TODMORDEN - Ramsden Wood

Ramsden Wood - Men on the edge!

Fortunately it was a fine dry day for Ian V and Frank H to work on the precipitous shale slopes above Ramsden Wood. Here's the problem:

The edge of the path that Ian is standing on is shored up by revetment, but the path is collapsing away beneath the revetment boards. If we remove the old revetment, the path is likely to disappear as a mini-landslide! The slope below is very steep and has a crumbling surface!

However, the vertical posts supporting the revetment boards are in surprisingly good condition and could be used as anchors for additional boards . . . . but how do we get across that slope?

. . . the answer is very carefully! 

Higher up the bank, two wooden stobs were driven in to act as anchors for safety ropes.

Footholds were cut out across the face of the slope so Frank H could maintain balance and use tools.

The first of the extra boards is already in place. It is nailed to the outer face of two vertical posts and to a long stob (left foreground) that has been hammered deeply into the banking. 

More revetment boards in place.

View from same perspective as picture 1

     

Extra stobs have been hammered in to support the boards, any gaps between the old and the new have been back-filled and the central stob has been tethered to the top of the old revetment to maintain structural stability. 

There is still some work to do. One more 3.6 m x 150 mm x 50 mm revetment board needs to be added to bring the height of the new facing up to the level of the path and the path itself needs some landscaping.

We were pleased with today's efforts. The structure feels secure and the path is safer . . . although with South Pennine downpours onto a shale surface you can never be too certain! . . . and despite the fact it was Friday 13th no-one dropped a hammer, lost a drill bit or disappeared down the slope in a cloud of shale dust! Hooray!

Today's work was supported by the Crook Hill Windfarm Community Fund.