COLDEN: A tricky stile!

Colden: Mixed weather stile building!

In Colden, between Jack Bridge and Scotland, a path (Blackshaw 005) runs approximately North-West off New Road. (See map).

1. Blue 'pin' marks the worksite.

Access is via a stile which has some structural issues:

2. View from field side: Rotten treadboard, broken
 side-post and a gigantic step down into the field.

3. View from road side: Rampant foliage.
broken side-post and rotten step leg.

To complicate matters, an adjacent, partly collapsed squeeze gap that had been incorporated into a drystone wall construction had suffered from users damaging the walled section to (presumably) allow a safer passage. The stile's wobbly step-leg and the precipitous step down into the field were challenges for even the most agile of walker or canine companion!

The stile needed reconfiguring and a rapidly changing plan ended up as follows:

i)   cut back all overgrowth

ii)  dismantle the whole stile and dig out the side-posts and step-legs.

iii) construct a new stile with two steps on the road side and three on the field side.

iv)  cross-brace the legs and add five cross-rails.

v)   install a dog-gate between one side-post and a stone pillar of the old squeeze gap.

It was a day of lots of digging, hauling out of posts, cutting timbers, checking levels and hoping everything could be squeezed into the narrowest of gaps. An additional factor was the weather. After a fine start, a succession of rain clouds soaked us in sharp showers before we dried out in the afternoon sunshine.

4. The discussion: "It's all much more rotten than we thought!"

5. Leg removal: Textbook stuff - prise it out with two spades!

6. More open than usual! The old strainer posts
- one is rotten - are buried too deeply to dig out.

7. One side-post in place.
Rain clouds are rolling in.

8. Cutting to length. "Good technique, Frank
despite the pouring rain!"

9. Progress: Uprights firmly in place.
Leg-holes being created.
 .

10. More progress: legs in place for a two-steps
then three-steps stile.

11. Leg bracing completed.

12. Dog-gate: "Will it fit here Mmm! Just!"

13. Dog-gate: brackets being positioned.

     

14. End result: Neat and complete!

15. Testing! Testing! Never in doubt
and all under blue skies!

16. "Oh! A stile. Mmm! It'll be here longer than we will!"

This was a long working session for Nic, Kasher and Frank. Nic had the bonus of living nearby so set off walking home. Kasher and Frank finished loading the vehicles and would have set off . . . if only Kasher's battery hadn't been 'flat'. Mmm! Not the best scenario at 4.30 in the afternoon on a narrow remote track.

Fortunately, Frank had a set of jump leads (last used about 20 years ago!) in his car toolkit so after dredging up the memory (and checking on google) as how to best use them calamity was averted.

We were pleased with the result of the day's work. Although a few compromises had to be made and we ended up on Plan D rather than Plan A, the stile is safe, secure, aesthetically pleasing and user friendly. Some further signage may be added at a later date.

Jumble Hole - Stone steps

 With an original team of four depleted to two by summer viruses, our original plan to install revetment on an exposed bit of Midgely Moor was postponed (thankfully, in view of the prolonged downpour in the middle of the day).

Instead, Ian S & Stella went to the shelter of the woods in Jumble Hole to finish clearing the fantastic long flight of stone steps on path Tod 001.   Today, we tidied up the lower two sections which were cleared earlier in the year (blue on the map), and cleared the top section (red on the map) above the "crossroads" with  Tod 003 on a Calderdale Way Link Path.

The path

Above the "crossroads" - fairytale, and overgrown.

The squeeze to the "crossroads"....

....which you can now get through

Above the "crossroads" when we'd finished.

 Hopefully this will keep the steps clear enough for another year or two, although ferns, brambles and falling leaves have a way of covering our tracks through woodland pretty quickly.

Today's work was funded by individual donations to CROWS.  Your support is very much appreciated, thank you.

RYBURN - Helm Lane

Today saw Jerry, Rich D and Jak working on a stile near Helm Farm off Helm Lane. 

Location of stile

There was a jumble of boundaries consisting of several lines of old fencing, a broken down wall and a thick hedgerow. The first job was to clear the site and we opted to remove anything that wasn't useful so as to eventually leave a tidy site.

Existing stile

Existing stile

During the clearing, we found a number of interesting things. Firstly a "dead man", used by some stile builders in the past to secure the posts in the ground. Usually such posts are very hard to extract from the ground!

A "dead man"

The archaeology continued! Rich found a piece of ironwork which could have been part of a gate.

Ironwork . . .  modelled by Rich!

We had a small amount of very welcome rain too but it did little to soften the dusty and extremely stony ground we were digging into.

Synchronised hole digging

After some time we got one post in the ground and the next one ready for firming up.

Stile starting to take shape

A short break and then we completed the stile and tidied up the site.

Rich performing the walk test

Working for CROWS means we get to see beautiful countryside and extensive views . . . and sometimes animal life. Today we had two frogs who hopped in to say hello.

