Hebden Bridge: Snow Booth Steps and Gate (deja-vu)

 Snow Booth; Tricky steps and even trickier gate (part two).

On the road to Old Town, beyond Hebden Bridge Golf Course (sometimes called Mount Skip Golf Course) near to where Height Road becomes Nook Lane there is a building named Snay Booth (sometimes called Snae Booth or Snow Booth). Below this building, a short section of right-of-way Wadsworth 078 heads due North and crosses to the opposite side of a drystone wall/stock fence. (see Map 1)

Today's tasks were:

i)   to install one more step to the short flight that negotiates the drop in levels at the cross-over point where the path switches from one side of a wall to the other.

ii)  To install a pedestrian gate where a continuation of Wadworth 078 meets a wall corner.

1. Worksite for task ii): Marked with the blue 'pin' - some 100 m North (ish) of the extra step.

In idyllic conditions, Ian S and Guy worked on installing the extra step before joining Steve and Frank H on the trickier task of embedding gate posts, hanging a pedestrian gate and rationalising side rails. Lots of digging attended by an audience of placid cows and calves!

i) Steps: 

The situation at the end of CROWS previous session was:

2. Before: three wooden steps up.

Some time later after much 'grunt work' mainly excavating awkward rocks . . . 

3. After a): Four wooden steps up
and a useful grab pole.

(apologies for poor image quality):

4. After b): Four wooden steps up
and a useful grab pole.

Meanwhile . .  .

ii) Pedestrian gate:

Further along the path, Steve and Frank H tackled the following chaotic jumble of wooden fencing and the mystery of the missing gate.

1. Before: Collapsing posts, and broken pallet
acting as side-fencing with original
pedestrian gate missing.

The plan was to install a hinge-post on the right (next to the wall), hang the gate, embed a closure post to the left (nearer the collapsing posts), fix short side rails to bridge any gaps and re-organise the jumble of decaying posts and pallet. Lots to do but a confined space!

2. During: Hinge-post hole . .  . 0.9 m depth.
"Keep digging, Steve!"

3. During: Hinge -post in, gate hung
and closure post being packed.

4. Completed job a): Pedestrian gate hung,
spring fitted, closure chain in place and
short side rails fitted.

5. Testing! Testing!

"Caution: Cows with Calves" 'says' the sign. They were interested, in a half-hearted sort of a way, but soon wandered off in search of tastier grass and clover - wise move . .  but it's a pity we missed the photo opportunity - blame the mud-caked hands!

We were pleased with the end result. The gate is secure, well-installed and easy to operate - ideal for a route popular with local fell-running groups.

Today's tasks were funded by general donations to CROWS. Many thanks for your continued support of our voluntary work on rights-of-way.

RYBURN - behind the Bowling Club

Jerry and Jak set out on a beautiful day to cut back this short section of path which runs behind the Bowling Club from Mill Fold Way. It links to a path that goes up to the disused railway line. 

Location of path

The path is slippery and very wet in places because a lot of water runs off the hillside. As well as cutting back, a turnby was created in order to divert some of the water from the path.

Scraping the mud

More mud scraping

Path drying out already!

Still some water but a big improvement

There is a lot of Himalayan balsam at one end of the path (because of the excessive dampness) but it's still a bit too early to tackle that.

This work was funded by donations to CROWS for which many thanks.

TODMORDEN - Windy Harbour

 There were three teams out from Todmorden today.

Two of the teams worked on stiles below Bridestones Farm (see separate blogs) and the third team, comprising of David and Neil Mc, worked on an open access stile on Windy Harbour Lane, which allows access towards Golden Stones. Their task was to add a lower step to the stile (to compensate for ground erosion) and then to build a number of box steps up from the lane to the stile (also to compensate for erosion). 

This stile was rebuilt a few weeks ago when it was agreed that an additional lower step would make the stile easier to use, especially from the field side. Accessing the stile from the roadside up a slippery bank was difficult, more so in wet conditions . . . . not something we had to worry about today. 

