Hebden Bridge: Erringden Dick's Lane

 Dick's Lane - boardwalks in the sun!

On a ideal, blue-skied South Pennine day, a team of six CROWS (Stella, Jan, Andy, Nic, Neil B and Frank) carried out boardwalk replacement and stabilising work on a stretch of path (Erringden 012) that is part of a popular route for the ascent to or descent from Stoodley Pike.

This boardwalk job was funded by Calderdale Highways who have the unenviable tasks of monitoring Calderdale's massive and intricate  rights-of-way network.

1. East (ish) of the Pike: the blue 'pin' marks the work area

The detail:

Preliminaries:

Earlier in the week, Stella and Frank moved (in Stella's car) all the prepared timbers from the Mytholmroyd depot to Lower Rough Head Farm.

2. It's a full boot . . .

3. . . . and a full roof!

From the farm, it was loaded into a trusty Landrover and transported to Swillington then up (on ever rougher tracks) to the worksite.

4. Loaded Landrover: Stringers, bearers, stobs,
cross-treads, kickboards and oddments!

5. At the site: timbers under cover. Perhaps as well -
the rain the following day was torrential!

Two days later, the work gang with a heavy load of tools and fixings met at Swillington where once again Lower Rough Head provided transport up to Dick's Lane. Many, many thanks to the owners for this invaluable help - it saved us hours of carrying!

6. Safely delivered! Many thanks.

The detail:

The lengths of boardwalk on this right-of-way have had heavy use over the past 10 years. The structure is on a popular walking route and (even though it is designated as a footpath and not a bridleway)  has seen much use by mountain bikers. Consequently, the following has happened:

i)  one section of boardwalk is broken in half! Mmm!  (complete replacement needed).

ii) three sections are unstable (improved underpinning, replacement of cross-treads, levelling and additional stobs needed)

The work begins:

7. Broken boardwalk: End section missing
and the rest collapsed into the bog.

8. Out with the broken boardwalk:
some cross-treads will be reused.

9. Out with the old stobs (the anchoring
stakes for the old boardwalk).

The new boardwalk takes shape. It'll have a similar design to the old one so some timbers can be recycled and will consist of two parallel stringers, evenly spaced cross-treads, substantial bearers, kickboards and anchoring stobs.

10. "Is it stable? Will it take a load?" 
"Never in doubt!"

11, Well on the way: Cross-treads will
be a mixture of old and new.

12. Break time: Yummy! Courtesy of Jan.
A welcome 'sugar rush'! Thank you.

13. Repair work: Levelling up, re-stobbing
and then replacing rotten cross-treads.

14. Support work: Sagging stringers re-aligned on
stone and timber piers. Extra long stobs
embedded to reduce boardwalk bounce!

This was an enjoyable and successful day. The weather was finer than the pictures suggest. Stoodley Pike had numerous visitors many of whom expressed interest in and thanks for CROWS' work.

For the tasks, we worked (in the main) as two groups with Andy and Frank constructing then installing the new boardwalk while Stella, Neil, Jan and Nic levelled, stabilised and repaired the other sections. Neil enjoyed his first session with CROWS . . . and will back for more!

                                   (Other pictures will be added as they become available)

Dodd Naze - a popular path

 

This is the path (Hebden Royd 017)  from Dodd Naze down to Hebden Bridge station and the town.

This path is a regular route for Dodd Naze residents, quite a few of whom passed us today coming up from or going down to the town.  We have had several reports about difficulties with bramble overgrowth (1 on the map), a slippery slither down to the bridge, and broken slats on the bridge (2 on the map), and the tricky stone steps (3 on the map).

Andrew, Jan, Jerry and Stella set off on a day which threatened continuous heavy rain but delivered only gentle drizzle, to see what improvements we could make.

The brambles and thistles were cut back wide enough to allow prickle-free passage while retaining a bramble "hedge" along the fence, as requested by the landowner.

Brambles...

..

.....and other overgrowth, before.

The widened route up...

...and down, afterwards.

We replaced the broken slats on the bridge, and installed 3 new steps above the existing one to allow an easier descent on a slippery slope.

Jerry & Andrew clearing overgrowth to make a space for 3 new steps

One of the broken slats

New slats in situ.

