Completed a pathway building project while travelling

Now that the yurt is up, there is a well trod muddy incline that needs to be turned into a pathway. It is slippery in the rain and people are using it more at night. 

Building this path began with three goals in mind; safety for path users, longevity and reusing materials. Ideally, we wanted it to look beautiful, be functional, and feel like part of the land. 

My partner and I built this on our own, together! You can see where his crude practicality has converged with my impractical fancy. And maybe the parts where these different aspects of our natures began to intertwine.

This project took about four or five days to complete. 

We needed to dig out some of the rocks that became stone steps. And Jim spent a few hours crushing up some unwanted brick to rubble to pile around those stones to create a more flowing, gentle gradient to the pathway. 

We ran out of larger rocks so used some concrete tiles filled in with rocks and earth for two of the steps. 

Lined the way with some nice square-cut rocks reclaimed from a wall we demolished. 

Crushed terracotta pieces for contrast against the gravel. Used some more found tiles and terracotta roof pieces to make the Olabe symbol. 



Last step was to seed the dirt along the pathway and the dirt around the Olabe symbol with mossy grass.

Hopefully the grass can take root without too much disturbance – there are kids, horses and dogs also on the property so chaos is always only a few seconds away…horse already broke through our barrier, pooped on the deck and ate the leeks I planted. Still, I have my fingers crossed! 

Notes for the future:

I need to learn more about building with these more rough hewn materials. Slate, terracotta, straw, clay etc. Spending some time readin how best to encourage plants to grow sculpturally would also not go astray.

Am definitely staying in contact with Olabe to see how our living, growing terracotta pathway develops!  

Related:

Assembling a yurt

Assembling a yurt part two; adding the finishing touches

An In-Depth Guide on How to Grow Moss