Calendar

We are rather erratic about when we are at Tiggins Meadow although if there is demand for it we would consider setting up regular times for particular activities so that other people can join us. We’d also be delighted to receive suggestions of activities or events if there are things you would like to do at Tiggins Meadow.

Generally speaking there is a seasonal element which influences how often we visit and what work we are doing. 2020 – 2021 saw us there much more often because of barn building and other activities being curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022 we continued building the barn but by 2023 this activity had slowed down and we seem to have got slower each year since then! Although the barn is by no means finished it is weather-proof and useable for storing tools, boots etc. We had the ceiling lime plastered in 2025 but still need to work on the interior clay plastering and final earth floor layer.

In January and February we do our annual willow harvesting of basket willows and cut down some of the large wild willow trees which otherwise will rapidly grow quite big. We use the cut material to make brushwood fences and store some of the timber for burning on camp fires. Maybe we will also try making charcoal with some of it. In the autumn we do a lot of scrub bashing to trim back the brambles which otherwise will take over some of the paths. It’s good to have a mixture of thickets and open ground.

We are always happy to down tools to chat to anyone who drops by and we’re also happy to let people ‘have a go’ or show us their techniques and share knowledge and experience. Do contact us if you want to confirm we’ll be there.

Seasonal activities –

Winter is willow harvest and tree maintenance & planting time. Spring is when we do fence repairs, build bridges etc. Late summer is mowing and raking – in 2025 we had this done by tractor for the first time – a great labour-saving choice! Early autumn is fruit harvesting & storing. Late autumn is hedge maintenance & hazel coppicing.