Path from house to observatory - ideas please.

[Gina]

The plastic grids arrived today and my goat helped me unpack them by eating the cardboard packaging! 🤣  This afternoon I laid some of them on the ground roughly where they will be going.

[Gina]

The plastic grids are doing a good job even though the ground isn't very level.

[saac]

On 03/03/2020 at 16:38, Gina said:

The plastic grids arrived today and my goat helped me unpack them by eating the cardboard packaging! 🤣  

Gina that has made my day.  An astro goat , SGL, Telscope House , River Valley Optics come on you are missing something here .  

Thank you GIna it's a very wet grey morning here in Fife and you have put a smile on my face. Good luck with your walkway.

Jim 

Edited March 7, 2020 by saac

[carastro]

Lol, glad they are working.

I could have done with your goat when I received my rings, micrfocusser and dovetail from Astrokrakken, the package was done up so well I had a real job actually opening it.

Carole 

[BigMisterP]

On 21/07/2016 at 15:50, Gina said:

ATM I have no proper path from my house to observatory.  I've looked at various ideas and had planned to cart gravel from a heap in the yard round past the house and garage to make a path to my observatory that wouldn't be a quagmire in wet weather.  Currently, there is just grass on top of clay soil that doesn't drain very well.  That idea was all very well but I now feel it might be a bit much for me.  I guess something to stop weeds growing up through any sort of path will be required and I gather a sort of plastic mesh will allow drainage but stop weeds.

I don't know if there's any getting away from digging the turf out - I'm not a gardener though I have watched the odd gardening programme on TV.  I'm really looking for ideas that could reduce the amount of physical work involved.  Would paving stones work?  Or would they be too slippery in the winter?  Is there anything that would provide a safe walkway that I can use in the forthcoming winter nights?  I could provide lighting.  As for cost, a couple of hundred pounds would be alright, or possibly more to help me safely carry out my astrophotography.

Oh - and the distance is around 15 metres on pretty much level ground (that's why it floods).

how about the rubber grids that you can get, rather than plastic, set an ground level, and let the grass grow through

fair unobtrusive, you can run the lawn mower over as well to see lawn looking good

Paving stone often, in my experience in central belt, get a moss which gets slipped - products to clean usually are not life enhancing for grass.

 

While you are doing, how about digging down, at least under the patch, and put drainage in? it may help generally.

Edited March 7, 2020 by BigMisterP

[BigMisterP]

6 hours ago, Gina said:

The plastic grids are doing a good job even though the ground isn't very level.

I have some, they can get slippy tho'

[Gina]

They seem alright ATM but I'll watch out.  The ground is clay and drainage non-existent - needs loads of sand (or gravel).

[Dr_Ju_ju]

If you can, under the grids, dig some 50-100 mm trenches, top to bottom & fill with gravel, that should give you enough drainage.