TODMORDEN - Greenhurst Hey Clough

 There were two teams out from Todmorden today.

Frank and Duncan were fettling up a stile leading into open access land off Windy Harbour Lane (See separate Blog), 

Andrew, Catherine, David, Kasher and RJ were working adjacent to Greenhurst Hey Clough to improve the route on both sides of the clough in preparation for installing a wooden bridge in a few week's time.

i)   We installed box steps below the gate, where the path had been eroded by water running off the nearby field. 

ii)   We reset some of the stone steps which lead down to the clough. 

iii)  We strengthened, shored up and cut additional steps into a section of the path. 

iv)  We also improved the way marking. 

We will be back next week to improve the box steps, install revetments, widen the pathway and carry out further waymarking.

Today's work has been generously funded by Todmorden Harriers. Many thanks.

Many thanks also  to the occupants of West Hey Head Farm who allowed us to park in their yard - the shorter the distance we have to carry tools and timbers, the better!

Today's worksite indicated by the blue "pin".

Box steps:

Catherine positioning the 
box steps near the gateway.

The first riser in place and side-rails now being sorted.

RJ and Catherine adjusting the wide box steps. 
Lots of infill will be needed here!

RJ: progress being made. The box steps after
our lunch break - yet to be back-filled.

Footpath strengthening:

RJ checking on the path during the survey earlier
in the week.

Andrew: Step 1 of Plan A.

Andrew and David installing the shoring timbers at the side of
the pathway.

The completed task.Revetments in place, large holes 
filled in and steps created.

Stone steps repositioned:

The stone steps on Wednesday's survey.

The upper stone steps now in position and the 
turnby cleared and repaired.

Waymarking:

One of the yellow-topped posts marking the route.

Behind the scenes: 

Kasher - playing 'Pooh Sticks' in the clough?

TODMORDEN: Windy Harbour -open access stile

 Windy Harbour.

On a gloriously calm day when the area was anything but 'Windy', Duncan and Frank H carried out extensive repair work on a failing stile that allows access towards the Bride Stones (see map).

1. Work location: Blue 'pin' indicates stile off Windy Harbour Lane into open access.

The original stile had several defects . . . 

2. Before picture: extensive rot in shorter side-post
and a very wobbly taller side-post

3. Before picture: collapsed shorter side-post -
not hard to guess the reason why!

The work begins:

We decided, as an interim measure, to replace both side-posts, renew the cross-rails, cross-brace the existing step-legs, re-staple the stock fencing, add protective sleeving over the barbed wire, re-tension the barbed strand and re-fix signage . . . all a good spectator sport for determined walkers, gasping runners and wary wildlife . . . such as;

4. Brown Hare - not uncommon on these moorlands.

5. Curlew: easy to hear but well camouflaged at ground level.

Meanwhile, the old side-posts were wrestled out of the ground and new ones installed.

6. "Is it vertical, Duncan?". .  .
"Never in doubt, Frank!"

Some time later. . .

7. End result (view from the lane): Cross-rails in place.
Step-legs-braced. Barbed wire sleeved and
re-tensioned. Signage replaced.

8. End result (view from field): 

We were pleased with the result of today's work. The side-posts, especially, are now deeply embedded and firmly packed to withstand enthusiastic handling by the many users of this surprisingly popular access point. 

There is probably more to be done here - an extra stile-step on the field side to compensate for the considerable erosion that has taken place and several steps on the lane side to lead more easily up to the stile. These jobs are on the ever-lengthening list!

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

More next week . . . in even more sunny weather?

LUDDENDEN - Stocks Lane to Peel House Lodge

On a cool but dry May morning, armed with spades, azads, shears, loppers, brushes and the contents of a standard tool bag (not forgetting the mandatory first aid kit!) Angus, Ginny, Guy, Jan, Nick and Paul tackled a footpath on a set of stone steps along the wall line in a field from Stocks Lane down to Peel House Lodge.

The first task, tackled by Nick and Paul, was to cut back the overhanging trees at the beginning of the footpath to improve the visibility of a new metal marker flag recently installed by Calderdale Highways.  Cutting back the brambles and other growth clarified and encouraged the approach for walkers going towards the rudimentary stile in the field below.

The extent of the overgrown and partially dilapidated stone path soon became obvious - but we all like a challenge!

The work involved cutting away the grass and weeds obscuring the magnificent stone flags whilst preserving the foxgloves of course. Ginny and Nick showed how it should be done.

