On solid ground

Dry stone walls are the thread that bind Yorkshire’s landscape. Fancy giving it a go? Pete Maynard quit his job to do just that

- Charlotte Oliver

Seven years ago Pete Maynard decided to say goodbye to his stress-filled life as a lawyer to take on the altogether more pleasing pastime of dry stone walling.

Sounds romantic doesn’t it? From rat race to an altogether simpler vocation of outdoor life and tradition in the heart of Yorkshire.

Based in Ravenscar on the North York Moors, Pete learned his trade from a waller who had been working for more than 50 years and was still going strong, albeit part-time, at the age of 78.

Pete’s walling work is strenuous but satisfying, less lucrative but more than rewarded by an ‘office’ that has no ringing phones, a dazzling view and, on one memorable morning, ‘the sunlight highlighting five buzzards soaring together high above a beautiful valley; it was a wonderful morning!’

You won’t find that on many a job description and the appeal is obvious. It’s one of the reasons the craft of dry stone walling appeals across the board – from people like Pete who want a life-changing career move to those who are happy to volunteer or join working holidays with the likes of the National Trust. Despite being rooted so firmly in the past, the craft of dry stone walling shows no signs of becoming consigned to history. Membership of the Yorkshire Dry Stone Walling Guild (YDSWG) is growing steadily and the number of people attending the Guild’s training courses has doubled in the last six years.

As Pete says, there’s a deep satisfaction of adding something to the landscape that one of his clients described as ‘really beautiful’.