CRAGG VALE: Will Clough and Turvin Clough

 Will Clough:- postwork!

Jan L and Frank H returned to the path that goes from the terrace of houses named 'Wilclough' to follow the North bank of 'Will Clough' up towards New Road. 

Start of session:

A picture taken in low light conditions. This set of steps is in poor condition but can be negotiated by a nimble walker using the posts and linking ropes (just visible on the right) to aid balance.

Unfortunately, one of the posts is missing and the rest are loose or rotten. Additionally the 'grab rope' linking the posts is badly frayed and has become detached in two places.

By lunchtime:

The bottom post has been re-bedded and further secured by a diagonal brace. This post is very secure and will eventually act as an 'anchor' for the whole line of posts.

The next four posts have been replaced but bedrock made it extremely difficult to make the pilot holes deep enough  . . .  at least not deep enough to keep Frank H happy!

To overcome this problem, rubble was hammered in to firm up the posts and the posts were linked by a series of' 'bracers'.

 

End of the session

Overall six posts have been installed. They are linked by the bracing rails along the line of the steps and braced laterally at intervals by a short rail and stob.

The whole array of posts feels secure and the old 'grab rope' has been replaced by a more substantial arrangement with an overhand 'knot' at the mid-point of each section providing a hand hold.

Once the work on the whole flight has been completed, the rope may be replaced by a handrail.

Today's efforts were very demanding on energy and stamina! The creation of each main pilot hole took about 25 'hits' with the 1.5 m bar and a further 30 or so 'hits' with the heavy-duty post-knocker were needed to drive the post home. Additional pounding was needed for the packing stones and stobs. There might be some aching shoulders tonight!

Today's work, but not the supply of 'Deep Heat' embrocation, was funded by the Luddenden Foot Ward Forum.

 

Meanwhile Ray, Lynda, Ian and Eleanor set off  to clear a watercourse on the hillside above Turvin Clough and below Higher House Moor (not far from the Hinchliffe Arms.). The landowner had reported that water was pouring on to the footpath below and thought the land drain was failing.

 

Ray started to investigate at the top of the channel .....
 

.......and Eleanor and Ian investigated what was going on further down the channel. There was no evidence of any water seeping the length of the course.....

 

...... and some water was coming out of the pipe at the bottom on the far side of the path into a deep stone basin.

..... but Ray quickly discovered that the drain at the top was blocked, and once it was cleared water ran through to the bottom pipe. Lynda and Eleanor scraped mud and residual water off the footpath to speed up the drying out process.  Hopefully that will do the trick. 

The job was scheduled to be a day's work but was soon done, so we set off along the beautiful  riverside path towards the footbridge that crosses the clough and climbs up to Green Bank . There were various areas of mud to be scraped off but considering it is winter  the path was in reasonable condition until we reached the spot where the Information Board is sited just by the footbridge. Reading the board involved standing up to your ankles in muddy mulch!

 

We collected stones and created a bit of a 'platform' but it was definitely a temporary fix to be improved another day. Frank and Jan definitely had the harder job today!!