Ginny, Kasher, Lynda and Eleanor had an unexpectedly dry and sometimes sunny day for tackling this jungle of a path . Bird Lane which runs between Rochdale Road at the bottom towards Cross Wells Road at the top was once a wide walled track,
.
. Because of disrepair it's fallen into disuse , and this once important link path has been reduced to a tangle of vegetation spilling on to the pavement alongside the A58.
Before anything else could be done, Kasher had to start strimming the path to reveal what was underneath the mass of brambles, fern and nettles.
To try and prevent the brambles and nettles from re-growing, we were pulling them up by the roots as far as possible but they are definitely nature's 'thugs'. We also uncovered some drainage problems. The drainage channel down the side of the path was cleared , and soon started to flow vigorously.
Unfortunately there are still a few boggy bits in the middle of the path and despite efforts to find the source we couldn't - perhaps the water is coming from springs. However we dug one or two shallow channels into the main channel and that should help .
And Ginny and Kasher excavated the lower end of the channel to look for a drain . None was apparent so Kasher ceated a dam to slow the flow and enable it to seep into the earth. To be monitored!!
So, there is now a good navigable path leading up to the top road but it needs to be used to keep it clear. Walkers of Ripponden and beyond , we urge you to use it !!
This work is funded by a grant from Ripponden Parish Council and individual donations. We are grateful to them.
