ABOVE HIPPINS CLOUGH

It was a blue-skied, warm and sunny South Pennine day, ideal for a mission to one of Calderdale's remoter 'stiles'. Mick and Frank H formed the team that carried large loads (timber and tools) to the distant worksite. Here's the 'stile' before work began:

Before: Stile? What stile?

One rotten timber was the only trace of the stile on this right-of-way. Access was by an awkward climb over a rail with the added possible thrill of ripping a femoral artery on pieces of vandalised barbed wire!

The ground conditions were not favourable - large rocks embedded in swamp - but with a little ingenuity and lots of grunt, the work progressed.

Work in progress: stile step (just visible) now complete
and adjustment of cross-rails about to be started.

Two new cross-rails were fixed in place, the original cross-rail was re-cycled, a grab-post was added, the barbed wire was re-instated and tensioned, and a waymark disc nailed on. Eventually we got ...

End of task: one stile - safe , secure, durable and aesthetically
pleasing (although beauty is in the eye of the beholder!)

Today's work was funded by Blackshaw Parish Council.

As a tribute to Mick, who is unstinting in his efforts to improve rights-of-way in the Upper Calder Valley, here's a little parody.
 It has a vague resemblance to 'Lays of Ancient Rome: Horatius'  (Thomas B Macaulay 1800-1859) ... but thankfully it's much shorter!

Lays of Ancient Calderdale

Then out spoke brave Mick Chatham
While leaning on the gate:
"To every stile upon this hill
Wet rot comes soon or late.
So how can you do better,
Than setting things aright
With step and rail and treadboard
And a yellow-topped upright!"

More next week - work that is, not 'verse'!