On a cool but dry May morning, armed with spades, azads, shears, loppers, brushes and the contents of a standard tool bag (not forgetting the mandatory first aid kit!) Angus, Ginny, Guy, Jan, Nick and Paul tackled a footpath on a set of stone steps along the wall line in a field from Stocks Lane down to Peel House Lodge.
The first task, tackled by Nick and Paul, was to cut back the overhanging trees at the beginning of the footpath to improve the visibility of a new metal marker flag recently installed by Calderdale Highways. Cutting back the brambles and other growth clarified and encouraged the approach for walkers going towards the rudimentary stile in the field below.
The extent of the overgrown and partially dilapidated stone path soon became obvious - but we all like a challenge!
The work involved cutting away the grass and weeds obscuring the magnificent stone flags whilst preserving the foxgloves of course. Ginny and Nick showed how it should be done.
In several places, the stone flags were misaligned or missing altogether, but fortunately the latter were found partly embedded in the field. Angus and Jan took on the challenge of retrieving and replacing them.
The end result was a very smart looking flight of steps - an enjoyable and satisfying day's work with great views over the beautiful Luddenden valley.
Oh! . . . and Guy did some sweeping up . . .
