On Remembrance Day, a beautiful autumnal Monday morning, two CROWS, Ginny and Neil D, set out to undertake more Causey Stone path-clearing on the Calderdale Way between Hebble Hole and Heptonstall (highlighted in green on the map below).
The same duo had been involved in similar task at the same location about a year ago, but that had concentrated more on trimming back dense and prickly vegetation that was threatening to overgrow the path.
Our instructions this time were 'to be brutal'. We wanted to expose the
whole width of the stone path, which essentially meant cutting back up
to 30 cm of grassy overgrowth on one side of the stone surface. We worked as a team, with Ginny going ahead cutting into the overgrowth on the bank side, and Neil following on behind using an azad or a spade to lift off the 'turfs' to reveal the stone slabs
underneath.
... and after.
Neil getting in on the action lifting the side turfs with an azad.
As well as the smooth concave groove worn across the stone slabs from generations of impact by human clogs or boots, and packhorse hooves, what was interesting to see, once the 'turf' had been lifted, was that the stone surface revealed still had rough grooves, indentations and other marks on it (seen on the left in the photo above).
Whether these were just the quarrymen's marks left after chiselling out the stones or were carved deliberately and originally spread across the whole of the top surface is up for debate. If the latter is true they would undoubtedly have given a rougher, non-slip surface on which to walk!
It was slow work and only about half the length of the path was cleared, leaving some work for future weeks. Before we packed up our tools and left, we also cut back some overgrowth at the end of the section of path (beyond the silver birch tree above) to reveal what might once have been a small stone water trough for the packhorses of old.
Our 'Drainage Queen's eyes lit up at the thought of clearing a channel there next time, so that the water could drain more readily under the path into the field alongside!
This work was funded by Heptonstall Parish Council. Many thanks.
