always learn something on these gatherings, no matter how long you have been cutting.

Next up it’s the national championships. It’ll be my first time of entering and I’m really looking forward to it!