If your garden faces the Irish Sea or sits up towards the headland, you will already know what a proper westerly does to a flimsy fence. The choice between closeboard and ready-made panels matters more in St Bees than it does inland, so here is an honest comparison of how each one copes, what it costs and when each makes sense.
St Bees takes wind straight off the sea with nothing to slow it down, and winter gales regularly gust well above 50mph along the coast and up by the headland. A solid 1.8m fence facing that weather acts like a sail. The force goes into the posts and fixings, and that is where most fences fail, not in the boards themselves.
Salt air adds to the problem. Standard bright steel nails and brackets corrode quickly within a mile or so of the shore, and once the fixings rust, boards start to loosen and rattle. Any fence here needs to be built with the exposure in mind, whichever style you choose.
Pre-made panels, usually 1.83m wide, slot between posts or fix to them with brackets. They are quick to put up and cheaper, which is why they are so common. The weakness is that each panel is one large surface held in place at its edges. In a strong gust the whole panel flexes, and cheaper overlap or lap panels with thin 8 to 10mm slats can split or pop out of their frame.
Panels do much better when they sit in slotted concrete posts with a concrete gravel board underneath. If a panel does blow out, you can often slide it back in or replace it on its own without disturbing the rest of the run. That makes panels a sensible option for sheltered gardens further inland from the seafront, or where budget is the main concern.
Closeboard is built on site. Posts go in roughly every 2.4 to 3m, horizontal arris or rectangular rails are fixed between them, and overlapping featheredge boards are nailed on one at a time. Because every board is fixed to three rails, the load is spread across the whole structure rather than hanging off the edges of a panel.
The result is a much stiffer fence that copes far better with sustained gales. Individual boards can also be replaced if one gets damaged, so you never have to lose a whole section. For gardens on the seaward side of the village or anywhere open to the west, closeboard is usually the more reliable choice over a 15 to 25 year life.
One honest caveat: a completely solid fence still catches the full force of the wind. On the most exposed plots, a hit and miss design, which uses the same sturdy construction but leaves small gaps between the boards, lets some air through and puts far less strain on the posts.
As a rough guide, a supplied and fitted panel fence in this area tends to run from about £50 to £90 per metre, and closeboard from about £80 to £140 per metre. Where your job falls in that range depends on height, post type, whether old fencing needs removing, and access to the garden.
Ground conditions around St Bees vary a lot. Some gardens have sandstone close to the surface, which makes digging post holes slower, while others are heavy clay that holds water. Posts should go in around 600mm deep, or a quarter of their length, set in concrete. A quote should always follow a site visit, not a guess over the phone.
Whichever style you pick, a few specifications make a real difference on this stretch of coast. They add little to the cost but can add years to the fence.
If they are lightweight panels on timber posts and your garden faces the sea, it is likely to keep happening. Switching to concrete posts and heavier panels helps, but closeboard or hit and miss is usually the lasting fix on exposed plots.
With properly treated timber and galvanised or stainless fixings, 15 to 25 years is realistic. Treating the boards every few years helps them cope with the salt and damp.
Usually not if it is 2m or under, or 1m where it is next to a road or footpath. If your home is listed or in the conservation area, check with Cumberland Council before starting.
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