Stupid question time

I've just built a raised bed, its raised around 10" above the rest of the soil, and the dimensions of it is around 1.7m x 3m. I did think to myself though, how am I supposed to dig the soil that's within the raised bed? The wooden framing is not that robust (recycled fence slats) and would break quite easy with moderate pressure. 

Or is that the whole idea of a raised bed to fill them up with nice compost, the soil never gets compacted and therefore won't ever need extensive digging again?

If the soil within ever needs to be dug over, I'm not quite sure how I would be able to do it?

most people make beds just wide enough so that they can reach the middle bit without standing on the soil - the consensus seems to be 4 feet wide (about 1.2 m)  My beds are about 3 feet wide.

If you have already made the bed, then spread your weight out by walking on solid planks that you temporarily put down to gain access.  When you are finished, you can "fluff up" where the plank has been walked on just to get the soil loose again.

With regards digging, a lot depends on the soil.  Heavy clay soils are easily compacted by walking on them, and even heavy rain will knock it back down again.  Some people go for lasagne layering and thus avoid the digging, but those with heavy clay sometimes find their plot is riddled with marestail or bindweed, both weeds that need to be dug out - so digging and turning over soil helps to pull out the roots, and working the soil helps to break it up better. 

An advantage of digging within the bed is that you dig below the level of the path and thus improve drainage, and allows you to grow root veg such as parsnips that tend to be longer than the depth of a small raised bed.  Also, when I marked my beds out then started to do a rough dig, I found the soil level increased simply due to incorporation of air - air in soil keeps it sweet and helps with the drainage.  Adding compost or manure helps to improve the soil texture as well as provide nutrients - it doesn't need to be done in one go but added over many years and eventually the soil level will gradually become higher than the footpath.  The other thing about doing it gradually rather than all in one go is that buying compost to fill a bed that size would be very expensive 

Cheers for all the replies.  My initial idea was to just mark out sub plots for the various produce and then dig the entire area once harvested and re-plan the sub plots next year.  Might make digging a tad difficult in the pathways, but, as far as I can make out thats the only hard bit?

That's sounds like a good plan, you might have a better idea after a year of what you want need for your beds - that's the way I did it, I now have a number of beds of different sizes.

I live in Leeds too, which allotments are you on?

Ah. I'm on Church Lane Allotments in kirkstall.

Ah. I'm on Church Lane Allotments in kirkstall.

Is that the one up by queenswood drive?