TODMORDEN: DAISY BANK CLOUGH

 Daisy Bank Clough: 'stepopolis' continued!

Yet another sunny day in this sheltered spot for Ian V and Frank H to complete steps that will make the ascent up the side of the clough less hazardous.

As a reminder, this is what we started with:

The route up to the stile is steep, wet and made unstable by the rotted debris of historic attempts at building steps.

The plan was to construct steps that went straight on from the end of the footbridge, then traversed left before rising up to the stile.

Last week saw us part way through this process.

At the end of today, this was the result:

The job was not without technical difficulties. Saturation by recent heavy rain revealed the 'weakness' of the ground and how easily step treads could puddle. 

These problems were overcome by using very long stobs, making the revetments as interlocking as possible and layering the step tread area with textile, coarse stone then finer stone.

This involved a lot of barrowing but fortunately two members of the Todmorden mafia (aka CROWS Mick C and RJ) appeared to shovel and haul. Thanks, guys - lots of hard work without any of the glory (apart from this 'mention in dispatches').

There is just a small amount of landscaping to do, and three other steps to build so access to the footbridge is possible from a path that comes in from the right (see top picture) - a straightforward task easily done by a couple of volunteers in half a day . . . Mmm! we've said that before . . . !

MIDGLEY: FERNEY LEE FARM

Ferney Lee Farm: Gate, fence and stile 

Paul and Frank H out again, after a week's break, to continue with a series of tasks on the right-of-way through Ferney Lee.

i. The gate

This gate has seen better days!

The left-hand gate post is a board bolted loosely to a concrete 'upright'.

The gate hinges have rusted away.

The gate 'stop' (a short stob) is rotten.

Time for some remedial action . . . 

. . . It's difficult to see what Paul is doing here!

It could be the re-enactment of an ancient springtime ritual peculiar to Old Town . . . or perhaps he is just tightening the new bolts that will fix the gate 'post' firmly to the concrete upright.

The outcome:

A firm gate post angled slightly back towards the wall so the gate will  swing shut under it's own weight.

New hinges, of a length suitable for this width and weight of gate.

New 'stop' stob so the gate cannot be swung back more than 90 degrees.

ii) The fence

This shows one side of the stile we constructed two weeks ago.

The mesh of the stock fence and the barbed wire are tensioned to the braced straining post rather than the stile side-post. Each strand is held in place by a single staple and the excess wire given one turn around the post and then twisted around itself. 

This keeps barbs away from the stile, gives a neater finish, uses fewer staples and meets the recommended standards for stiles.

iii) The stile

Work was started on a second stile. No 'before' pictures were taken - just imagine a stile with barely embedded side-uprights hanging from a sagging fence! The following picture show the progress so far.

The old uprights have gone. They were only 300 mm into the ground! New ones are in place. They are about 900 mm into the ground!

Installing these new uprights was a problem because the footings of an old wall were exactly where the hole had to be! However thanks to Paul's herculean effort with bar, lump hammer and spade success was a forgone conclusion.

The cross-rails are temporary as is the fixing (barely visible) of the stock fence. The stile however is safe to use,

Next Wednesday (hopefully the weather will be fine again) we'll complete this job although, given the problem with the old wall footings, we might have to use an alternative straining and attachment technique.

Today's work was funded by the landowner who also fuelled us with tea and biscuits (many thanks!).

LOCKDOWN 3: SURVEY WALK. CALDERDALE WAY Withens Clough to Lumbutts

 The Calderderdale Way is a fine path and the stretch from Withens Clough to Lumbutts goes up and over wild moorland with great views and several points of interest.

Paul and Stella walked there and back, refreshing or replacing waymarks and noting any work for the future.  The path north of the reservoir up to the track from Red Dykes ruin has some serious drainage issues.  Where it runs west along the hillside wall it is a lovely stone causey under all the muck.

At the top of the hill is the ancient Te Deum stone and when you get to Mankinholes there is a local welcoming committee.

Brushing off the grot

Follow me!

Great views and helpful waymark

The Te Deum stone

And again

Welcoming committee at Mankinholes

LOCKDOWN SURVEY WALK - Todmorden Centenary Way

 Ian and Rich walked out section 1 and Link paths 1 and 2 - Todmorden - Whirlaw - Great Rock - Burnt Acres - Todmorden.

