Dry stone wall competition 'helps keep skill alive'

Gardener and waller Vicki Smith will compete in the amateur category

An annual dry stone walling competition has been called "vital" for an area's wildlife and cultural identity.

Professional, amateur, novice and veteran wallers will take part in the Friends of the Lake District's competition on Saturday, at a farm in Mungrisdale.

Competitors have seven hours to complete their wall before they are judged, with one hopeful saying the job is like "doing squats and deadlifts all day".

Dry stone walls lasted for generations, and inspiring people with competitions helped "keep the skill alive", organisers said.

Dry stone walls are strong structures which are hand-built without any cement or mortar holding them together.

They create boundaries and habitats on farms, and are used to help shelter animals.

Spectators are invited to watch the wallers compete for cash prizes, with other ‘have-a-go’ taster events available on the day too.

The competition has been held since 1980, and offers cash prizes

Gardener Vicki Smith, from Shap in Cumbria, is entering the amateur category.

She completed a dry stone walling course about two-and-a-half years ago when a woman she gardened for wanted a wall building.

"She struggled to get anybody locally to build it. So I went on a course and it all went from there, really," Ms Smith said, and added that she had been busy offering the service since.

Ms Smith said she was excited for the competition, but that the job was "very tiring".

"I suppose it's like doing squats all day. Deadlifting with heavy stone," she said.

Judge Andrew Mason is a certified master craftsman and a previous winner of the competition

The judges would be looking for strength and the correct craftsmanship, judge Andrew Mason said.

"It's got to be super strong to stand the test of time, these walls should stand for hundreds of years," Mr Mason added.

He said dry stone walling was needed in places like Cumbria because each area was geographically unique, and it was difficult to get materials to such remote locations.

Competition organiser Kay Andrews, of Friends of the Lake District, said dry stone walling was a "heritage skill" and the walls were an "important part of Cumbria's cultural identity".

"And dry stone walls aren’t just pretty landscape features," she said, "they are vital for creating boundaries and as habitats for all kinds of wildlife, so it’s important that we’re helping keep this skill alive."

The competition is the first of six in the Dry Stone Walling Association’s Ellwood Grand Prix.