Last of the Pennine Way Jobs (for a while)?

As promised, Stella & Neil D returned with reinforcements, in the shape of Heidi & Ginny, to complete the job begun back in September of clearing the remaining turn-byes on the Pennine Way from Dicks Lane up to Stoodley Pike.

Fortunately, thanks to a fair bit of rain since the last time we were there, the work was a little bit easier. The several inches of drought-compacted sand and stones had softened somewhat, but even with the four of us, it was still quite hard going.

Stella and Heidi set to with spade and hoe (aka 'azad' in CROWS-speak)

to clear the silt and sand blocking the path...

... while Ginny did the same a little further along the Way.

Keeping a careful look out for trolls, Heidi and Stella also cleared a flagstone bridge of rushes along with accumulated peat and grasses, so that water could flow underneath the path again.

Heidi looking a mite disappointed not to find a crock of gold under the rainbow

at the start of a paved section but, undeterred, Stella kept on digging.

One final flagstone bridge cleared - Heidi checking for daylight.

Just time for one last photo of the crew with this season's work on the Pennine Way all but done...

... saving a final coda to the PW job list on the way home: Replacing one of the old Pennine Way finger posts where the trail crosses Badger Lane in Blackshaw Head. Besides the use of the serif typeface, you could tell it was old because half inch dowel rods had been used to fix it in place. The post needed a little drilling out so the new 15mm dowel rods could fit snugly. 

This work has been funded by Natural England and Calderdale Council Highways