Plenty of waymarking done and quite a few drainage issues were identified for future work.

One of the many waymarks put up.

The Centenary Way is about to be republished so we are making this a priority to survey and rewaymark while we are unable to do our normal maintenance work.

MYTHOLMROYD: Redacre

 Redacre

Stella and Frank H worked on a path at the edge of Redacre Wood. It was an icy start to the day but windless conditions and an energetic task meant that top layers of clothing were soon shed.

Path before work

The path has all the problems associated with a wet, sheltered, sloping site:-    encroaching undergrowth, overhanging branches and old steps buried by muddy wash-down.

At the top of the path, the plan was to cut back any grass, ivy or brambles by about 1.0 m on either side of the path; widen the path itself; clear mud from the old risers and make level the few stone steps near the top.

Same path after work

Lower down the path was very narrow because of encroaching undergrowth. Cutting back, widening and levelling was carried out (see picture to the right). 

Much further down, the steps that CROWS put in about 5 years ago are still in good condition but the banking to the right is gradually 'invading' the tread area. This 'forces' walkers more to the left so the down-slope edge of the path is starting to be eroded.

Remedial work may be needed here to cut back the right-hand edge and level the tread area. 

Today's work was funded by Hebden Royd Town Council's Mayor's fund.

ABOVE CROW NEST, HEBDEN BRIDGE

Ginny and Rich tackled a number of drainage problems on the bridleway from Wood Top, past the quarry down to the back of Hebden station. Various channels had been overflowing for some time scouring the path and, where the water met leaf fall, making the surface very squidgy.

Escaped water scouring a long length of path

This is a path, not a stream!

The strategy was to dig out the original channels and then allow the water to scour them deeper.

The top section now dug out and running fast

Exit channel dug out

And away the water goes

Lower down a turn-by cleared out

Even lower down, five 'streamlets' all channeled into one exit

A very satisfying day; about 20 walkers passed us, so it is a well used route. We checked our work was not having any effect down below, but nothing had changed. We will need to go back after heavy rain to make sure everything is working OK.

Work funded by Hebden Royd Town Council's Mayor's fund

MOUNT SHED

The Depot: In-house tasks

A morning part session in a rather chilly depot! Two minor construction/adaptation tasks were completed.

Walling Batter Frames

In early 2021,CROWS might have a couple of dry-stone walling jobs to do. For small repair jobs, a string line can be used to maintain the correct building level, but for a longer wall batter frames are useful. Batter frames are placed at the two ends of the wall being constructed. String lines define the horizontal and are gradually moved up the side pieces as building proceeds. The angle of the wall face (the batter) is maintained by the side pieces that are held apart in clamps at about the desired height of the wall. On sloping ground, the stonework is kept horizontal but additional strings are added to give a line parallel to the ground. It can get confusing!

Under-desk Storage

A tier of storage boxes destined for the tip was 'rescued' by CROWS and recycled. 

The original four tiers were reduced to three, rested on a wooden base and now sit neatly under the 'administration' desk.

The top two trays can hold some of our ever-increasing paperwork but the bottom tray is ideal for the gin bottle!

Four nuts and bolts apart, all today's items were from scrap or recycled materials.

BLACKSHAW HEAD - Lower Rawtonstall and Charlestown

Ginny and Heidi put in a waymark post at a junction of paths above Oakville Road, Charlestown.

First dig your hole   

 

 

Then remove the earth

                                                       

Add the waymarks        

Work done

                                                                           

Paul and Rich went up to Dark Lane which is an old bridleway running South West from Lower Rawtonstall. We did some work here a while ago to try and get water off the path but it clearly needs more work as it is now nearly impassible - the track is covered with 6 inches of mud making it a nightmare to walk on.

More of a slurry than a surface!

Billie who lives nearby, had spotted signs that there were some large stones in places and showed us what she had discovered. So the aim for today was to see if it is possible to create a dry line along one section of the path. Ginny and Heidi joined us so we could work in two pairs but keeping our distance.

