A sheep was reported to be stranded on a ledge about 30m up on the quarry face and may have been there for two days. A team member abseiled down to its level, but the combination of criss-crossing, vegetated ledges and a rather lively young ewe made catching up with it, let alone wrestling it into a canvas bag, somewhat problematic. The member on the quarry face drew back, as it seemed likely that the sheep would leap to its death, rather than be caught. Eventually, it moved down onto a rock ledge with a sheltering overhang, immediately above. All agreed to leave it for a day or two, in the hope that it might be less active, when hungry (or might even find a way off?).

Former quarries are notorious for having unstable rock-faces and Mealbank is no exception. The top of the quarry, immediately above the last position of the sheep, has several apparently loose blocks, so abseiling down safely, either side of it, may pose a problem.

To be continued (or so we hope)  .  .  .  .  .

Volunteer hours: 7 (so far)

A few days later, the farmer tempted the sheep safely from the quarry face, by shaking a bag of feed-nuts. Clearly, hunger for food overcame its fear of humans!