Hebden Bridge - Wicken Hill steps

 Wicken Hill - steps to the Golf Course boundary or the moor

On a pleasantly warm blue-skied day Ian S and Frank H tackled a junction of steps that lead from behind Wicken Hill Farm towards the Golf Course or up onto the moor.

Many thanks to the residents at Wicken Hill who allowed us to park as near to the job as possible - the shorter the distance we have to carry tools and timber to a task the better! Today's carry was about 200 m (the record - in a downpour! - held by Frank and Mick is 4.5 km!).

1. The worksite (marked approximately by blue tag)

The Detail.

At the worksite, the path splits into two with the left-hand branch leading directly to the Golf Course Boundary stile and the right-hand branch leading up to the moor.

2. Shortly after work had started. Ian checking
the state of the original steps.

Two steps lead up to the levelled area on which Ian is standing. These steps are adequate but will need replacing. However we judged the best plan for today would be to improve the platform (where Ian is standing) and create the junction for flights of steps - one to the left, and the other to the right immediately behind Ian.

Remains of half-buried old steps appeared. All the risers were rotten (to a pulp in places) but a couple of the stobs were sound and so deeply embedded that extraction was not possible. An hour or two (. . . or three) of strenuous effort later the start of the junction was in place.

3.  Step junction i).

This path is popular. Several walkers (one with a dog) passed by and a sure-footed runner appeared twice either on a circular route or lost!. Meanwhile, overhead, an enthusiastic skylark celebrated the arrival of a definitely Spring-like day.

By the afternoon a couple more steps had been installed and the path edges banked and landscaped.

4. Step junction ii).

Subsequent work parties - probably next month - will replace steps in the foreground (the one shown and one other which is out of shot) and continue building steps upward to left and right until the steep ground is negotiated. This is a reasonably straightforward task but alignment to give a graceful curve and  choice of riser height are critical.

Today's work was funded by 'Picture This', a Hebden Bridge photography group. Many thanks for your support.

HEPTONSTALL - Calderdale Way

 Peter and Rich went to a section of the Calderdale Way above Eaves Wood. The old revetment on the path had rotted away and the path edge was beginning to crumble. We put in a new length of revetment, widened the path and did some cutting back. 

Many thanks to Heptonstall Parish Council for funding this work and to the residents of Sandal House who allowed us to park close by to the work site. 

Banging in the stobs was certainly an upper body work out! A few false starts hit bedrock, but in the end the revetment was well secured. 

 

We will need to keep an eye on this stretch and maybe come back and reinforce more path edges in the future. 

MIDGLEY

 Delph Hill Lane, near Oates Royd Mill

On a superb sunny day, Steve, Andy, Andrew and Paul were cutting back brambles, branches and ivy on Delph Hill Lane a fine cobbled bridleway that leads up from Oats Royd Mill to Pin Hill Lane. In addition, encroaching tree branches and hedging were cut back on a narrow, walled footpath that arced around adjacent fields to reappear lower down on Pin Hill Lane.

Red line indicating work paths.

The work was funded by Midgley Community Forum. Thank you.

Before the cutback

Then after

Cut back and widened.

Higher up:

Before photo

After:

Cut back and widened.

Additional work was cutting overhanging tree branches on the adjacent narrow walled lane:

Branch lopped off!

BREARLEY Mythomroyd

 Jerry and Stella returned to Brearley to put the finishing touches to the steps leading up from the A646 onto the footpath to Lower Ewood, and to the new stile we have built a little higher up the path. Four of us have spent a day working on this job in recent weeks.  Our first task today was to put in the final two steps in the flight Frank H and Ian S  built 3 weeks ago and to give all the steps a good finish with aggregate.

It's a nice path, with a view back over the river and up the valley. 
It could be the start of  good walk up to Foster Clough and Midgley Moor

Smart steps - no more muddy scrambling

Then we moved up to the stile, tensioned the stock fence (which is a tricky job with hand tools), braced both the upright posts for extra strength and stability, and added waymarks.

New stile, with dog gate

Job done we thought....until we took a closer look at the stile by the road below the new steps.  Yes, rotting and getting wobbly.  Ah well, another job for another day.

Rot.....

...rot...

...and more rot!

This work has been funded by Calderdale Highways department, whom we thank.

WADSWORTH

 Moorfield, Old Town - Path Survey

Ginny and Paul were out this morning surveying a path in Old Town leading up from Paddock to Rock Edge by Moorfield. Water is seeping out onto the pathway from what appears to be a new spring bubbling out from the banking. This is now flowing down the pathway before being channelled to one side but causing muddy patches further down where the banking flattens out.

This new outlet needs investigating further with the likely outcome of a new watercourse to divert the water away from the path.

Pathway highlighted in red

In addition the path further down needs some cosmetic work -  cutting back , widening in places and de-mulching.

Path is now a stream!

 And

Ginny investigating the hole!

Job sheet completed and hopefully we will return to do the work by the end of March.