The first signs of the old causey path emerge

                                                          

After much synchronized scraping.

  

Paul shovelling the mud on to the bank

 A very attractive lunch spot!

                                                           

Brushing off the residue

A longish section uncovered 

There are some gaps in the causey path and we need some rain to wash off the stones. We will return to see how effective the work has been and see whether there are other sections of the stone pathway that can be uncovered.  It is going to be a very big job, but for such an  important path, well worth the effort.

Work funded by donations to CROWS

 

TODMORDEN Bean Hole

 Fred and Rich J tackled two jobs:-

1. Clearing a collapsed wall from the bridleway.

2. A drainage issue which was not solved. Will need to return.

The blockage

Water running down the path

The wall collapsed over the path

All cleared back

Work funded by donations to CROWS

RIPPONDEN:BAITINGS RESERVOIR

 Above Baitings Reservoir

Mick and Frank H out in particularly poor weather. Fortunately the task was to investigate the condition of an information board in a lay-by on the A58 above Baitings Reservoir. Hence, no lengthy rain-lashed trek was involved. Here's a picture of the detached board after it had been rescued from a large puddle and temporarily wedged behind one of its support posts. In the misty background is Baitings Reservoir.

The weight of the board and the added force of wind-loading had caused it to break from the support posts. One of these posts is now missing!

Repair work needed will involve three vertical supports, a cross-batten to take the weight of the board and substantial brackets to secure it to the supports. The information section will need some tidying up and removal of graffiti.

This is a task for next year ... preferably on a day without driving rain or a biting wind!

This might be the last blog before Christmas, so here's a CROWS festive message to reflect on:

!YTXM !OH !OH !OH

TODMORDEN

Parrock Wood area

A mild but windy then wet day for Mick and Frank H to be installing marker-posts;

Here's a ruined squeeze stile but the direction of the path beyond up to the ruins at Burnt Acres, is unclear. A marker-post is needed.

It was a matter of team work ... Mick cut back offending tree branches while Frank, in very muddy conditions, did a lot of grunting with spade and bar ...

... Mick then trekked up to a nearby farm to discuss a future task (the refurbishment of a stile) before returning to do light domestic cleaning duties on the newly embedded post.

 The finished job - vertical, rock solid and with a way-mark pointing in the correct direction. It comes with a lifetime's guarantee ... although exactly what that means is up for discussion!

Another marker-post (no pictures) was installed before the work session was ended partly because the rain had become more intense but mainly because Frank H had spotted a large nail in his car tyre! He deemed it prudent to 'limp' to a garage rather than having to risk changing a wheel on a rain lashed track in the middle of nowhere! A wise move  - the tyre was more defective than it appeared to be . . . . . . perhaps a bit like Frank!

EAVES

 Eaves

Ray, Stella and Frank H continued work on the high level path that runs below Tiger Tops and along the edge of the precipitous drop down to Hebden Royd School. It was a wet, chilly South Pennine day but working in the lee of the banking that goes up to Tiger Tops gave us some shelter.

 Here's a picture taken just as work was starting:

The original top rails are being left in place but the bottom revetment rails are rotten. The large gap between these sets of  rails means there is nothing to stop a small child taking a calamitous tumble down the steep slope and arriving at Hebden Royd School sooner than expected!

Consequently the plan for the day was to continue replacing some of the revetment and then add a middle rail to make safe and strengthen the whole structure.

This task was not straightforward  - more of the old revetment fell apart as we disturbed it, older fence posts were less substantial than they appeared to be, and there were problems with heights and alignment! 

However we persevered ...

It's just a minor technical point, Ray, but the saw needs a helping hand!

As the afternoon progressed we got wetter and wetter ... and muddier and muddier! 

However this precipitous section now has a secure revetment and a middle safety rail. 

Later we:

* added stobs to stabilise the revetment and rails 

*re-aligned a short section of the original fence

*added a support pole to an existing post

*ran the revetment beyond the end fence post so it linked to the first step further along the path.

It is disappointing that mountain bikers have been using this footpath. The wear they create is significant and makes extra repair tasks inevitable

Today's work was funded by Hebden Royd Town Council Mayor's Fund.