PENNINE WAY at Colden

 A team of four - Andy, Chloe and two Richards - went to clear all the encroaching vegetation on the narrow walled path leading down to Shaw Bottom. This was not just a cut-back but involved uprooting brambles, ferns and Rose Bay Willow Herb. The work was funded by a partnership of Calderdale Highways and Natural England. 

Before and after at the top end - still a section to finish off on Wednesday

Before and after at the bottom end - a great improvement!

Superb lunch spot.

TODMORDEN - Various

 Today, Catherine, Kasher, Neil B and Richard A worked together to sort out a few issues and to fettle up a couple of paths near Flailcoft (along Todmorden Edge) and then below the Old Golf House, on Tod 080 as it enters Ewood Wood.

We added more MOT to the steps descending from Flailcroft towards Scaitcliffe Wood (Tod 082). We reinstated the markerpost (again on Tod 082) , cleaned up the boardwalk which was overgrown with vegetation, and cut back the trees (and the odd bramble) on this footpath. We will replace the boardwalk in the near future.

We then moved onto Tod 080 in Ewood Wood to install more revetment and to widen the path. This was a continuation of last Friday's work.

Today's work has been funded by Todmorden Town Council. Many thanks for your continuing support to help maintain and improve the footpaths and bridleways in the Todmorden area.

Many thanks also to the residents of Millers Lodge who again allowed us to park in their garden and who helped carry timbers down to the worksite.

The blue "pin" marks the steps below Flailcroft which were infilled with MOT.

The path into Ewood Wood.

Neil B infilling the steps, built by CROWS
just over three years ago.

The small boardwalk cleared and more staples added.
This boardwalk will need replacing in the near future.

Catherine cutting back the path.

Richard creating the hole to reinstate
the markerpost.

The post back in position.

Sorting out revetments on Tod 080 in
Ewood Wood.

Revetments in place and the path widened.

Catherine and Neil B widening the path near a section
of the new revetment.

TODMORDEN - Below Hartley Royd

A team of four (David, Duncan, Kasher and RJ) were working on Tod 197 to rebuild the stile below Hartley Royd. This stile had been on our "to do" list for a while and we had hoped to get this built before the Autumn/Winter weather made working on the tops too difficult.

The existing stile was exceptionally narrow and somehow had an extra 'leg'  . . . was this the remnants of a two step stile or was this left because embedding the matching leg was impossible?

Removing the old stile proved to be problematic with both of the uprights being VERY well packed and having 'deadmen'. (Mmm! Wonder who installed this originally . . . Many thanks Mick and Bernard!).

Whilst we had planned to use one of the original post holes, we knew we had to move the other hole. Deepening the existing hole was difficult but digging a new hole was almost impossible! We soon realised that we were trying to dig post holes into the original made up trackway to Hartley Royd. Two hundred years or more of building, repairing and consolidating this track to get to Hartley Royd from the valley below meant that we had to break through several layers of stone and rock to get a hole down deep enough for the side- uprights of the new stile.

Suffice it to say that we will all sleep well tonight! Use of the bar to create holes and to gradually remove the stones whilst trying to keep dry in the increasingly frequent showers that came across the hillside was hard work.

A day's work has resulted in two uprights in place and tightly packed. We will return next week to install the stile steps, put in a dog-gate, fix new cross-rails, sort out the sheep netting and fettle up/landscape the area.

Today's work has been funded by Todmorden Town Council. Many thanks. 

The blue "pin" marks the location of today's stile build.

Carrying the timbers down to the worksite.

RJ and Duncan dismantling the old stile.

Kasher and David sorting out the sheep netting
and removing the old stile legs.  

One upright out (and the hole protected by inserting a new "leg")
but removing the second upright is far from easy.

Trying to clear out and deepen the hole for the second
upright. It can not be deep enough yet as Kasher is still able
to reach the bottom of the hole!

David and Duncan installing one of the uprights.

Bedrock or well-packed road surface from 200+ years ago?

Duncan, David and RJ trying to break through
the layers of stone . .  . just as the showers arrive.

David triple checking that the posts are aligned.

