Friday, 7 February 2025

TODMORDEN and BLACKSHAW HEAD - Various

On this extremely cold and windy day there were two teams out from Todmorden:

Team 1: Catherine and Kasher were step building on the path which joins Tod 105 and Tod 102 (between Stones Road and Watty Lane).

Team 2: Ian V, RJ and Mick completed barrier construction at Daisy Bank in Blackshaw Head (see last week's blog).  They then started on some of jobs identified during the recent survey of the Fielden Trail around Todmorden. This included cutting back near West End Farm (on Tod 082) and installing new marker posts on the route from Robin Wood to the ruins of Royd Farm (on Tod 085). 

Today's work was partially funded by Calderdale Council's Ward Forum grant and partially by individual donations to CROWS. Many thanks.

Details:

Team 1:

This well-used path, although not on the definitive map, cuts up the hillside from the bend in the road on Stones Road and comes out on Watty Lane below Watty Farm. There is a mixture of stone steps and wooden steps up the hill but most of the wooden steps were rotten. 

We have replaced seven steps, cleared the lower stone steps and re-installed the broken marker post on Watty Lane. We will come back in a few weeks time to ensure that the tread areas are consolidated and, if necessary, construct one or two additional steps.

The path between Stones Road and Watty Lane.

The well disguised steps up the hillside.

Clearing the stone steps.

Catherine working on the new steps.

Part of the new flight of steps.

The flight of steps from Stones Road.


Team 2: 

New marker posts were needed on the route towards the remains of Royd Farm. 
This is on the second section of the Fielden Trail.

Mick and RJ installing one of the marker posts.

Before: . . . The overgrown stile below West End

After: . . . The foliage-free stile below West End.

A cheerful Mick with the barrier and the explanatory notice on
the moor below Daisy Bank, BSH.

RIPPONDEN Riverside Path

Work continued on this popular, well-used riverside path.

Today Jerry, Graham and Jak were out working on revetments to hold the path edge in place and limit further damage as well as protecting walkers from the steep slope leading to the river. 

Location of work marked in turquoise

Revetments were installed and backfilled. The path was also widened and a minor diversion created to guide walkers up to the main path and away from the very narrow, slippery secondary path.

timber revetment work in progress
Timber in place


Back-filled

Diversion!

Full stretch of revetment

A further section of path was widened.

Path widened

This work was funded by Calderdale Highways

For more details
For further information about CROWS follow the link.


Wednesday, 5 February 2025

MIDGLEY

The path below Midgley that leads down to Brearley traverses a very steep slope. It is narrow and uneven so unsuspecting walkers who had to turn back reported the problem to us. Andy, Andrew, Ian S and Rich went to widen and level the path to make it much less scary!

Today's work was funded by Midgley Community Forum.


The details

Most of the work was widening and levelling but we also had to deal with two fallen trees, an awkward stream crossing and pesky brambles making trip hazards. 

Because of the precarious slope, we did plenty of risk assessments. Nobody fell off the path and no tools were lost, but a day-sack with the safety rope did take a short dive down the slope. 

Today's work was funded by Midgley Community Forum.

No great photos today, but a short video.


 

 

Ian rescuing the bag - the photo doesn't reflect the true steepness of the slope

Many thanks to Mark who provided Ian with a safety rope to get down to rescue our safety day-sack (we recognise the irony here!)

Stop press, Blizzard blanket on its way back to depot.

TODMORDEN -Fielden Trail (Session 3)

Calderdale Council have kindly awarded CROWS a Ward Forum grant to survey and improve the waymarking and information provision on the Fielden Trail; a route devised a number of years ago by Jim Jarrett.

This 20 mile route around Todmorden links together many of the places associated with the Fielden family. You may be lucky enough to have a copy of the booklet giving details of this trail but, if not, full details can be found on  https://www.jimjarratt.co.uk/walks/fieldentrail/contents.html. There are significant changes since the route was first devised. Hopefully, some new waymarking will make the route clearer.

RJ and Kasher chose another dry day (except for the odd shower and a small amount of hail!) to survey and improve the waymarking on the paths along the third section of this route from Gauxholme to Bottomley and then along the packhorse route dropping down towards Todmorden at the Quaker burial ground at Shewbread.

We have identified a number of issues including; drainage, stile repairs, and waymarking, which CROWS will tackle over the coming months.

We will now start to work with Jim Jarrett to provide an up-to-date map of the route and revised directions.

Views from Naze farm towards Stoodley Pike.

RJ putting up a CW bridleway sign


A few more way markers added along the route.


Time for some new "flags"!


Looking back towards Inchfield.

Some drainage work needed (again!) at
Top of the Rough, off Lumbutts Road.


COLDEN: Hot 'Lane' (off Edge Lane): Stile construction

Colden: Hot 'Lane' and the style of stiles

On a clear, calm day enlivened by the occasional chilly sharp shower, Jan, Steve and Frank H replaced a dilapidated stile at the end of the narrow, sunken, partly-blocked, muddy path named as Hot Lane (see map)

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

This location has a stile and gate combination (see picture 2):

2.  Private access to the grazing land is through the gate (aka old palette) on the left.
The public right-of-way (footpath Heptonstall 016) takes the sunken route to the right.

The above picture was taken last year. Since then the structure has deteriorated even more so access to the right-of-way now has many deficiencies:

i) The stile (missing its treadboard) was originally a one-step stile with an extremely high top rail.

ii) The stile rails are no longer horizontal and the side-posts are no longer vertical.

iii) The 'gate' is now a loose construction no longer hinged to its post!

iv) The rot became more obvious as work started.

Reconstruction work proceeded as follows:

3. Old stile removed. Work starts on installing a
completely new and slightly wider two-step stile.

4. Side-posts temporarily cross-braced and
step legs nearly in position.

5. View from Edge Lane side: complete two-step stile
with lift-type dog gate

6. View towards Edge Lane: The tall side-post is vertical . . .
. . . well, as vertical as the post and pole in the background!

It was a day of heavy labour! A lot of energy was expended in getting some of the old timbers out of the ground and even more 'grunt' was required to get the new timbers embedded deeply enough. However, despite one or two alignment glitches we were pleased with the end result which is secure, safe and easily negotiated.

The gate gap was temporarily blocked with the remnants of the old gate because next week (weather permitting) we will fit a new gate (yet to be constructed) and its closure post . . .  more heavy digging!