TODMORDEN - Cutting back and Steps

 There were three teams out from Todmorden today.

Team 1: Ian V and Gareth: replacing a fingerpost and then replacing steps on Rise Lane (Tod 107) off Dog House Lane. Please see separate Blog.

Team 2: David and Neil Mc: cutting back on Trimmer Lane (Blackshaw BW 012).

Team 3: Catherine, Dunstan and Kasher: a small amount of balsam bashing down Bluebell Lane; sorting out a gate and cutting back on  Tod 060; cutting back on Tod BW 059 below the dinosaur and below Kitson Royd Farm, off Pudding Lane. We will need to return to cut back the next section of the path down towards Pitts.

Today's work has been funded by Todmorden Harriers (Team 2's work) and by Calderdale Council Highways (Team 3's work).

Team 2:

The blue "pin" indicates the location of Trimmer Lane: the site of today's cutting back.

Before....

Before....

After...

On-lookers, very impressed with the hard work undertaken.

Team 3:

TCW below the dinosaur!

The path is there somewhere.

This bridleway is certainly overgrown.

Dunstan working at the top of the path.

Catherine and Dunstan starting to cut back the 
vegetation.

Catherine continuing the cutting back.

Its amazing how wide this bridleway is.

Cutting back at the top of the TCW.

The path is now easy to use but do take care as the wet causey
stones are very slippery.

RYBURN - Quakers Lane - Himalayan Balsam

Last week Linda, Jerry and Jak tackled balsam at the Brooks Grain Lane end of Quakers Lane and this week we reunited with the addition of Eleanor to start at the top end and work down.

Last week's work area

This week's work area

Himalayan Balsam arrived in the UK in 1839. It quickly escaped from Victorian gardens via waterways and is now widespread across the UK.  At first glance it's a nice looking plant with pink flowers but the RHS class it as a non-native invasive plant. Flowers appear in mid-June and ideally the balsam needs to be either pulled or cut before the seeds have a chance to distribute themselves. They do this by an explosive propulsion of their seeds which can fly many metres away! See the RHS for more information about balsam.

Ryburn CROWS try to do as much as we can to eradicate balsam from a few footpaths that we know are well used. However, there are not very many of us and it can be back-breaking work. You can help us by pulling balsam as you walk our lovely network of footpaths and bridleways, but do wear gloves and be careful not to overstretch. Unfortunately balsam often likes to grow where there are native plants like brambles and nettles!

Quakers Lane is a bridleway. Please consider riding down there to help to smash up the roots of the balsam.

Last week - before

Last week - after

Very well established plant

Starting to flower

Winning the size prize, glove for comparison

Pulled and placed on the path so it can be stepped on to squash the roots

Today's work was funded by donations to CROWS for which we are very grateful.

TODMORDEN - Ragby Bridge and Warland

Duncan and Kasher managed to be on a work party today where they were not soaked to the skin within 30 minutes! In fact it was an ideal day to be out and about.

The first job of the day was to replace a rotten fingerpost. This was at a three-way junction, above Ragby Bridge,  adjoining Ramsden Lane. We have recently had a number of wooden "flags" cut to replace those which were either illegible or rotten. The flag for this post points to the Long Causeway and the route down to Watergrove and Wardle.

A usual, the rotten post took a little while to remove as again there were "dead men" at the bottom of the post. Once this was out we managed to utilise the old hole for the new post.

We then walked down the track to investigate the drainage issues there. We are planning to be back in the near future to see what we can do to improve this route.

The next job of the day was to cut back Tod 145 from the canal up towards the junction with Tod 185. This route goes through bracken. It's always difficult to time the cutting back on this route: too early and the bracken seems to grow straight back; too late and you know that the bracken would be dying back anyway. We hope we have hit it at the right time this year.

Please give this path a try - it will make a change from walking along the canal towpath!

Today's work has been funded by Todmorden Harriers. Many thanks for your continuing support.

Many thanks also to the residents of Plantation Barn who allowed us to park in their yard, and who looked after the fingerpost during last week.

The fingerpost was replaced at the junction of three routes indicated by the blue "pin".