In several places, the stone flags were misaligned or missing altogether, but fortunately the latter were found partly embedded in the field. Angus and Jan took on the challenge of retrieving and replacing them.

The end result was a very smart looking flight of steps - an enjoyable and satisfying day's work with great views over the beautiful Luddenden valley.

Oh! . . .  and Guy did some sweeping up . . .

TODMORDEN - Greenhurst Hey and Back Lane

 Kasher and RJ had two major tasks today: 

a)    surveying the stream crossing below Greenhurst Hey where we hope to sort out the steps on both sides of the clough and to create a new stream crossing. (The previous stream crossing was washed away in the floods a number of years ago!)

and

b)    cutting back along Back Lane. This popular path gets cut-back a couple of times each year. Today's 'haircut' should keep the path open for the next few months but brambles, nettles and, in some places, raspberries may take over later in the Summer.

Today's work has been funded by Todmorden Harriers. Many thanks for your continuing financial support. Thanks too to the landowners on both banks of Greenhurst Hey Clough for agreeing that we can work to improve the footpath in this area.

Surveying and sorting out work to be done near Greenhurst Hey Clough.

Cutting back on Back Lane.

Stone steps and turn-by to be sorted above
Greenhurst Hey Clough.

A new clough crossing will be needed over
Greenhurst Hey Clough.

RJ working out what we can do with a disappearing
footpath!

The top of Back Lane near Pex Tenements.

A brilliant view from the second work site of the day.

The lane to be cut back.

Brambles and nettles should now be less
of a problem.

We tried not to cut back the bluebells  . . .

Ryburn - Stiles off Ash Hall Lane - Day 2.

On a typical grey and damp May Bank Holiday, Jak, Lynda, Graham, Jerry and Angus headed back to Ash Hall Lane to replace the second stile at the lower side of the grass field, where it borders the Christmas tree plantation. As with the previous work, today's efforts were made possible by donations to CROWS. A big 'thank you' to all our supporters.

The job started with a bit of a carry from the road to the worksite, under the watchful gaze of a herd of cattle in the adjacent field. They seemed hopeful that we were bringing feed. Mmm! - wishful thinking on their part!

Once at the stile, Lynda and Angus set off through the Christmas tree plantation to where the path crossed the Water Greave Lane, turning right towards Great Greave Farm. The plan was to inspect this path to where it entered the farm, then head down towards Far Slack and fit grab poles at a stone stile in Blackshaw Clough.

The blue circles show the two worksites. The shaded turquoise area shows a large, boggy section at the bottom of a grass field.

Where Water Greave Lane becomes a footpath and follows the drystone wall between two fields, it turns into a boggy morass (turquoise on map) that forced us up to the top of the field in order to reach the other side. Unfortunately, making this section passable is beyond the scope of CROWS. It has been in this condition for several years and will require significant work to successfully drain the waterlogging.

Once at the stone stile, we fitted two grab posts, firmed-up some of the stonework and cut back some of the brambles, to make the passage over the stone stile much easier. We will revisit this section next month and cut-back the vegetation from the farm to the clough.

The stone stile near Blackshaw Clough.

Grab posts fitted and Lynda keen to head back to help the stile team!

Back at the stile, the going was tough - a sheep netting fence atop an old drystone wall made digging difficult! Jak, Jerry and Graham had cut back the fencing and removed the old stile, but everywhere they dug they hit stones . . .  big stones!

Looking towards Water Greave Lane - the stile to be replaced..

Jerry battling to remove the old treadboard 

With the old step removed we were able to enlarge the original holes to take the new treadboard support legs, although this took much longer that expected due to several large stones and a layer of heavy, sticky clay. Fortunately, the stones and the clay provided ideal packing material for the new step-legs.,

Jak packing the treadboard legs into place.

With the treadboard in place, we excavated two holes for the side-uprights which would support the cross-rails and the sheep netting. Again, stones from the old wall caused problems, but we battled on, embedded the uprights and installed long cross-rails to link fence posts and stile side-posts (see pictures that follow).

New side-uprights in place. Lynda fixing the cross-rails.

The finished job. Lynda testing access and egress!

This job took longer than expected but the end result was worth all the hard work. We will return to fit a slightly longer treadboard as the buried stones made it impossible to get the support legs exactly where we wanted them. 

As we carried the tools back up to the road, the cattle were still there, still waiting, still hungry . . . and still disappointed!

What! Still no food !!!!!