Portsmouth: Teetering on the Edge!
Mick, Ken, Catherine, Neil and Frank H worked in 'border country' on Windy Bank,where a section of the Burnley Way coincides with the footpath (Todmorden 055) that leads up towards Brown Birks.
The tasks were:
1. Unload the CALVAG delivery then . . . a long carry of tools and materials!
2. Construct revetment and widen the path at a particularly precipitous point.
3. Drain and improve the stone pathway across a boggy section.
Today's work was funded by a donation from the 'Todmorden Wind Farm Fund' accessed through the 'Community Foundation for Calderdale'. Many thanks.
Also many thanks to the residents of Monkroyd House for permission to park there so as to get vehicles as near to the job as possible.
The details
1. The carry
Mmm! Uphill and uphill and uphill . . . and more than once! However, there were compensations . . .
. . . we could always pause to admire the fine, far-reaching views . . . as well as taking time to gasp and hyperventilate!
2. The revetment
i) The location
Mick (clerk of works and quality control) pointing out where the revetment needs to be installed.
ii) The work begins
Sizing up and judging the best position for the revetment rails. The revetment was a combination of single rail edging that became triple depth shoring where the path collapse was greatest. Standard (0.6 m), long (0.9 m) and extra long (1.2 m) stobs were used as anchors. Multiple rocks made the ground very resistant but it eventually succumbed to energetic use of the bar (to make pilot holes) and the heavy maul (to drive the stobs home).
iii) Some time later
Work in progress. The above picture gives a good indication of how narrow be the way and how steep the drop! The following is an 'end of session' picture.
Ken and Frank H worked on this section of revetment but were later joined by Catherine, Neil and Mick (once their own tasks were finished - see separate blog) to help with path grading.
The scale here is difficult to judge so it might seem to be not much for a day's effort! However, there are several metres of revetment in place and much of the work e.g. alignment, establishing tiers of revetment, packing, drilling, nailing, screwing, sawing, widening, digging, excavating and turf banking is a 'hidden' task.
There is more to do here. In the coming weeks an extra ~5 m of rail will be used to extend the existing revetment up towards the small rock in top centre of picture . . . provided Ken and Frank have got their breath back!
