Shipping Estimate
USA
- USA
- CAN
- USA
- CAN
Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 8 - Jul 13
Promo Codes Available:
For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15
Description
Hardwood Path Chips | Garden Path & Animal Run MaterialThe hardwearing surface option for garden paths, animal runs, and anywhere you need a substantial natural finish that takes proper traffic. Hardwood Path Chips from Dandy's Topsoil & Landscape Supplies are a mixed hardwood chipped material not as visually natural as bark mulch, but properly more durable underfoot and longer lasting in active use areas. The right choice when function matters more than form. Available in seven pack sizes from a 5 pack
The hardwearing surface option for garden paths, animal runs, and anywhere you need a substantial natural finish that takes proper traffic. Hardwood Path Chips from Dandy's Topsoil & Landscape Supplies are a mixed-hardwood chipped material — not as visually natural as bark mulch, but properly more durable underfoot and longer-lasting in active use areas. The right choice when function matters more than form.
Available in seven pack sizes from a 5-pack of 50-litre Handy Bags (£123.52) up to a full 40-bag Best Buy stack (£414.91 for 2,000 litres — the lowest price per litre across the range).
How it differs from landscape bark and play bark
Dandy's stock three related but properly different materials:
- Landscape Bark — the most natural finish; large bark pieces with the rough character of fresh-stripped tree bark; ideal for borders where appearance matters most
- Play Bark — specifically processed for safety in play areas; softer underfoot, particle-size controlled
- Hardwood Path Chips (this) — smaller mixed-hardwood chips; less natural-looking but properly more hardwearing; the right choice for actual traffic and active use
The choice depends on where it's going and what it needs to do. For an ornamental border seen from the path, Landscape Bark is properly the right look. For a children's play area, Play Bark is the safety-certified option. For paths people actually walk on, chicken runs, horse arenas, or anywhere serious wear happens, Hardwood Path Chips properly come into their own.
What to use them for
- Garden paths and walkways — the headline use; durable surface for actual foot traffic from house to shed, around the veg patch, between borders
- Chicken runs and poultry areas — properly the right material; drains well, doesn't sour like wood shavings, hardwearing under daily chicken activity. Mucks out cleanly when needed
- Horse menages and arenas — established equestrian use; combines well with sand for arena surfaces, or works alone for smaller turn-out areas
- Allotment paths — between beds, around polytunnels and sheds; properly the right surface for working access
- Border tidying — though less natural-looking than landscape bark, hardwood chips still suppress weeds and retain moisture in border use; the trade-off is appearance for durability
- Around garden structures — bases for sheds, greenhouses, polytunnels; provides a clean dry surface
- Reindeer enclosures and other livestock areas — properly Santa's reindeer approved (Cheshire Oaks reindeer farm thumbs up)
- Dog runs and exercise areas — drains well, doesn't compact unhelpfully, easier on paws than gravel
- Compost paths in the kitchen garden — eventually breaks down and adds to soil structure
Particularly good for
- Smallholders and hobby farmers — properly the right material for animal-keeping surfaces
- Equestrian property owners — horse menages, turn-out areas, walking surfaces
- Poultry keepers — the standard professional choice for chicken-run flooring
- Larger cottage gardens with serious path networks — where bark mulch would wash out or compact too quickly
- Allotmenteers — between-bed paths that take daily traffic
- Working garden spaces — where appearance is secondary to function
- Anyone resurfacing previously-graveled paths — softer underfoot, easier on bare feet, less weed-prone
- Borders where weed suppression matters more than aesthetics — though Landscape Bark is the better-looking option
Coverage and how much you need
As rough guidance for a 50mm (5cm) layer of chips:
- 5 m² coverage needs approximately 250L (5 × 50L Handy Bags)
- 10 m² coverage needs approximately 500L (Midi Bulk Bag or 10 × 50L)
- 15 m² coverage needs approximately 750L (Standard Bulk Bag)
- 20 m² coverage needs approximately 1000L (Jumbo Bulk Bag or 20 × 50L)
- 40 m² coverage needs approximately 2000L (40 × 50L Best Buy)
For deeper coverage (chicken runs typically 75–100mm; horse menage bases vary by use), scale up accordingly. A 10m × 1m path at 50mm depth needs about 500L; the same path at 100mm needs 1000L.