The box steps have been lined with a suitable geotextile which has been pinned in place. We have infilled these steps with MOT which should pack down to give a firm surface for foot placement.

We will be back (hopefully next week) to install more steps and to top up the MOT in the steps built today.

Today's work was funded by Todmorden Wind Farm through CFFC (Community Foundation for Calderdale). Many thanks.

The blue "pin" marks the open access stile on Windy Harbour Lane.

The approach slope which would
benefit from steps.

A third (lower) step was needed here.

Neil Mc: sorting out the short step leg.
("Measure twice, cut once!")

The lowest step in position and the first of the
box steps built.

David cutting the timber for the sides of the 
second box step.

The steps part way through construction and
infilling.

The stile and steps from the field side.

TODMORDEN - Golden Stones & Windy Harbour

Three teams from Todmorden set out on a glorious morning to work in the sunshine on the hillsides near the Bride Stones.

Kasher, Dunstan & Frank H rebuilt a stile into the access land at Golden Stones just below the Bride Stones themselves.  (See the separate blog post on this job).  Neil Mc & David went to Windy Harbour, not far from the Wizard of Whirlaw, to complete work on the new steps and stile into a field.

Meanwhile, Catherine, Gareth & Ian V rebuilt a stile above Springs on the footpath (Todmorden 045) that heads past Golden Stones up to Bridestones Farm, and installed a new waymark post at a path junction near the farm. 

The first walker (and dog) arrived to use the second stile at the very moment that the last nail was being banged in! We nearly missed a photo opportunity!

Thanks to the lovely people at Bridestones Farm for allowing us to park in their grounds and shorten our carrying distance.  Thanks also to Todmorden Wind Farm which funded today’s work via CFFC (Community Foundation for Calderdale).

Ian ignores the glorious views and starts the dismantling work

Extracting old nails - an important safety job

The spirit level comes out of the tool bag

The first user arrives!

The finished article

New marker post further up the hillside

TODMORDEN: Golden Stones Access Stile

Golden Stones access stile

A section of the right-of-way Todmorden 045 leads due South from near Bridestones Farm. 300 m below Bridestones a stile gives access towards Golden Stones. (see map).

1. Approximate location of access stile

The task for Kasher, Dunstan (on his second CROWS session) and Frank H was to widen and re-stabilise the two-step access stile. Conditions were warm (26oC) but idyllic  . . . blue sky, light winds and panoramic views with meadow pipits (nearby) and a cuckoo (more distant) announcing their presence.

The original stile looked like this:

2. Down-slope view in winter: Not all is
as sturdy as it appears!

The right-hand side (shorter) upright and all the step-legs are sound but both treadboards, the left-hand side (taller) upright and parts of the cross-rails are decayed.

3. Left-hand side post; Rotten to the point
of collapse - which is what it did!

The plan was to:

i.   Replace the treadboards and cross-brace the legs.

ii.  Stabilise, straighten and diagonally brace the shorter side-post.

iii. Replace the taller side-post.

iv) Re-align, re-staple and re-tension the stockfence and both barbed-wire strands.

v)  Install 5 parallel cross-rails

The following pictures are all upslope views.

4. New treadboards: Fixed on old legs but now cross-braced.

5. Gang of three looking busy: Frank H, Kasher and Dunstan

6. Positioning: Taller post is a work in progress.

7. Alignment and packing: Taller post now
in position . . . and vertical.

8.  A study in concentration?:  Stockfence adjustment.

9. Completed structure: Kasher, Ian V (on loan
from adjacent task) and Dunstan.

10. Stress test: Will it take a load? . . .
85 kg - so far so good!

The task wasn't without typical stile building problems - rocky ground; old structures immovably out of true; wet post-holes; exposed barbs and sloping ground - but nothing that careful planning and a muscular approach couldn't overcome.

The result is a secure, stable, two-step stile which is easily negotiated. The latter was demonstrated by a runner descending from Golden Stones. He was over the stile before our cameras could say 'click'.

Today's work was funded by Todmorden Wind Farm through CFFC (Community Foundation For Calderdale). Many thanks.