BLAKE DEAN

 This is always a lovely spot in which to work - especially in good weather, Stella, Rich, Ian S and Paul had 4 jobs to do. 

Replace several rotten cross-treads on the bridge, deal with two drainage issues, clear two sets of steps and fix a fence. This work was funded by friends and family of Robert Heaton - Blake Dean was a special place for him. 

We had previously replaced some rotten cross-treads on the bridge, but a recent inspection revealed several more were becoming unsafe. At first we counted 8 that needed replacing, but after closer inspection, we ended up replacing 16!

Paul and Ian removing the damaged cross-treads.

 

Arial view

All done

 Meanwhile, Stella and Rich got stuck into some persistent drainage issues. Not photogenic enough for a photo!

The last job was to clear off mulch and encroaching vegetation from two sets of stone steps. 

Before and after

 

 

TODMORDEN - small jobs clear up day

 In dry but bitterly cold conditions, Richard and Kasher spent the day sorting out a number of small jobs and then surveying forthcoming jobs in the Todmorden area.

Jobs included:

• Replacing a number of new "flags" onto marker posts (near Ragby Bridge and along Lumbutts Road)
• Drainage issues (Ramsden Wood)
• Replacement of cross-rails on a recently erected stile (Shaw Road)
• Adding in staples to treadboards on a number of new stiles 
• Cutting back Quickthorn growing very close to a stile
• Way marking and re-erecting marker posts (Bearnshaw Tower)
• Surveying for new stiles along Tower Causeway and above Shaw Road

Today's work has been funded by kind donations from members of the public.Many thanks.

A sad marker post without its accompanying "flag". 
(near Ragby Bridge).

RJ trying to install a new flag.

A revisit to an on-going drainage issue near 
Ramsden Clough.

RJ installing another flag. We will, however, need to replace 
this post which is rotting.

RJ changing the top rail of this stile and
fixing staples to the treadboards.

A stile above Shaw Road which was hard to cross
because of the adjacent Quickthorn. We will also 
need to install another step.

Marker post in dire need of new waymarkers.
This one is near the quarries above Bearnshaw Tower.

RJ measuring up for a new treadboard.

WIDDOP: Ridge Nook stiles

 Widdop Road: stile building and repair

On a blustery day (when, thankfully, the predicted rain never arrived) Andy, Guy, Frank H and Steve worked on replacing a dilapidated, wobbly stile which was on the race route for the forthcoming Heptonstall Fell Race. The race is a ~15 mile (24 km) category B, strenuous event on 22nd March. The stile is off the short track that leads to Ridge Nook Farm above the hairpins at Blake Dean (see map).

1. The worksite: marked by blue tag.

The detail.

2. Stile before work began.

This stile has multiple issues:

i)   Every upright (side-post or step-leg) is rotten at the ground-air interface.

ii)  The side-post that doubles as a closure post is weakly embedded in the ground.

iii) The cross-rails are not horizontal and the top rail is too high above the top step because the height of the lower step is minimal! 

ii)  The treadboards are sloping in a treacherous fashion and show signs of splitting.

Mmm! Time for a re-build . . .

The old (and rotten) shorter side-post was removed. A hole was excavated (very rocky ground!) in a position to allow for a wider stile. The old fence rails were adjusted to be horizontal, fixed to the new post then cut so any timbers to the left (as in picture 3) could be removed. The tall side-post was then installed (more rocky ground!) and a top rail fixed temporarily in place.

3. Work begins: new side-posts in place
with temporary cross-rail.

A separate closure post for the field gate was created from remaining timbers and embedded (rocky ground again!) so the gate could close against it (as it had done previously). Short cross-rails made from recycled timbers were fixed to link the closure post to the stile-post. (see picture 4)

4. Progress: Step-leg holes being excavated.

5. Step-legs: legs being firmly packed

The final stages were to fit treadboards to make a standard two-step stile, fit more cross-rails and then landscape the area around the stile. What does that give us ? Here it is . .  .

6. End result: Two-step stile neatly
linked-in with existing older timbers.

. . .  but will it take a load?

7. Testing! Testing! Never in doubt!

8. Quality Control: "Looks like a really good job to us . . . 
. . .  and you can't pull the wool over our eyes!"

(End note: In between times. Andy and Guy set off across three fields to a rudimentary stile that had a loose treadboard. The re-attachment task took far less time than did the walk to get there! No pictures were taken)

Today's work was possible because of a donation from the Heptonstall Fell Race. Thank you for your generous support.

CHARLESTOWN & EAVES WOOD

Ginny and Rich went to sort two smallish jobs - a drainage issue on the Pennine Way above Underbank (funded by Natural England and Calderdale Highways) and a reported mulch issue above the Eaves Estate (funded by donations to CROWS). 

PENNINE WAY ABOVE UNDERBANK

This was an issue we spotted on our recent Pennine Way survey. A stream was flowing across the path and already beginning to scour the path. Unfortunately today it was dry!

 

There is a stream here somewhere!

Digging it out

If there was water in it, it would be flowing nicely

PATH AT THE BOTTOM OF EAVES WOOD

Water and mulch gets washed down the track to a dip creating a very muddy section (not helped by someone having attempted to drive a vehicle through it!)

Scraping and shovelling to reveal the old surface

 

A relatively mulch-free way through

We did this same job a couple of years ago, so it needs to become a regular.

TODMORDEN - Further up Shaw Lane

While Duncan & RJ busied themselves on the new RoW (see separate post), Ken, Gareth, David & Neil Mc took themselves further up the hillside to repair two stiles above Pudsey Clough. 

The helpful landowner transported the timbers up the hillside with his quad bike, saving us a long carry, and also saving us some energy for the digging ahead!

As is often the case, digging out the 'stumps' of the old (and now broken) timbers took a lot longer than putting the new structures in place!

Ken & Gareth erected a new stile side-post which had managed to rot away at ground level while remaining incredibly robust and solidly entrenched below ground.  This meant digging a hole as deep as the bottom of the post to extract it!  Adopting a “job & finish” approach, they then left David & Neil staring into their own even bigger hole, which fortunately yielded up its treasures in time for them to erect an entire new stile by mid-afternoon.

Today’s work was funded by the wreath making workshop in December 2025 in Cornholme.  As always we are very grateful to the donors and to everyone else who supports our work.

The blue "pin" marks the location of stile 1.

A welcome helping hand.

A very broken down stile... stile 1

Another 2 or 3 feet more digging needed for 
stile 2.

.

Neil thinks he hears an Australian voice from
the bottom of the hole.

The finished article, stile 1.



And here’s one we made earlier.... stile 2.

..