I was then very excited to find that I could source locally-grown sustainable Western red cedar only a few miles away in the Surrey hills - and from a sawmill that is owned by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. Western red cedar is an ideal durable wood requiring little treatment, being resistant to water absorption and to insect attack. However, I decided that I would rub it with boiled linseed oil in order to preserve the original colour as much as possible.
Since this would be a 2-post gate, the posts needed to be fairly substantial. I decided that 125x125mm should be sufficient. All other timbers would be 100x50mm.
I was also in a position to collect the timber myself, as can be seen here!
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