Rich's new friend

Do frogs eat cake!?

We're very grateful to Ian for giving us access to the site and also for his hospitality. Top notch!

This work was funded by donations to CROWS for which we are also very grateful. Many thanks.

WADSWORTH

 Causey Stones, Steps and Cutting back in Wadsworth

Ginny, Kris, Nic and Paul, a team of four volunteers, were out today in various locations in the Wadsworth area. Ginny and Kris were focused on widening a path of causey stones at Pecket Bar, while Nic and Paul worked on three sites in the Old Town area; Dike Lane, Foot Kiln and Shawcroft. 

Causey Stones site in the larger red circle.

Pecket Bar / Akroyd Lane vicinity:

This path is situated in the triangle of land where Akroyd Lane meets the A6033 at Pecket Bar. It is a continuation of the Calderdale Way that comes up from Carr Lane to cross over the main road. This causey path was cleared of overgrown foliage some weeks ago by CROWS volunteers. Today's task was to widen the path to reveal the full extent of the causeway and to repair damaged stone steps at the top end.

This work funded by Calderdale Highways. Thank you.

Ginny and Kris did some sterling work widening the path removing stubborn embedded clumps of grass and invasive shrubbery

Widened path

The width of the large causey stones was quite remarkable and a reminder that it was part the packhorse route up from Carr Lane.

Looking uphill - a work in progress!

Dike Lane, Foot Kiln and Shawcroft work

Meanwhile, Nic and Paul were working elsewhere on three different sites to finish-off some earlier work. 

Two of the sites identified by red circles

This work was funded by Wadsworth Parish Council - a big thank you!

The first site was on Dike Lane (Wadsworth 061) near Clayton Farm. Today's task was to finish off the boardwalk installed last Wednesday. Two kickboards were nailed on each end of the boardwalk and the cross-treads were stapled. In addition we cut back encroaching foliage from over the drainage channel.

Nic hammering in the staples

The second job was finishing off some cutting back on field paths (Wadsworth 076) that connected with the ginnel that runs at the back of Foot Kiln near Chiserley. 

A wee bit overgrown!

The use of a battery operated grass cutter made short work of clearing this section, followed by a nice 'shear' trim.

Nicely trimmed back!

The third task was to replace a rotted step on the Calderdale Way path (Wadsworth 053) that meanders uphill from Shawcroft Cottages. The rotted riser and stobs were removed and a new riser installed fixed into place with two new stobs.

new step installed!

It was lunchtime when Nic and Paul joined up with Ginny and Kris at Pecket Bar. After some well-earned sarnies and flasks of tea, Kris, Nic and Paul set about sorting out the stone steps at the top end of the path, while Ginny continued revealing more of the causey stones.

A large heavy rectangular shaped stone step had become loose and had rolled out of position. This had loosened other smaller stones damaging a major section of the flight of steps. With a bit of hard graft and manipulation, the main lintel shaped stone was positioned securely and we could then rebuild the other steps.

Stone steps repositioned and secure!

Overall it was a good day's work finishing off some tasks in the Old Town area and widening an old causey path at Pecket Well. Well done team!

TODMORDEN - Lumbutts/Mankinholes

Andrew and Catherine were one of the teams out on Friday 16th August with a list of jobs in the Lumbutts/ Mankinholes area.

Job 1 - repairing steps and revetment on the path behind the fishing pond before Oldroyd Wood. The revetment and one riser some risers were rotten and needed to be replaced. The boardwalk was also cleaned and secured.

Job 2 - reinserting a flag in a fingerpost at Heeley Clough at the junction of paths beyond the 'Incredible Edible' Farm.

Job 3 - cutting back a small stretch of path at the end of Cross Lane.

Job 4 - cleaning, sanding and staining the notice board at the parking area, opposite the Shepherd's Rest, at the bottom of the path to Gaddings Dam

From the pictures it might look like Andrew did all the work . . . but that is due to Catherine being the photographer!

Today's work has been funded by Todmorden Town Council

This is where the team worked today.

The rotten revetment and overgrown boardwalk.

The top riser needed to be removed and replaced.

Andrew sets to work.

The new riser in place and the revetment taking shape.

The steps needed to be repacked with stone.

Andrew tries out our new safety specs!

Before breaking up stone to fill the steps.

The boardwalk was braced to reduce the wobble.

The finished revetment.

The boardwalk cleaned up and foliage cut back.

Then it was on to job 2.
The flag from this fingerpost had fallen out. 

It had been sanded down and stained
and just needed reinserting.

Andrew cut back around the post
and repacked the bottom.

Yep that looks straight!

The team also repacked a shorter post at
the same site. This will need replacing soon.

Then it was on to job 3. Cutting back.

That didn't take long.

Job 4 took some finding. This notice board
had been covered up by another sign.

Underneath it was covered in lichen.

Andrew used a wire brush to clean it up.

Catherine painted it.

The other sign was re-sited to the gate.