Our Lake District views are stunning from wherever we stand and stare
And the hills are the main attraction for all who come to share
But if we all stand for a while
As we cross over a stile
We would see that they are framed in a variety of shapes
Made up from the dry-stone walls.
They seem to be as old as the hills themselves with the lichen and moss on the stone
But only two centuries ago our landowners turned to the ‘wallers’ to get the job done
So its a legacy to them that the land that they ‘penned’
With such skill and hard work to the end
They are still there for us all to admire
The dry-stone walls.
These are monuments on our land which deserve to all stand for another two hundred years
With their ‘hogg-holes’ and ‘smoots’ and gateways for routes for the farmers to use without fears
Of losing their stock or sheltering their flock
From the weather we all know gives a knock
Such that at sometime we all need the lee
Of a dry-stone wall
The stones came from each field which went on to yield the produce that we all enjoy
And the hard work that went on is still being done by the farmers and staff they employ
The ‘footing stones’ and ‘throughs’ and the ‘top stones’ construed
Are built skilfully, not crude
Without cement as one might think
For a dry-stone wall.