DRYSTONE WALLING

Known as drystane dyking in some parts of the UK, this ancient skill essentially means building a wall of interlocking stones without cement or mortar holding them together. Different regions have different styles, depending on the stone available. Typically, they are made of two separate but interlocking walls, with a middle section filled with small rocks and pebbles. The biggest stones are laid as a foundation, and the dykes are always wider at the bottom.

A long drystone wall follows the undulations of Lingmoor Fell, at Langdale in the Lake District. They can last for hundreds of years.