COLDEN, WIDDOP & HEPTONSTALL

Three teams out today.

Blackshawhead and Hebden Bridge....

Mother nature never sleeps....

This stone footpath at Hippins was built by CROWS a couple of years ago to avoid what becomes a quagmire in Winter.  It was now in need of a bit of maintenance so this was the first of today's jobs for Stella and Paul.

.....but she'll have to start again now

New recruit? But wrong plumage.....

Then we went down to the permissive path along Foster dams in Hebden Bridge and replaced the rotten and previously removed information post.

Heptonstall (Hawden Hole Woods)

Fred and Frank H returned once more to the steamy depths of these woods to improve the steep, but magnificent, route that winds its way down towards Midgehole. The task was step construction. A note on the jobsheet (next to the 'number of steps needed') stated 'may be more'. Mmm! The word understatement comes to mind! Anyway, with no prizes for guessing the origins of the following, here we go:

Step Fever

'I must go down to the woods again.

To the woods with the slippery bank,

And all I need are some long stobs

And a riser the size of a plank!'

The tasks for the day involved putting-in extra steps at steep or washed-away sections of the path and protecting these areas with revetment or side-pieces. The work is being funded by National Trust (Hardcastle Crags).

Last week's finishing point (viewed from above).
One extra step in place but another is also needed.

Later in the morning:- two new steps plus in-fill and stone side-pieces.

Further up the path:- The original steps are sound, but the
 tread areas and sides are starting to be washed away.

Later in the morning:- tread areas consolidated and revetment added.

The afternoon involved more of the same!

Even further up the path:- two extra steps with side pieces.

We may have an end point in sight for this right of way! Three more steps would be useful, several older sections require revetment, some fine aggregate in-fill is needed and a waymark post has to be installed. All that, however, will be in two weeks time as Fred and Frank take a break next week from steps to construct a stile off Brown Hill Lane, Blackshaw Head . . . weather and altitude sickness permitting!

Widdop

The Widdop Team worked on the footpath from Widdop Road linking to the Pennine Bridleway. They constructed some steps on a steep bank up on to the path.

New steps

There were several drainage problems all the way along the path above Widdop reservoir. These were solved by strimming back some or the sedge grass, putting in a number of channels and reorganising some stones lying around the area.

Drainage works.