Making provisions for all weathers

One particular requirement for this project was the provision of an unobtrusive wet weather path between the house and the lake.

The path needed to be well drained, but was not to be raised up and was to form an integral part of the parkland.

The route was chosen so as to avoid where possible known areas of poor drainage. A one metre (3 feet) wide path was created by excavating the soil to a depth of half a metre, adding a terram base, filling with cleanstone to provide adequate drainage, and then capping with soil and turf.

The photographs show the final result, with the path only being visible after a long, dry spell (see red box).

The essentially pastural nature of the grassland has been retained despite the inclusion of a practical all-weather route.