The end of the day. Two uprights in place and the site 
tidy and safe.

A very distant view of Stoodley Pike.

WAINSTALLS: 'Mini-gate' on the Calderdale Way

 Calderdale Way: dilapidated 'mini-gate'

On a day enlivened by sharp, sudden, cold showers, Jan and Frank H worked on replacing a 'mini-gate' where the Calderdale Way footpath (Halifax 135) goes over a stile comprising stone wall-steps topped with a 'mini-gate' before descending to continue as a bridleway (Halifax 113) in the direction of the Moorcock Farm (known locally as the old Moorcock Inn).

Today's work will be funded by a donation from the landowner. Many thanks for supporting CROWS.

1. Worksite indicated by blue 'pin'.

2. Aerial view!

The detail.

The 'stile' has seen heavy use by enthusiastic 'Calderdale Way' walkers and runners, so now it looks like this:

3. Before: View from track (bridleway) side.

4. Before: View from field side.

The mini-gate is ramshackle and is fixed by T-hinges to a 'round' post. 

The plan was to remove the whole structure and install a replacement pedestrian gate T-hinged to a square-section post and fitted with a closure spring and a closure loop.

The drystone wall to the left of picture 4 has a castellated top but the section to the right is more haphazard! However, this section (on the closure side of the gap) is stable so will be left untouched.

The existing 'round' gatepost will be re-embedded to form a 'stop-post' that prevents the gate from swinging too far back on its hinges. This post and the new hinge post will be linked by short side-rails and, to enhance stability, the new post will be bracketed to the wall. 

Phew! Time to start digging . . .

5. "Keep digging, Jan." - Longer arms are available!

6. Field side view: New hinge-post deeply
embedded. New gate hung on T-hinges
and fitted with closure loop.

7. Field side view: Hinge-post
fitted with one of the side-rails
which is bracketed to the wall.

8. After: View from track (bridleway) side. 
The right-of-way direction is shown by the
public footpath disk.

9. After: View from field side. Re-cycled 'stop-post'
side-railed to new hinge-post. Closure spring fitted and
a closure loop (anchored to top stone) goes over a gate paling.

We were pleased with the outcome. The hinge-post is very secure and stable. The mini-gate is robust and poses no problems to users of the stile. The Calderdale Way direction (clockwise route) is shown by the existing metal fingerpost which directs walkers towards Moorcock Farm where CROWS have painted the tops of the existing waymarkposts bright yellow . . . no chance of getting lost! Mmm!

Wadsworth Pecket Well

 Pecket Well Playground Fingerposts

Steve, Neil B and Paul were out today installing two new fingerposts in Pecket Well at the request of 'Friends of Pecket Well Playground'. This is a local voluntary organisation who have set about improving this important local facility. The two posts were installed in different locations signposting two separate permissive paths to the playground near to Keighley Road at Pecket Bar.

Two red circles indicating the two sites.

This work was funded by Wadsworth Parish Council - thank you for your ongoing support.

A big 'thank you' also to Rob for transporting the two lengthy posts from our Mytholmroyd Depot to Pecket Well.

We installed the first post at the junction of the small side road that gives access to a set of four garages on the left and then turns a sharp right toward a basketball court and the playground.

Proposed site

The request to site this first post on the north side of the lane proved to be problematic. Like moles we dug! . . . but the exploratory postholes between the kerb and the fencing encountered a thick bed of concrete after only a few inches!

The south side of the lane, however, proved to be a better option; we were able to dig down through soil to the desired depth.

Neil "long arms" in action!

Once the hole was dug out to a depth of one metre, it was a question of placing the post upright and firming into place.

Post in place being tampered down.

It was pleasing to get this first one completed after all the rigmarole of finding suitable ground!

In place!

We moved on to the site for the second post next to the residents' car park where a permissive path leads downhill for a few metres to the playground area. Here we discovered softer soil and easier digging.

Steve getting stuck in!

After cutting back the brambles, we set about digging out the posthole and installing the second upright.

Voila!

After this, it was time for lunch!

"Get t'kettle on, lad!"

This way to the Playground!