Midgley; Revetment work on footpath above Chapel Lane

 Midgley: Coal Dyke revetment

The footpath (see map) that is a continuation of Chapel Lane, traverses the gorse and heather slope above Coal Dyke (shown on older maps as Coal Dike). CROWS have done much work over the years to keep this footpath open and today's tasks were to install new revetment where the path was collapsing and to re-instate a section that needed the existing revetment stabilising.

1. Coal Dyke: The blue pin marks the area where improvements were made.

The day for Ian S, Paul and Frank H started with the sight of an inversion layer (where warmer air acts like a 'cap' to trap cooler denser air) . . .

2. Upper Calder Valley inversion layer.

The session began with a carry - revetments, stobs, tools and personal gear had to be ferried up a rough track and an even rougher path to the working area - before a day of 'heavy hitting' could begin.

The Detail:

Spoiler alert: The before and after pictures will appear at this point. This narrowed path is collapsing because the up-slope gorse and heather have encroached to force walkers more and more towards the unprotected down-slope edge.

BEFORE:

3. Path before: Yes it is there! -  just to
the right of the clump of gorse!

AFTER: 

The day's work was to cut-back vegetation, widen the path to get 'working room', install revetments then further widen and backfill the path's tread area to give . . . .

4. Path afterwards: A lot of effort need to get this!

DURING: This is how the day went:

5. Narrow path with collapsed edges revealed.

6. Vegetation on L cut back: First section of revetment
being fitted but further widening still to do.

7. More alignment; revetment in place
and 'stobs' being hammered home!

8. Further up the path: Existing revetment re-'stobbed'
and the path widened.

9. All braced and stable? Then the long 'stobs'
can be hammered into place.

10. End of session i) Down-path view of new
revetment, and the widening is underway.

11. End of session ii) Up-path view of new
revetment and cleared path.

This was an energy sapping session. Heather was tough, gorse was prickly, ground was stony, stobs were prone to drifting out of the vertical . . . but, at least, it didn't rain until the final half-hour of the day!

There is further work to be done on this path. Certainly more cutting-back and perhaps one or two steps but for now it is easily passable.