TODMORDEN - Top Brink and Guide Quarry

 There were two teams out from Todmorden on a day that was more like November rather than June. If there is such a thing as a totally waterproof jacket we could have done with six of them today!

Team 1: Catherine, Duncan and Dunstan were re-erecting an open access information board at Guide Quarry by the junction of Flower Scar Road and Tower Causeway

Team 2: David, Kasher and Neil Mc: were cutting back on Lumbutts Lane (Tod BW 172) between Lumbutts Road and Mankinholes Graveyard. This is one of the sections of the Pennine Bridleway which CROWS have again been contracted to cut back.

Team 1's work was funded by Todmorden Town Council and the work of Team 2 was funded by Lancashire County Council on behalf of the Pennine Bridleway. Many thanks to all for your support.

Thanks too to the landlord of the Top Brink who allowed Team 2 to park in the pub car park - very close to today's work site.

Team 1: 

The open access information board at Guide Quarry was found flat on its face a couple of months ago. The legs were rotten and the whole board needed fettling. The board was taken to the CROWS depot in Mytholmroyd where the team dried out the board, replaced the legs, inserted a new backboard, rubbed down and stained the timbers etc. It was now time for it to be returned to its windy location at Guide Quarry.

The blue "pin" marks the location of Guide Quarry and today's worksite.

Catherine and Dunstan starting to dig the holes for the board.

Flower Scar Road was rather wet but it means
that for the next few days we will not have
to water the trees we planted here.

"Is the hole deep enough yet?" The answer is no!
The noticeboard to the left of the picture is the 
first of the info boards for the Geology Trail.

Duncan and Dunstan with the info board
now in position.

The info board in position and exactly vertical.
Let's hope it can survive the worst of the winds. 

Another photo for a caption competition.
Dunstan looking very wet and muddy . . .
. . . but still cheerful!

Team 2:

CROWS have been contracted to cut back a number of sections of the Pennine Bridleway. This is the third of the sections we have worked on this year. 

The worn causey stones at the start of the track....
before cutting back.

The track now cut back.

More of the track now cut back and
clear for horses and bikes.

Neil doing battle with the sycamore.

Neil cutting back the sycamore
at the top of the track.

Back to Brearley

 Jerry and Stella returned to complete the work on this path.  It's a nice route up from the canal at Brearley to Midgely, and to the Calderdale Way and Midgely Moor beyond.  

 

On previous visits we have built steps above the first stile into the field above the road, and a new stile higher up into the field below Lower Ewood Farm. Today we tackled the rotten stile at the top of the stone steps leading up from the A646

First we had to offload materials and kit at the busy roadside. 

This was the view up from the road

Stile overgrown...

...and posts rotten

These things always take longer than you think.  Often the biggest problem is digging out the stumps of old posts which have rotted above ground but are deeply wedged with rocks and "deadmen" nails as much as a metre deep below.  

Here is Jerry doing his best.

After more than an hour of effort, we decided discretion was the better part of valour and we re-sited the holes for the new posts and re-buried the old stumps.

New stile, cleared steps - All's well that ends well.

This work was funded by Calderdale Council Highways Department.  Thank you.

PENNINE WAY AT CALLIS WOOD

 A short footpath cuts the corner of the track through Callis Wood. The path is on a slope, which was manageable until its use in a wet January (on the Montane Spine Race  trashed it into a muddy slide. 

The task for Ian S, Steve, Jan and Rich was to put in two flights of steps in order to prevent further erosion. This work was funded by a partnership between Calderdale Council Highways and Natural England (not the race organisers).

 The few remaining steps at the top of the slope were repaired and a new set of 'edged' were installed to cope with the incline. A new drain was also added to reduce further water erosion. 

Laying out and fixing the edges

Securing the frame with hex screws

 

A couple of walkers tested the work to their satisfaction

 

Meanwhile, further down the path a short steep slope was dealt with.

 Many thanks to the landowner for providing access to the path. 

TODMORDEN - Cutting back

 On a day of sunshine and showers, Kasher and RJ were tasked with cutting back a number of bridleways and footpaths in the Todmorden area.

CROWS have been contracted to cut back a number of sections of the Pennine Bridleway (PBW) so today we tackled Tod BW 215 and Tod BW 143 from the main road just out of Walsden towards the Summit ventilation shafts. We then cutback a really useful but slippery, path Tod FP143. Please walk this path to keep it open! 

We will try to come back in a month or two to cut back some of the overhanging trees which may help the path to dry out.

We then cut back the path from Broadstone Street to Millwood Lane. Again, this is a useful path within Todmorden. Once the cut vegetation has dried this path will be "open for business" again. This path will be cut again later in the season.

Funding for today's task has come partly from Lancashire County Council. Many thanks to the Pennine Bridleway team for their support of CROWS and our interest in keeping paths open for all users. Funding for the cutting back of the path in Todmorden is from Todmorden Town Council. Many thanks.

The blue "pin" marks the intersection of the paths cut back today (10/6/26).

The blue "pin" marks the path cut back.

PBW section - before.

PBW section - after.

One of the stumps near the ventilation shaft.

Summit tunnel ventilation shaft.

Waymarker for the Pennine Bridleway.

The path below Broadstone Street after it was cut back.

Ryburn - Visit from the "We In Front" walking group.

On a slightly different day from the norm, starting at 8am, Jerry, Rich and Angus tackled the next section of backfilling along the footpath from East Longley towards Sowerby Bridge. Again, we are indebted to Ian Mathews for supplying yet another bag of woodchip for this work which has been funded by a number of donations to CROWS. A big 'thank you' to Ian and to those who have donated. It will require one more day of levelling and strimming to complete the last section of this path.

Before and after image of the next section of the backfilling work.

We then met Jak, Linda, Lynda and Graham at the Outhouse Café, below Norland Moor, along with 13 members of the "We In Front" walking group from Huddersfield. This diverse group of walkers was formed during Covid. Their story makes interesting reading which you can follow via their website, https://www.weinfront.co.uk/ .

"We In Front" and CROWS out on an adventure.

The route of today's walk shown in blue.

From previous walking visits to the area, they were interested in meeting the people behind CROWS and understanding how it operates. 

Rather than standing in a carpark and chatting about CROWS, we took them on a walk which took in several recent projects. This gave both parties a chance to chat and get to know each other, while seeing some CROWS work.

Heading up onto Norland Moor.

Photo opportunity atop Ladstone Rock

The plan was to follow the Calderdale Way to the footpath below Highlee Flat, then head off into Rough Hey Wood where there was plenty opportunity to view examples of CROWS work. 

Richard gave an excellent overview on the background to CROWS and some of the challenges that we face. We made our way along the path to various stiles, revetment work and boardwalks and showed them some "before" images of the site and explained how/why the work had been done and the problems faced.

Richard explaining the finer points of CROWS.

As we made our way along the path, we were treated to some rousing singing from Errol, the founder of the "We In Front" group. A larger-than-life character whose love of walking started from getting out of the house for 60 minutes exercise during the lockdown. Despite several personal challenges, he's never looked back and is a true inspiration to all of us.

Errol in full voice negotiating a stile below Toad Hall. The man's a legend!

Arriving back at the Outhouse Café, where they tucked in to excellent coffee and cakes, we reviewed the walk and said our goodbyes. They hope to visit some other locations and may well team up with the groups at Todmorden and Mytholmroyd to undertake a similar trek.

Doing something a bit different with a diverse and interesting group of people who enjoy the outdoors, was a breath of fresh air. Their appreciation of CROWS was most welcome. We wish them 'all the best' in their future adventures and hope to see them again soon.