Tod 145 above the canal at Warland.

The sad looking old fingerpost without a 'flag'.

Duncan checking the new post.

The new fingerpost in place with its new flag
pointing to the Long Causeway.

The route to Ragby Bridge which needs fettling.

The footpath is there! - somewhere in the middle of the 
bracken.

An impressive set of stone gateposts in the bracken.

The route becoming clearer.

Who doesn't love a spot of bracken bashing?

BLACKSHAW HEAD: Stile to the sheep

 Blackshaw Head: stile

In idyllic conditions, Jan, Neil D and Frank H rebuilt the ruined stile where a right-of -way (Blackshaw 015) leads off the junction of New Shaw Lane and Brown Lane. The 'helping hand' given by the landowner was most welcome. Thank you.

1. The 'blue index' marks the worksite.
(purple dashes show footpaths; green dashes show bridleways)

2. The old 'stile' and the new plan.

The original single-step stile had a rotten cross-rail, and one broken step-leg, and was missing both a treadboard and a side-post. The gate hinge-post that doubled as a side-post for the stile was slightly loose. The ground was very stony and sloped down into the field as well as left to right (as in picture 2)

The order of tasks was to cut back ground growth, firm up the gatepost, remove the cross-rails, install step legs, install a side-post, fix cross-rails, add a treadboard, embed a step up/step down stone on the field side, and level and landscape as needed.

Here's the progress:

2. Neil on cross-rail removal.
         Has he struck a power cable!?

3. First leg-hole begins.

4. Only another 750 mm to go!

5. Double-digging? Two holes on the go at once.

6. The field-side leg being installed to the correct level.

7. Temporary progress but looking good.

8. Bottom rail in place. Lamb-proof gaps near the base.

9. Treadboard being positioned prior to screwing in place.

The job is nearly finished but we have to ask the vital questions; "Is it user friendly?"  "Will it take a load?" and "What do the scrutiny panel think?" Here are the answers . . .

10. "Easy for a dog like me! Perhaps a 
landing stone here would help!"

11. "85 kg. Not a wobble . . . and a useful grab-pole."

12. "Excellent job! It'll see us out!"

We were pleased with the end result. Some of the digging was difficult because we were building into the remnants of an old wall . . . but vigorous battering with a heavy bar did the trick. The stile is structurally sound, user friendly and aesthetically pleasing. It should give years of service but . .  . the only caveat is that, in winter, traffic coming down the steepish hill can (in icy conditions) fail to negotiate the bend. Whoops! In which case the stile becomes a useful crash barrier!

Today's work was funded by Blackshaw Head Parish Council. Many thanks for your support.

WADSWORTH

Old Town

Kris and Paul were out today working on two sites in the Old Town area. The first job involved some key waymarking on the path from Cow Lane downhill to Fearney Fields while the second job was cutting back to clear paths behind Wadsworth Community Centre leading to Westfield. A weather forecast of drizzle and cloudy skies never materialised and we were treated to some June sunshine much to our relief. Late morning Ginny joined us in place of Kris to help finish cutting back some serious overgrown paths.

The work was funded by Wadsworth Parish Council. Thank you!

Job 1 - Waymarking

The landowner had installed a stock fence on this stretch of footpath leaving plenty of margin to walk safely. Our job today entailed putting in some strategically placed waymarkers to clearly signpost the ROW.

Kris hammering in the new waymark

Job 2

Paths to clear behind the Community Centre

After we finished the waymarking we moved on to job 2. We visit this patch annually to cut back the triangle of footpaths that merge from paths coming from Westfields.

Very overgrown!

Paul and Kris teamed up to tackle the overgrown paths on the triangle of land and to cut back the path leading down from the rear of the Community Centre and a second path running alongside the back of the community allotment.

Path from the Community Centre

Kris 

Kris at work

The triangle of land was transformed to its usual shape following some deep trimming from the battery operated strimmer:

A pathway emerges!

Meanwhile Ginny replaced Kris and got down to business!

Ginny with shears!

At the end of the session the pathways looked so much better and easier to use for local people.

Tidy!

Much Improvement all round:

Path to the rear of the Community Centre.