The 5th CROWS work party out on Wednesday this week saw Jan & Neil D. repair a stile and clear the potentially dangerous overgrown footpath leading from the Pennine Way near Shawbottom into Dill Scout's Wood. The path is part of a well-used and locally popular (including for our two protagonists!) circuit that takes walkers round the Head itself.
The two, with Jerry, had only scoped out the work the previous week, and thus staked out a claim for possibly one of the fastest times taken to complete a CROWS task on record from when the 'Path issue(s) were first reported' to 'Survey' to 'Job done'!
The first task was to replace the two rotten posts which supported the higher of the stile's two treadboards but which had completely broken. The second task was to cut back bracken and other vegetation and overhanging branches alongside a particularily perilous stretch of the footpath that runs round very close to the edge and high above Ragley Delph (a former quarry).
Today's work was funded by Blackshaw Head Parish Council
The details:
Task 1: (Altogether now...) Oh, my, what a rotten stile!
Before work started:
There he was, digging a hole, a hole in the ground...
First we had to dig out the rotten stubs of the old posts - which proved much more difficult than anticipated because the bottom of the posts were still perfectly sound, and not rotten at all!
The Stile Council?
Once rid of the remains of the old posts, the holes were then dug out a little deeper to accommodate the slightly longer new posts. The old treadboard was still was perfectly usable but was turned upside down (so the better, less weathered side was up) before positioning it on top of the two new posts. Everything was checked to ensure it was level before nailing it back in place.
The Levellers
For two relatively novice CROWS, we thought even Frank would've been proud of this one!
Task 2: Path Clearance
After lunch we returned to the start of the path into the woods with strimmer, pruners, bow saw, pruning saw, shears and loppers to clear it of overgrown vegetation and overhanging branches. We divvied the work up between us, Jan taking the strimmer and Neil D. making do with everything else. Due to the nature of the work no photos could be taken, not even a selfie!
