The walls which neatly divide our mountain landscapes are now an essential part of Britain’s heritage but few realise the skill and backbreaking labour required to build and maintain these features. As a dry stone Waller I have a keen interest in their history and restoration and have photographed numerous spectacular examples over the years during my work as a contract shepherd.

The subsistence nature of hill farming in years gone by made it necessary to use whatever materials were at hand for building and fencing, and stone being in plentiful supply was usually the first choice. The ingenuity and craftsmanship of those early stonemasons is still apparent today in the stone walls, troughs, gateposts and farm buildings.