George has always dreamt of putting steps down to the pool at the base of our 11.5m high waterfall, as access has been very difficult due the steepness of the bank, or the slipperiness of the rocks. Much discussion has taken place over the years, regarding the best method: rope ladders; explosives to crack into the sheer rock face for excavating steps; abseiling whilst canger hammering into the rock face etc.
Finally he just started building some monster steps. MONSTER. These effectively sit above the rock face, like a ladder, with just a couple of anchor points at top and bottom. With the amount of bolts and the small forest of timber he has used to build the thing, it will not be falling apart in a hurry (I hope). Built at home, dragged down the road behind the quad bike, and finally, after much fretting from the wife (me), the steps were lowered into place. This was no mean feat. Quite nerve-racking in fact. But George had it all sorted in his head!! No drama, and the whole thing went smoothly, with a bit of grunting, sweat and no tears. Steps now in place. Next step in the almighty plan - bath tubs! Gulp. Watch this space.
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| The steps about to be lowered into position..... |
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| George and Sam securing the treads taken out to make it lighter to transport |
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| This shows how steep the bank is to get down! About 11m from the top of the ladder/steps to the bottom. |