Choosing the right pack size
Pack-size economics vary significantly — the difference between best and worst price-per-litre is more than double:
- Jumbo Bulk Bag (1000L for £209.42) — properly the right choice for substantial projects; second-best price per litre. Requires hardstanding for delivery and a means of transporting the bag (wheelbarrow recommended)
- Standard Bulk Bag (750L for £178.55) — the builders-merchants standard size; mid-range volume and value
- Midi Bulk Bag (500L for £149.89) — smaller bulk option for medium projects
- 40 × 50L Handy Bags (2,000L for £414.91) — the BEST BUY in the range; lowest price per litre and properly worth considering for any serious project. Easier to move individually than a bulk bag
- 20 × 50L Handy Bags (1,000L for £248.40) — same total volume as Jumbo Bulk Bag but in 20 manageable bags
- 10 × 50L Handy Bags (500L for £165.15) — same volume as Midi Bulk Bag but in convenient small bags
- 5 × 50L Handy Bags (250L for £123.52) — smallest option; for small projects, top-ups, or where access is restricted
The 50L Handy Bags are properly useful when you need to:
- Carry material through your house to a back garden
- Lift bags over a wall or through a narrow gate
- Top up an existing path or run gradually
- Avoid the hardstanding requirement of a bulk bag delivery
- Spread the work over multiple sessions rather than dealing with a bulk bag in one go
For substantial work where you can take a bulk bag, the bulk bags are properly the better value (with the 40 × 50L Best Buy as the exception — better than Jumbo Bulk on price per litre).
Looking after them once laid
- Initial laying depth — properly 50–75mm for paths; 75–100mm for animal runs; deeper if expecting heavy traffic
- Top up annually — expect to add approximately 25% volume each year as chips break down and compress
- Rake occasionally to redistribute high spots into low spots; particularly after heavy use or weather
- Weed control — a weed-suppressant membrane underneath gives properly long-lasting results; chips alone suppress most annual weeds but won't stop established perennial weeds
- Decomposition — hardwood chips break down slowly (3–5 years typical life before significant replacement needed). Decomposed material can be raked into surrounding beds as soil conditioner
- Edge containment — chips spread; some form of edging (timber, stone, brick) keeps paths neat
Specifications
- Brand: Dandy's Topsoil & Landscape Supplies
- Type: Mixed hardwood chips
- Use: Garden paths, animal runs, equestrian areas, border tidying, general landscape
- Natural product: Colour, shape and particle size vary — this is a feature of the natural material, not a fault
- Pack sizes available: Seven options from 5 × 50L Handy Bags up to 40 × 50L Best Buy
- Price range: £123.52 to £414.91 depending on quantity
- Best value: 40 × 50L Best Buy at lowest price per litre
- Bulk delivery option: 5 cubic metres tipped loose available by quote for larger projects (please contact us)
A note on the natural product disclaimer
As Dandy's properly note, the wood being a natural product means they are unable to guarantee colour, shape and particle size. This is genuine for any chipped or mulched wood product — the appearance varies with the source material, the season of processing, and the natural ageing of the chips. The variation is part of the character of natural landscape materials.
About Dandy's Topsoil & Landscape Supplies
Dandy's are an established UK landscape supplies business, stocking topsoil, gravel, compost, turf, bark and chippings in bag sizes from 50-litre Handy Bags up to bulk bags and bulk-tipped deliveries. We stock their range because their materials are properly consistent, their bag-size options serve every scale of project from a small border top-up to a major landscape job, and their bulk-bag delivery operation is properly considered for the customer with limited access or small driveways.
A small thought: there's a properly satisfying moment when you've just spread a new path of fresh chips — the dark mixed-hardwood colour, the slightly resinous smell, the springy underfoot feel that you know will compact into proper path firmness over the next few weeks. Garden infrastructure quietly improves how everything else works — you walk to the compost heap without muddy boots, the chickens stay dry, the wheelbarrow runs cleanly, the borders look properly defined. The kind of unglamorous work that pays back across every gardening day for years.
