TODMORDEN - Various

 There were three teams out from Todmorden today:

Team 1: Duncan, Gareth and Neil B were installing three new fingerposts in the area and fettled up a couple of flags (on marker posts below Mankinholes) which were rather hard to read. See separate Blog.

Team 2: Neil Mc and Richard A were working up near Hartley Royd (beyond Shore Green) to improve ease of access to two stile on Tod 049 - one near Ridgegate Farm and the second one further down the path towards Back Wood. They also re-erected some of the short yellow topped posts which mark the route of the Fielden Trail. These posts seem to have a habit of uprooting themselves and throwing themselves into nearby patches of soft rush! Mmm! . . . 

Team 3: Catherine and Kasher replaced the small boardwalk near Flailcroft on Tod 082 (which we checked a couple of weeks ago) and then went to survey a nearby stile on Tod 102 (which is the footpath which runs parallel to Stones Lane and Bacup Road). It is a stile we hope to replace in the next couple of weeks.

Many thanks to Todmorden Town Council for funding today's tasks and for the various landowners who have supported the work of CROWS.

The blue "pin" marks the location of one of today's stiles.

The blue "pin" marks the location of the replaced boardwalk.

Team 2:

The very high stile leg which certainly does not conform
to British Standards.

New legs being added. Please note that the footpath 
beyond the stile is rather narrow due to the conifers
on the RHS.

The new legs and treadboard now in place. Getting 
over the stile may be a little easier!

The two step stile with the two legs braced.

Team 3:

Removing the existing short boardwalk. The stringers
were not in bad condition but the majority of the 
cross-treads were rotten.

The basic framework of the boardwalk now in position and
being checked.

Catherine with the first of the cross-treads
being added.

The boardwalk nearing completion. We will return to 
add in the trim at the edge of the boardwalk. 

We had a visitor: a fast moving woolly caterpillar.

 A convenient place for lunch and cake!

MIDGEHOLE - fallen tree on path to the Blue Pig

The tree team went to deal with tree branches which had fallen across the path. The branches were all cut back so the path is now easily passable. The main trunk that had fallen (but not blocking the path) seems secure, but if necessary we will deal with it on our next tree-sorting day. 

 Nearby to the tree a low point on the path has become very muddy, so we have earmarked this to be sorted in the next couple of months 

TODMORDEN - Near Stones

David and Kasher returned to Tod 102, which is the footpath which runs parallel to Stones Lane and Bacup Road, to sort out the legs and treadboard on a stile.

The one-step stile is far from aesthetically pleasing but more importantly the legs were rotten and in need of replacement. One leg was positioned extremely close to a large stone gatepost and we had hoped to move the leg and treadboard to be more central. Unfortunately very large, deeply embedded stones which may have been wall footings (or even a built up track between the gateposts) prevented us from doing so.

The treadboard on this one-step stile is slightly higher than we would have liked but the stile itself is easy to use. We may return to sort out the mixture of rails and posts that comprise this stile.

After dealing with this stile, we carried timbers to a stile on Tod 080 which we hope to fettle up on Friday. This path runs between Todmorden Edge North and Dyke Green Barn.

Many thanks to the two landowners who have been most supportive in working with CROWS to improve these stiles.

Thanks too to Todmorden Town Council for continuing to fund CROWS to carry out footpath and bridleway maintenance in the Todmorden area.

The blue "pin" marks the location of the stile on Tod 102.

We hope to be able to repair this stile on Friday.

The stile  before.... note how close to the stone gatepost
the treadboard is positioned.

The rotten stile leg.

The legs were certainly well packed!

New legs in position.

David sorting out one of the stile legs.

The new legs and treadboard in position.

The stile to be repaired on Friday.

MIDGLEY

 Calderdale Way above Midgley Village

Ian S, Guy, Andrew and Paul were out today on the moors overlooking Midgley. It was a drizzly start with a few showers turning to sunshine by mid-day. The task was to repair a stretch of the Calderdale Way that runs high above the field boundary along a steep banking. This banking has seen lots of erosion over time with CROWS past interventions propping up the path with lengths of revetment. One such length had been damaged by cows using the path while another section of banking had collapsed and was needing some maintenance.

Blue arrow marks the spot!

As you can see from the above map, the worksite was a long way from the track by Midgley Hall Farm.

Fortunately, the farmer (and landowner of adjacent fields) transported timbers and tools in his Landrover from the farm track to the worksite. This saved us a lot of carrying though we did walk from the farm up Coal Dyke and along the Calderdale Way to meet the famer and Ian S who bagged a lift!

Thank you to Midgley Community Forum for funding this work and to Sam Barker for helping us with transport.

Carrying the kit from the drop off point

The damaged revetment:

Trodden on by the cows!

Banking displacement:

Eroded section of the path

We split into two teams - Ian S and Andrew tackling the eroded section and Guy and Paul repairing the damaged section.

Andrew cutting a trench

Andrew and Ian S fitted two lengths of revetment to a depth of 40 cm fixing them in the ground using long stobs.

Looking better!

Meanwhile Guy and Paul set about dismantling the damage timbers to reuse in the repair of their section and then fitted a new length of revetment (with the reused lengths on to) along the gap.

New timbers in place!

Guy had brought along some apples from his garden:

An Apple a day . . . 

There was lots of filling-in to do on both sections to ensure the new sections of pathway were firm and stable for walkers to use.

Lots of infilling!

We widened the path to obtain infill material.

The gang posing...

Job completed in the sunshine:

Completed!

Where was that Land Rover to transport the tools back to Ian's car?

Help!

TODMORDEN: Below Stones Lane: Gate tlc

 Middle of Nowhere! Again!

Right-of-way Todmorden 102 traverses the hillside and runs approximately parallel to and between Stones Lane and the Bacup Road (see map). It's a longish walk from either end to reach the worksite but fortunately we had the landowner's permission to access the stile by walking directly down from Stones Lane.

Today's task, funded by Todmorden Town Council, was for Stella and Frank to replace a gap-gate on this right-of-way (see map for location).

1. Location: on pasture just above Stones Wood

The Details.

The public footpath passes through a series of walled fields and, at the worksite, runs just above Stones Wood. At the access point there is a typical South Pennine pedestrian gate (constructed with an eye to economy) but now on its last legs . . . . or more accurately on its last hinges!

2. Failing fast: Rotten gatepost, damaged or
missing palings, and fragmenting
rubber hinges made from old tyres.

3. Ingenious hinges!

The plan for Stella and Frank was to install a complete replacement with gatepost, gate (constructed in CROWS' workshop) fitted with T-hinges, a closure spring and a security loop. Thanks to Kasher and David who helped with a tool and timber carry before moving on to their own jobs.

Fortunately, the early sharp rain cleared to give blue skies and calming views near and far.

4. Distant views i: blue skies, scudding light clouds
Stones Wood and temperatures above 20oC.

5. Distant views ii). More sheep than you could shake
a stick (or in our case a posthole spade) at!

A few hours later the replacement gate was complete We were so busy working that we forgot to take 'work in progress' pictures . . . but here's one of the end result (compare with picture 2!).

6. New gate and fitments.

Overall, we were very happy with the outcome. The gate is secure, stable, easy for pedestrians to use and aesthetically pleasing . . . not that the sheep seemed to notice!

More next week on other tasks along this route.