Billie and Rich worked on three waymarking issues and then joined Frank H, Jerry and Jan who were reconfiguring two stiles at Blackshaw Royd. Today's work was funded by Blackshaw Parish Council and a local landowner. Many thanks.
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| Waymarking sites |
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| Stile sites |
The details
1. The waymarking
The Calderdale Way sign opposite Blackshaw Head Chapel, now points in the correct direction!
The waymarking on the bridleway above the Chapel was confusing but is now clear . . . and correct!
A fingerpost on a path off Davey Lane was lying on the floor. After a struggle (the curse of deadmen*), we removed the old stump, shortened the post and reset it.
*Deadmen are nails partly hammered-in near the bottom end of a post (see picture 1c). They inhibit unwanted movement . . . but also make the post difficult to extract!
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| 1a. Felt like it had been lying there for several years! |
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| 1b. Sometimes hands and knees is the only way to do it |
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| 1c. The effort this took! |
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| 1d. Post in, flag cleaned and waymark added |
2. The stiles
In ideal conditions, Jerry, Jan and Frank H reconfigured two stiles on Blackshaw 059 opposite Blackshaw Royd Barn.
'First' stile:
Here's a picture of the stile before work began.
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| First stile: Start of session. |
At first glance, there appears to be few problems, however:
i) The stile is surprisingly tricky to negotiate.
ii)The right side-post is completely rotten at the base.
iii) The stock fence (on the right) is partly collapsed and engulfed by undergrowth.
iv) One cross-rail has been removed to create gap large enough for a wide (literally!) variety of livestock.
Actually, the stile serves no purpose as the path is bordered by a substantial post and wire fence; by a ruined drystone wall, by a screen of willow trees and by a second, older fence. Another stile (the 'second' stile) further down the path controls the movement of walkers and livestock.
Our task therefore was to remove redundant parts of this stile, replace the rotten side-post with a new but braced post and temporarily re-attach the old stock fence prior to its replacement by the landowner.
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| First stile: Work in progress. Down-path view New post firmly braced. |
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| First stile: End of session.. Up-path view New post with stock fencing re-attached (temporarily) and barbed section near the post fitted with a protective sleeve. |
'Second' stile
This stile is in good (ish) condition but lacks a dog-gate. Consequently the adjoining stock fence has become mis-shapen! Mmm!
Here's a picture of the stile before work began.
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| Second stile: Start of session. Looks like a gap for small dogs has been created between the main stock fence and the top barbed wire. |
The stile itself is sound enough. The plan was to create a gap for a 'lift'-type dog-gate by removing the diagonal brace (it was loose), embedding a new (braced) post to the right of the existing stile post, attaching (and re-tensioning) the stock fence to this new post and fitting cross-rails with dog-gate in the gap.
Here's how it went:
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| Second stile: Work in progress. New post being firmly packed into place by Jerry. |
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| Second stile: Panoramic view with old stile, new post and peeled-back stock fence |
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| Second stile: End of session. Dog-gate installed, stock fence re-tensioned and barbed section near the post covered with a protective sleeve. |
Later, Billie and Rich cut-back encroaching bramble and willow along this section of Blackshaw 059. They also looked at a drainage issue but will need to return in wet conditions to fully assess the extent of the problem.
Overall it was a successful day - fine weather, far reaching views and interesting tasks 'enlivened' by dense undergrowth (with nettles!), rocky ground and the disproportionately, finger-numbing, time-consuming task of straightening, re-aligning, re-tensioning and re-attaching old fencing.
More next week (weather permitting) on a major project.
