TODMORDEN - Inchfield Pasture

Today was the annual pilgrimage to Inchfield Pasture to ensure that we provided adequate rubbing posts for the itchy-backed cattle on the moorland! 

There were two teams out today: Ken and Kasher working on the blue-topped Bridleway posts across the moor, towards Brown Road Farm, and Frank H (on temporary loan from the stylish team), Ian V and Mick, moving and reinstating the yellow topped posts from the top of Gorpley Reservoir dam wall to Foul Clough Road.

Bridleway team:

Ken and Kasher decided to start the task of reinstating the marker posts and adding in new marker posts as far away from Foul Clough Road as it was possible for the vehicle to go. After negotiating safe passage with a large suckler herd we found the end of the causey stones and then started the search for the posts.

Missing posts were replaced with new SHORT blue-topped posts, which may be less susceptible to large bovines. Posts still in situ were straightened and repacked with stones from nearby (ish !!). 

On this bright but amazingly breezy day the only thing that kept us from being blown over was the weight of stones being carried in the rucksack for packing and repacking the posts.

After completing the lower half of the track we moved to near Thorns Grease (and the pond) to start replacing and reinstating the posts at the top of the track. Unfortunately, we have not been able to complete this section of the bridleway and we will need to return next week to replace the 7 or 8 posts which are either loose, in the mud or AWOL.

New, short bridleway post... and Kasher

Posts along the causey path

Open access team (AKA Mick's, muddy, moorland, mob):

Meanwhile, in a swamp not far away Mick, Ian V and Frank H were picking out the 'least worst' route from Gorpley Reservoir to Foul Clough Road. In poor weather, this open access area is tricky to navigate, is often very wet underfoot and, in places, has been heavily churned by livestock and vehicles.

Cattle just love a scratch! This accounts for some of the marker posts being badly out of true or even flat on the ground so once we had established the general direction of our path (keeping as close as possible to the old Todmorden 116 footpath), we embarked on re-setting, re-aligning and adding to the line of posts . . . and here's the method . . . 

Dig a starter hole . . . 

Bar in a deep pilot hole. . . 

The next bit is really hard work! The flat end of the bar acts like a hammer so the post can be driven deeply into the ground. The sides of the hole are packed with stones and these are rammed down very, very firmly until the post feels really tight . . . and then rammed some more! The top few cm of the hole are filled with the excavated turf. Any spare stone can be piled around the base of the post.

Think about handing the bar over to Frank!

There were a lot of posts! Although they were as firmly packed as possible (another upper body work out for all!) this route will need a check every couple of years.

Today's work was funded by Todmorden Town Council. Many thanks.