A big gang of Billie, Ginny, Heidi, Linda, Rich and Stella took on the task of clearing two flights of stone steps in the Colden Valley.
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| Steps marked in yellow |
The steps down from 'Five Way' just needed minor clearing with some cutting back of brambles.
The main job was clearing (and waymarking) the steps up to Pike Stone Bank - a problem which a member of the public had reported.
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| Steps easy to miss with some well-covered by vegetation. |
Six people with azads (scrapers), spades and brooms worked their way upwards to uncover a magnificent set of steps which were probably built in the early 19th century to get people from the tops down into the Colden Valley mills.
Here's a few photos of work in progress and the final clearing of the first section.
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| Synchronized scraping |
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| All cleared |
We then moved on to the second section - even more hidden by vegetation!
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| Getting stuck in |
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| Peeling off a layer of grass - so satisfying! |
There were two sections where the nearby drain was clogged with vegetation, causing water to flow on to the steps. Ginny (our drain guru) was sent to sort out the problem.
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| After removing vegetation from the old drain, the water stopped flooding across the steps |
We cleared about three quarters of the top section of steps but called it a day as the torrential rain started . . . just as we were running out of energy!
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| Looking good |
The remainder of the steps and some waymarking will be completed next week.
This work was funded by Heptonstall Parish Council and a donation from Slack Fest.
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| A 'lichen and moss' forest |
