BLACKSHAW HEAD: Daisy Bank Clough,

 Daisy Bank Clough: Packhorse Bridge below Lane Side

On a day when early mist cleared to give bright, sunny conditions and extensive views over the South Pennines, a team comprising Ken, Kasher, Steve and Frank H carried out a mixture of tasks:

1. Cutting a template for a 'former' that will be used in the repair of a small (very small) Packhorse Bridge that is in danger of collapsing.

2. Re-instating marker posts that had been used too vigorously as back-scratchers by the horses that graze the rough moorland near the bridge.

3. Moving on to survey a footbridge that needs replacing. The bridge, although not on a right-of-way, has long provided a useful crossing of Colden Water between Rough Hey and Lower Heath. 

4. Moving again to surveying two stiles in the Land Farm/Rodmer Clough area.

This blog gives detail of the first task where Long Row and Lower Lane tracks converge to cross Daisy Bank Clough (see map).

Todays work was kindly funded by Blackshaw Head Parish Council

 The detail.

What was once a significant packhorse route is discussed in the definitive book  'Seen on the Packhorse Tracks' (Titus Thornber) and the small packhorse bridge that crosses a potentially awkward gully in Daisy Bank Clough gets special mention.

The bridge has an unusual design being built in two parallel sections that are in contact but not keyed into one another. Mmm! That created a problem.

The perspective here is awkward but the half of the bridge seen in the foreground has performed a rotational collapse and what appears to be the side of the bridge is in fact the original top surface! The next picture, taken under the bridge, makes this clearer (perhaps!)

The collapsed section will be removed and a wooden 'former' put in place to provide a construction framework on which to re-build that half of the bridge.

Today's task was to cut a template that matched the sound arch of the bridge and then (at a later date back at the workshop) use this template to construct the 'former'. Here's how the template task went:

Wooden plyboard held against the bridge
arch prior to marking up as a template. 

Mmm! Lots of guesstimates here!

Arch shape being cut out with a jig-saw.

Does it fit the arch of the bridge? Never in doubt.

This is not a task that CROWS have done before so a lot of thought and some trial and error was needed. Construction of the 'former' will be done in the next week or so then it's over to the drystone wallers for expert stone arch building. More in a future blog!

HEBDEN BRIDGE - Nutclough

Ray, Jerry and Rich continued replacing the revetment on the path from the end of Chapel Avenue. Work funded by Pennine Heritage and Friends of Nutclough.

The details

First, remove the old rotten revetment.

Then secure the new and put back the gravel.

18 metres of revetment installed . . . , only another 45 metres to go!

While we were there, we cleared some steps that were slowly disappearing under mud and mulch.

All in all a good day.

Location : Path between Keighley Road and Midgehole CROWS : Dave and Terry
Task : Continuation of steps at top end of path.

Weather : Wintery sun but warm.

The top of the steps required another 3 double steps which we filled with crushed stone to give them stability and purchase.

At the bottom where the slope was less steep we managed to get away with two more single steps which again we filled with crushed stone.

Whilst we were having lunch a walker came up the steps and thanked us for our work in the countryside saying that he would go home and give a donation to the CROWS fund.

Location : Path between Keighley Road and Midgehole CROWS : Richard P, Terry, Dick, Fred, Gerald, Rich J, Bernard, Graham and Dave
Task : two series of steps to construct at either end of the path.

Weather : Grey, drizzly but warm.

The path was quite a steep slope which was muddy and very slippery.

Dave and Bernard surveyed the task, made some decisions and them set to work.

It turned out that under the mud were lots of tree roots and stones which had to be removed prior to constructing the steps.

 Most of the steps had to be doubles with the longer 18 inch posts.

 We filled the steps with crushed stone and placed large stones on the downward side.

There are still 3 double steps to be completed at the top and 3 single steps at the bottom. More work may be needed on filling in when more stone can be found.

A before and after picture:

This 'before & after' picture is spectacular. What a fantastic day's work everyone! Ruth

Friday 12th December

Mick, Ginny, Gerald, Ruth

We opened up a very overgrown path off Allescholes Road, Todmorden.  There was still a fingerpost but the path was invisible with almost shoulder-high ferns & brambles.  Ginny & Mick remembered working on it about 10 years ago making a long flight of steps.  Some were still there and only needed uncovering but others needed repairing or replacing.  Thanks to Gerald for the very appropriate lunch-time poetry from Kipling and Robert Frost!

A lovely day in Hardcastle Crags

Well it hailed, sleeted and rained but we had a good day working on the path from Gibson Mill to Stones Hey. There were several drainage issues on the path as well as a marker post needed.

 One of the many turn-bys we put in to take water off the path

Four sets of steps cleared and a couple of flights of cut steps installed.

 Under loads of leaf litter, there was a good surface - at least you can see where the path goes now.

Now this might not look much, but there's a pipe under the path to take the water away and a stone silt trap installed, that should sort it!

There was a need for a sign post as the footpath up to Slack was easy to miss.

Much of the other work was also drainage and in some places footpath widening.

 The footpath down from Slack had a very dangerous slippery slope into which we tried to cut some steps to give at least some basic safety.

Just as we finished we had our first walker who was very positive about our efforts.

 The final section of the day was clearing the path of mud just as it joins the road.

A couple of before and after photos

Two work parties

Wednesday November 3rd
A short day up Cragg Vale - putting in woodland signs in Cragg Hall Wood for Pennine Heritage, waymarking and cutting back the delightful path at bank Top. Last job was to look at the path going down to Trimming Dale which needs waymarking and some steps putting in. No photos.

Friday November 3rd
Working on the National; trust path from the Keighley Road to Midgehole Road. Main job was to clear all the mud from the path to see what the surface was like. completed the whole path, put in two wooden steps, created a stone step and sorted a stream crossing. Two long sets of steps left to do (and a second check of the drainage). Again no photos.

Dick Fred & Richard J path improvement at Brearley for LDWA

The path was very uneven & slippery so nature's  debris & stone clearance & re-siting was needed  

The site was tidied & cleared & Alan Greenwood of LDWA paid a visit & was pleased with the work

Location : Pex Tenements
CROWS : Fred, Richard J, Dick, Terry and Barbara
Task : continuation of previous work we did not complete
Weather : cool, damp, grey but brightened up after lunch but became colder.

When we got there we found that the pipe under the track was blocked and water was running down the path.

Part of the problem was that the water was not getting away on the far side of the track. As you can see below the ditch was well overgrown. We set out to clear this.

A coil of plastic piping had fallen into the ditch which helped block the water flow.

There was also run-off from the trough at the other side of the gate. The ditch here was also overgrown and so we cleared this as well.

Further up the track beyond the house was another blocked ditch which we cleared. As you can see it was filled with a variety of plastic pipes through which the water did and didn't flow.

We found a stone culvert at one end which led into a pipe which again was blocked with vegetation.

As the fields on both sides of the track are higher than the path the drainage work we had done previously had not made the track any drier so we decided to lay stepping stones to assist walkers.

There were a couple of marker posts which needed re-signing.

 A few before and after pictures.