Hiya foggers me again....We had proper fun over the last two day....it was hard work though!Thursday....Early thursday morning the digger arrived...
First job way to doze the woodpile so further away from the camp fire, then start on the clearing...
Main communial area was dug up and then graded to be level..
Then the camping area had the worse of the lumps and bumps dozed and was graded...
Then pulled every tree root and stump in picnic area that I could find so hopefully I wont fall over anything when pi55ed now!
Sally later on spent ages plucking out hundreds of rocks and raking over half the clearing to make it nice...It looks brill now!
Pete then arrived and we carried on with revamp of the horseshoe and nearby obtsicles...they are evil now...and redid the exit from the mound by the pond...
Then down to the far end of the bottom of the site...graded the access track, pulled out stumps (incl one hooooj one that did not wanna play and the digger wouldnt rip it out! Had to dig it out instead!!!)
Holes were reworked at the far end by the big fallen tree...beast of an obsticle now...and then the crossaxle redone on the hill that goes under the tree...might have to be down only till it gets driven in a bit! There is a clear route past it for the more sane foggers!
reworked the bottom of some of the other hills...the hill where badboy took the sign and tree out at one of the first picnics is now a beast!
In the afternoon we headed for the top and we got creative on the extension to the top bombholes...it is much bigger with loads of challenges...
In the late afternoon/evening we were joined by Louis with the dumper, Steve 2stuck, Map racing Paul and Davetherave...
and then we added soon new holes to the now deepened small bomb hole in the middle of the woods...
With much encouragement and silly ideas from the lads we now have some real challenges in that middle section and loads of new stuff which will surprise everyone when they come across it...
Louis was demonstrating that he has got 4x4 skills in the dumper...some really impressive driving, and he enjoyed me filling his trainers repeatedly with mud when loading the dumper...
before Steve went we bullied him into driving the new system of holes and banks by the middle little bombhole (he didnt need much bullying mind)...
the obsticles where undriven, always more of a challenge and yet he did it, but managed to ground out his rear number plate and crack it on the descent into one of holes!!!
It was then getting late and we were finishing the last bit for the evening and we were down to Paul, Louis and Me...and the digger lost a track...but in the worst place possible....wedged between 2 trees on a 30degree slope....
Luckily we had Louis with us who knows how to fix plant stuff....he skill fully manoeuvred the digger somehow into a position where we could work on it...Paul ran me up the workshop and we grabbed the tools that Louis said he needed...
Between us we then managed to get the track back on under louis expert direction with the digger half way up the side of the hill...we then decided to call it a day as pitch dark and pretty dangerous to be working on the slopes...
Tracked back down to the clearing and Paul gave Louis a lift home while I got sorted for kipping in the truck...
Foolishly I didnt lower the bucket to the floor on the digger...so all night about every 20mins or so, there was a large clang from the digger as its hydraulics slowly let the arm down an inch at a time...which woke me up each time...so not a good nights sleep...
Friday....Woke up (kinda!) to a beautiful morning, and could see all sallys hard graft from the day before properly in daylight....gotta say the clearing camping and picnic areas are looking great now...much improved from the last weekender...
Had a brew and dieselled up the digger and dumper....then did some bits round the clearing till Pete arrived...
Did some more stuff to the horseshoe and re -dug the tyre changing hole so easier to use and a tadge deeper!
Finished the landowners firing range back drop...then pete came down with brekky (top-fella yummy breakfast stick!)
Then Ross arrived in a very random pug 309...so pete gave him a crash course in dumper driving and tow started it for the first of hundreds of times!
We headed up to the top of the site and reshaped a load of earth that Louis had cunningly left for us making so new challenges and the dug up around that area for more stuck oportunities!
Pete and Ross then collected loads of dead wood from round the top of the site with the dumper and Sal joined them and helped when she arrived.
I dug out the top bomb holes a bit and blocked off loads of the entrances and exits across the farm tracks (we are just having 2 crossing points over the farm track to minimize damage to them in the winter)...
Then off down into the depths of the woods to create loads more challenges in the less steep areas across the hill...Louis gave Ross a "how to" on dumper driving and extracted him when he stalled it in the clearing when emptying logs onto the pile...
Needless to say the top of the woods has many new challenges and tracks of varying difficulties...regulars need to exercise care as would a newbie, as many of the familiar climbs have a sinister twist near the top...so checking first is a must...
While finishing a new climb that Ross found, and installing it with a large hole, the guy arrived from the hire company to collect the digger! They were supposed to call first which would give me time to track it back round to the clearing...
He was ok though and we finished the hole and then I had a bit of a dilemma....I kinda know the woods really well, and I struggled to be able to pick a route across the woods with no holes! Each route I thought of I then remembered something we had put in or existing cross axle holes which the digger (or me) doesnt like crossing! Finally sussed a route and tracked down to the clearing and fuelled the digger and off it went...
The improvements we have made to the clearing since we have been there mean that the driver can bring his 7.5 tonner beavertail right into the picnic area now to load and unload!
Waved goodbye to the digger and then had a clear up and loaded the trucks....
We talked pete into trying a couple of bits for some pickies as just mud doesnt photograph....
Pete got more than he bargained for by way of some huge air whilst trying to find the right line out of one "feature"...took 3 of us hanging on a strop tied to the top of the bullbar to hold the front down as he drove out!!!
See the pickies below....
And that was that really....we took all the gear back up to the workshop and all went our own ways....
A good result over the 2days...we got pretty much everything done that we hoped and are looking great for a fantastic weekender in September with loads and loads of new challenges for newbies and regulars to the woods...
Seriously I must reinforce that EVERYONE needs to have a look at stuff before driving it as there are lots of new things where you may least expect it!!!
Big thanks to Sally, Pete, Steve, Paul, Dave and Ross for your outstanding efforts over the last 2 days....
Huge thanks go out to Pete for taking 2 days hols to be there with me all day both days....
And a big thankyou to Louis for his fixing the digger and showing us how scary he can be with a dumper truck!
And massive thanks to everyone who donated some money for the fuel for the digger and dumper...this wouldnt have been possible without your generousity and commitment in supporting our woods venture....
Pickies......as promised!The clearing after levelling and hours of sals work raking flat and stone extraction....
Steve after much persuasion breaking in the new middle bomb holes....and ground out his rear number plate busting it!!
Fixing Petes truck....hiding behind a lwb of the same colour!
The digger hiding in the trees
Ross modelling the reworked tyre changing hole!!
Pete trying out the tyre changing hole
Pete getting stuck
Pete getting unstuck
Pete having a "moment".... 
Ross modelling yet more holes...
Once again thanks to everyone you helped over the 2 days, donated £££ for cherry, and those who attended the weekender (the proceeds of which paid for the digger hire) and everyone who has supported the woods venture over the last year...
Finally thanks to Drift for his text which came when we were digging the middle bomb holes saying
"Stop looking at your phone and keep digging Ha ha ha".....cheers mate that really er "helped"....
Looking fowards to seeing everyones faces when the tackle the new stuff at the weekender at the end of september!
Its gonna be a wicked weekend and we are well and truly ready for as many of you that want to come and have fun...
Laters and thanks again everyone
Greg and Sally
You need three feet and both hands just to keep it running, let alone drive it!! 
Great fun!! Thanks Pete for tow starting me on, "numerous" shall we say, occasions!
