COLDEN - around Hebble Hole

A gang of seven CROWS were out today to deal with waymarking, encroaching vegetation and a missing step.

The work was funded by Natural England, Calderdale Council, Heptonstall Parish Council and donations to CROWS. Many thanks.

The details

Team 1: Jerry and Andrew improved the steps on the Pennine Way down to Hebble Hole.

In the wet but a missing step
is being replaced . . . . 

 

. . .  . and the tread area back-filled.

They then braved the horizontally driving 'mizzle' to remove vegetation from a narrow section of the walled, Pennine Way path that leads up to Shaw Bottom. 

All cleared. The stone surface just needs a good wash down . . . which the forthcoming spell of Autumn rain will doubtless provide!
 

 Team 2:  In similar conditions (i.e. damp then damper!), Angus and Frank H worked on the opposite side of the valley installing markerposts to clarify the direction and type of paths. It's difficult to make markerposts seem interesting but here's a finished example . . . and it does look neat!:

Almost a Totem Pole! Two rights-of-way paths
and two specific routes; namely, The Calderdale 
Way and the Hebden Bridge Pennine Way Loop.

Team 3: Jak and Rich worked firstly on a Pennine Way drainage problem. The water flowing over the path was diverted by digging out a side-drain and also by creating a channel across the path.

Next, they removed encroaching vegetation from the side of the wooden bridge. 

Footbridge no longer overgrown by
vegetation from the banking.

 

Team 4: Jan (later joined by Rich and Jak) started work on removing vegetation from the paved section of the Calderdale Way. The overgrowth of nettles and brambles was so dense that walkers had been forced off the stoned path! As a longer term solution, instead of just cutting-back, they dug out the root system. This is a time consuming task so for the moment it is a 'work in progress' . . . . a CROWS team will be back!

Slow progress but the results are good!

On a brief solo mission, to just beyond where Frank and Angus were working, Rich went along the Calderdale Way to re-position two of the causey stones that had slipped off the paved field path. (Again no photos were taken as it was even wetter!)

The day was happily rounded off by 'rock' cakes and a brew of tea at Shaw Bottom Farm.Yummy! . . . and many thanks from seven damp CROWS!!