Following last week's work by Jan & Neil D. to repair a stile and clear the potentially dangerous overgrown footpath leading from the Pennine Way near Shawbottom into Dill Scout's Wood, Jan and Ian S. revisited the area to replace two short sections of boardwalk crossing small streams in a particularly dark, damp and boggy area of the woods.
Out in the open it was a warm and pleasant day. However, in the woods it was dank and fly infested. Plagued by midges, we soldiered on to replace the two boardwalks and and to reposition the stepping stones crossing the mud. The main route of the stream was excavated to reduce overspill and thereby encourage the wet ground to dry out. We'll have to revisit the site to add staples to the boardwalks to improve grip underfoot and to adjust the stepping stones as (hopefully) the ground dries.
Today's work was again funded by Blackshaw Head Parish Council.
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| Today's location. |
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| The old boardwalk next to the primal bog... |
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| Manoeuvring the stobs in the very soft ground. |
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| The two new double-width boardwalks; looking much better. |
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| Marley the dog testing out the new structures ... |
