Wednesday 11 November 2020

CHECKING PATHS DURING 'LOCKDOWN-2'

 Walks Around Mytholmroyd: Walk 1.

No on-site work today because of 'Covid-19 Lockdown-2' restrictions, but Ray and Frank H did some in-depot tasks and then surveyed walk 1 (the Daisy Bank & Old Chamber route) for any problems. Here's a brief photo tour:


i) In the depot:

Frank H cutting long stobs (900 mm) for future tasks. Good technique - masks and gloves being worn, eye on the cutting line, free hand clear of the saw blade, timber secure and dust extractor on.







ii) On the survey walk:


Most items were minor: 

*Two marker posts were loose and will need taking out and re-embedding.

*One marker post, at an important junction, was missing.

*One gate (picture on right) needs a closure device. Probably a cord loop fixed to the gate in conjunction with a batten fixed to the gate post will be the simplest.



Some items need construction work:

*The steps up through the Daisy Bank conifer plantation are, in the main, adequate although some cosmetic scraping would be useful.

However, one step (picture on left) is damaged. The cause of this? Look closely and you can see the mountain-bike tracks where the wheel impact has broken the riser. It's an example of the unfortunate (and costly!) outcome of mountain bikers cycling illegally on public footpaths!




Further along this delightful and varied walk there is a stile below Old Chamber where the path enters Crow Nest Wood. This stile (tested out by an elderly pensioner!) is negotiable at the moment but may need work in the post-covid future!

So far on this walk we spotted 6 problems (about one every kilometre!). There's bound to be more after a few months of winter conditions - we could have a busy spring in 2021!

To cheer everyone up (or otherwise) here's a short parody . . .  

To the tune of the Gilbert and Sullivan number 'I am the very model of a modern Major-General' (Pirates of Penzance 1879), we have:

WE ARE THE VERY MODEL OF HOW TO WORK IN GENERAL!

We are the very model of how to work in general,

We've information vertical, lateral but minimal,

We know the inch is old and the foot is quite historical,

And screw size 6 to 12 is no longer categorical!


We've nearly got a grasp of all matters mathematical,

We know that adding up seems tricky and illogical,

About a wooden structure, we're full of all the latest news . . . 

A gate is not much good without a brace on the hypotenuse!


We're really good with tools that make our work meticulous,

We're careful not to botch; we don't want to look ridiculous:

In short, for matters vertical, lateral but minimal,

We are the very model of how to work in general!


Today's survey was funded by CROWS and the parody was free! Phew!


Paul and Ian S surveyed Midgley Moor as part of the 'Walks around Midgley' leaflet survey. To say we walked in style was an understatement! In fact seven stiles that all need repairing! Part of this walk takes in the Calderdale Way from Dry Carr to Churn Milk Joan. A number of way mark posts up to Churn Milk Joan are looking very sad, their yellow tops faded away and several loosened by the ravages of time. A repaint and re-fixing job for someone on a warm sunny day...

Don't be fooled by the photo of the stile (below) - It may look OK but on closer inspection you will see that all the posts are rotten at the base making the stile very unsafe. A bit of a rebuild this one! The fourth photo reveals a missing stone step. Its broken off and is lying on top of the bottom step. This job will be a challenging one!