Shipping Notes
- Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
- Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
- Delivery to the USA:
- Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
- If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
- We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
- Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
- To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
- Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
4.6 ★★★★★
Based on 1115 reviews
Sort
Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
An Informative Introduction Based on Current Academic Studies of Western Esotericism
Format: Hardcover
This introductory text is the fruit of a fairly new field of recognized academic studies which developed as a result of the pioneering literary efforts of scholars such as D. P. Walker (1914 - 1985) and Frances A. Yates (1899 - 1981) who took the subject of Western esotericism seriously rather than denigrate it as an area filled with superstition and irrationalism as many earlier scholars in different specialized fields had done. Other scholars of esotericism who have contributed to this growing field include but are not limited to Henry Corbin, Francois Secret, Antoine Faivre, Arthur Versluis, Joscelyn Godwin, and Wouter Hanegraaff, the last being the senior editor of the landmark Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism (2005), a collaborative effort by many scholars. Goodrick-Clarke is also a recognized scholar in this field and introduces it to the reader in his own introduction which also addresses the question of how esotericism is defined by those dedicated to studying it.
As clarified in the introduction, Western esotericism is rooted in the Hellenistic philosophy of classical paganism as expressed in Alexandrian Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, and Gnosticism which have syncretized with the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, leaving vital traces within each. Through the Italian Renaissance, a Hermetic revival occurred as a result of the rediscovery of ancient texts which further resulted in the development of magic, astrology, alchemy, and Cabala through prominent individuals such as Marcilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Johannes Reuchlin, Johann Trithemius, Henry Cornelius Agrippa, John Dee, and Paracelsus, each given significant attention. The development of German Naturphilosophie, Christian theosophy through Jacob Boehme and his followers (such as Gichtel, Pordage and Law), and Pietism are also covered before thoroughly introducing us to Rosicrucianism in the early 17th century, high-grade Freemasonry and Illuminism in the 18th century, and the ideas and practices of Emanuel Swedenborg and Franz Anton Mesmer which significantly impacted esotericism.
Within the context of Rosicrucianism, the content of the manifestos are discussed along with Johann Valentin Andreae and the Tubingen Circle; in England, Michael Maier, Robert Fludd, and Comenius and the Origins of the Royal Society are covered. The impact of Rosicrucianism and theosophy on Freemasonry are explored as well as the following types of Freemasonry: "Scottish" and Chivalric, German Templar, and Egyptian. Within the context of Freemasonry and Illuminism, the following are also discussed: Martines de Pasqually and the Elect Coens, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, Martinesism, Martinism, Willermozism, The Illumines of Avignon, and Count Cagliostro.
Not only are the ideas of Swedenborg and Mesmer presented but also how they contributed to spiritualism and healing movements in the 19th century, including the United States which birthed Andrew Jackson Davis as the main theologian for spiritualism; Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Warren Felt Evans and others who developed the New Thought Movement; and Mary Baker Eddy who founded Christian Science. A separate chapter is dedicated to ritual magic from 1850 to the present. Within this chapter, one is introduced to Eliphas Levi and the French Occult Revival, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and its members, and special attention is given to the contributions of A. E. Waite, Aleister Crowley and Thelemic magick, and Dion Fortune and the Inner Light. I was, however, disappointed to see the section on Crowley end with the following: "Gerald Gardner (1884 - 1964), the founder of modern witchcraft, introduced Crowleyan magick into the neopagan Wiccan movement." For a better understanding of the influential role of Crowley and ritual magic, including the grimoires, on Wiccan practices, I recommend Wicca: Magickal Beginnings (2008) by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine.
Helena Blavatsky and her Theosophical Society are given a separate chapter which expounds on her influences, travels, developing doctrines, and legacy. The last chapter titled "Modern Esotericism and New Paradigms" discusses theosophical heirs such as Annie Besant, Charles W. Leadbeater, and Rudolph Steiner (who developed his own religious system called "Anthroposophy"). It also has a section on Fourth Way Groups, introducing Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. Additionally, it covers the scientization of esotericism, New Age science, and Carl Jung's influence on esotericism. One individual I would have liked to see introduced within the context of Steiner is Valentin Tomberg who anonymously wrote Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism which is recognized by some, including esoteric scholar Antoine Faivre, as a masterpiece of 20th century esoteric/mystical literature.
