They say walls have ears but it's lucky they don't have mouths too - if they did we would all be deafened by yells for help from neglected stretches of the dry-stone variety that are in desperate need of repair throughout the Cotswolds. In a bid to halt the decay of one of area's signature features and to keep the ancient skill alive, the Cotswolds Conservation Board is running weekend workshops for wannabee wallers. James Davis visited the stunning setting of Cud Hill near Painswick for a training taster.

AT more than 4,000 miles in length - which is as long as the Great Wall of China - dry-stone walls are an inescapable and charming feature of the Cotswolds.

Sadly around 75 per cent of these, most of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries when boundaries were marked and land enclosed for livestock, have now fallen into disrepair.

And at £150 per metre, it is no surprise that landowners are choosing to put off paying an expert to carry out a rebuild.

Surprisingly, the skill is fairly quick to learn - though I strongly suspect difficult to master - and in a few hours I was comfortable with the basics.

With the stones being quite irregular, searching for a perfect fit is fruitless and makes for very slow progress.

The ideal block is flat with a straight edge that can be placed along the wall's face and as the morning went on gradually my eye became tuned in to seeking out suitable boulders.

Before long I was busily hammering chunks out of pieces of golden limestone for the foundations.

Cheery chatter buzzed from what was an entirely male group, although classes are usually mixed.

Stopping to mop my brow, I looked up to see the valley stretching out towards Stroud in all its verdant splendour.

Over my shoulder were impressive views of Gloucester with its towering cathedral and beyond loomed the Malvern and Shropshire Hills - both of which are visible on a clear day from this vantage-point on the Cotswold edge.

Everyone present seemed to be taking real pleasure from helping to create something which should stand strong for at least 50 years.

"People get a real sense of achievement, they can come back in years to come and say I built that wall," says Jonathan Gahan, dry-stone walling course organiser and officer for the Caring for the Cotswolds project.

"Many also find it therapeutic to come out here and have a relaxing day in the countryside."

While designs vary around the country, Cotswold dry-stone walls are tapered so to mark out the shape lengths of string, or walling lines, are used in conjunction with an A-frame, or batter'.

The width of the wall at the top is generally half that of the base.

The wall is created in two halves - the largest, flattest stones on the outside and through stones' and smaller hearting' material fills the gaps in each layer, or course'.

The contrast in the stone size gives the wall its strength and large, heavy blocks laid on the very top at right angles weigh down the courses below, bonding both faces together so the wall settles into a solid unit.

Although the first Cotswold dry-stone walls were built around 2,000 BC, most were made in recent centuries by farm hands during the quieter winters.

The downturn in farming has meant they are commonly collapsing, along with the homes of many animals including toads, voles, hedgehogs and small birds such as wrens and little owls.

And as well as being part of the aesthetic look of the area, dry-stone walls perform a vital function in the fencing-in of livestock - the grazing of which helps to preserve the nationally-rare limestone grassland ecosystems.

By the end of this the fourth year of beginner courses, over 800 people will have received the basic training which organisers hope will help keep alive the age-old skill.

"Some people have told me coming along is the best thing they have ever done," added Jonathan.

*Weekend courses run throughout the Cotswolds until November at £55 per person. The Cotswolds Conservation Board is also running a competition in association with the Dry-Stone Walling Association for wallers of all abilities in October. To find out more about either contact 07841 663603 or 01451 862 002.