Goodrick-Clarke's book not only includes valuable footnotes and recommendations for further reading for each chapter, but also includes a helpful index as well as over 30 illustrations comprised of portraits, diagrams, plates, charts and other relevant pictures to supplement the text. This historical introduction to Western esotericism deserves wide readership.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2009
★★★★★ 5
The Tradition Lives
Format: Hardcover
Throughout the Christian experience, Christianity has been a religion of the heart, perhaps best represented by the exoteric outer symbol and ritual of the Tradition. However, the Spirit will not go lacking, and there have been those individualistic and Protestant minded folks who have injected the Christian experience with Pagan influence in order to better satisfy the mind. Sources have included the towering Plato and Plotinus, while the Egyptian influence has been the quiter yet rangier philosophy of Hermes Trismegistus. Whereever the Christian Revelation has intersected with this Greek and Egyptian Rationalism, the product has resulted in Western Esotericism. The Tradition has quietly lived through millenia of possible persecution, martyrdom and certainly marginalization, yet has survived all the same. This book puts a glass to this Tradition and puts it in perspective, and expertly in my view. Major players are highlighted and minor counterparts are covered as well. Each participant, whether it by Mirandola compiling the Christian Kabbalah, or Paracelsus pushing past Galen to bring medicine to the door step of empiricism, all have added their own unique vision to the bigger picture of Western Esotericism.
Though the Tradition has it's roots in Egyptian and Greek Mystery Schools, it has been preserved, since the fall of the Roman Empire by Secret Societies such as Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and even Theosophy and proves to be a viable option yet today for those who seek a deeper more inner sacred experience than what perhaps their outer religious profession provides.
Wondering?
This is a good place to start.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2009
★★★★★ 4
Serious[ly]
Format: Hardcover
This book is exactly what the title claims - a historical introduction. While although the author doesn't go into a great deal of depth, he more than makes up for it in breadth.
The author starts with an attempt at defining what exactly esotericism is. After that, the book is arranged chronologically, starting with Hellenistic esotericism and proceeding through the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and up to the present. Each chapter centers on an individual or group of individuals who were influential thinkers in their time and place. At the end of each chapter, there is a list of books for further study, much like a textbook.
It is serious; it is scholarly. It is most definitely not silly. If you are at all interested in a "Third Way", which is neither mainstream religion nor strictly empirical "scientism", this may be a gooding jumping-off point for you, as it was for me.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2014
★★★★★ 5
An amazing book that teaches a great history
Format: Kindle
This is a great book that takes the reader on an amazing journey through a part of Western history that is rarely taught.
This book teaches the other side of the development of Western religion and after reading this book I now have a knew light on previous theological education.
It is easy to understand but does not compromise on scholastic research and standards.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2014
★★★★★ 5
Probably The Best Introduction to Western Esotericism Available
Format: Hardcover
I recently completed my MA in Western Esotericism at the University of Exeter and studied under Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. He is the Director of the Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO) at the University of Exeter. This book is structured in the same fashion as the MA program at Exeter and provides a comprehensive overview of the key topics in the field of Western esotericism. The book is chronological and begins in ancient Alexandria, through the Italian Renaissance, post-Reformation Germany and into the Age of Enlightenment. Goodrick-Clarke covers complex topics such as Hermeticism, Neo-Platonism, Alchemy, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism and Theosophy but makes it understandable even to novice readers. The underlying theme behind the subject of Western esotericism is the continuity in the different schools of thought that can be traced though the two thousand period from ancient Alexandria to the present day. This is a subject that has been overlooked for many years due to its association with the occult and magic. Thanks to the work of Goodrick-Clarke and scholars such as Antoine Faivre and Wouter Hanegraaff it is now being given the respect it deserves. This is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in learning more.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2011