The old stone steps leading steeply down the hill are narrow and a bit uneven.  One was missing. They will always require care when walking, especially when it's wet. We cleared off the mulch, and replaced the missing step, which will make it quite a bit easier.

The steps from below

Andrew replacing the missing one

Step replaced (but not yet cleaned off!)

Today's work was funded by individual donations to CROWS. 

Your support is very much appreciated, thank you.

Hebden Bridge: Dodd Naze & Machpelah

J

 HEBDEN BRIDGE - 2 jobs today completed by Andy, Kris and new volunteer Chloe on her first day out with CROWS. 

Our first job was adding 3 steps to a slippery slope in Dodd Naze. These fitted between some stone steps we discovered while digging out for the new steps.

The second job was some cutting back and stile repair in Machpelah (on the Burnley Road between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd). We replaced the broken bottom treadboard and added an extra step to make it easier to get onto the stile. 

CRAGG VALE - Stile repair above Great House Farm

On what turned out to be one of the wettest days in the past couple of months, Andy, Jan and Jerry ventured up to a stile in Brock Holes Wood above Great House Farm in Cragg Vale.

The blue pin marks the location of the stile on the footpath along the edge of the woods.

Stile looks OK but not safe.

The stile looked to be in reasonably good order but, in reality, it was in a pretty bad state.  One of the treadboards was very wobbly and the top rail was attached to a rotten grab-post and a loose stockfence on both sides.  In effect, except for one treadboard, the whole contraption needed to be dismantled and rebuilt.

Dismantling took quite a while.

Excavating the post-holes was harder than it looked...

But we got there in the end...

Despite the rain...

We will have to re-visit the stile to make the stock fence more secure and to fit another short rail or install a dog- gate.  There is another stile close by that is also in need of repair so both jobs might be carried out at the same time.

Today's work has been funded by the Cragg Vale Community Association - many thanks.

Stubbing Brink to Horsehold Road. Hebden Bridge

 Another hot sunny day, and Guy, Nic and Stella went clear the  beautiful walled and cobbled path which goes steeply up the hill from the valley bottom at Stubbing Brink almost to Horsehold.  I think that path will have seen a lot of "traffic" going up and down the hill in its time - not least because it is a quick route down to the Stubbing Wharf pub on the canal.  There is a fine flight of stone steps at the bottom.  At the top in the woods the path is more open and it emerges onto Horsehold Road via some steps which are not quite so fine. 

The path gets very overgrown with ferns, grass, nettles, Himalayan balsam, brambles, and escaped raspberry canes. Our job today was to clear the overgrowth and make a clear route.  Blackberries and raspberries provided sustenance . . . a zillion pesky flies provided company!

The path

The steps before

The path before

The steps after

The path after

Bare cobbles can get slippery and it's always debatable how much to clear. In this very dry weather they should be fine and when (if!) it gets wet the wall is there to steady any walkers.  We left more grass higher up where the wall offers less support.  There is more cutting back to do right at the top which we'll come back to.

Today's job was funded from donations to CROWS, for which we are always very grateful.

HEBDEN BRIDGE: Dodgy steps in Lee Wood

 In the lee of Lee Wood

On a day when a variety of thundery, showery conditions was threatened Stella and Frank, in the shelter of Lee Wood just above the Bowling Green alongside Hebden Water (see map), worked in calm conditions to make safe a flight of steps.

1. Worksite:  marked with blue index.

The flight of steps, which negotiated a steep bank, was in poor condition because of: rampant overgrowth, missing risers, detached side-rail, eroded tread areas and a badly supported end rail.

2. Lower end of steps: End rail is weakly supported,
a riser is missing and the side revetment is not 
actually attached!

3. Upper end of steps: Eroded tread areas,
detached side revetment and missing riser.

4. Work in progress: Side revetment now
secure and two risers are in place.

The new risers had to fit into the original structure, a factor that limited where the stobs could be placed. The ground was exceptionally hard but a combination of long bar, heavy lump hammer and muscular grunt saw the risers installed.

This path is very popular, especially with dogs taking their owners for a walk. We received a lot of thanks from the owners for making these steps secure and safe. The dogs seemed pleased too . . . but the sight of our lunchtime sandwiches might have had something to do with that!

In the rampant path-side overgrowth an elusive Wren (one of Britain's smallest birds) fled to safety. It was tricky to spot but looked like this . . .

5. The Wren (Troglodytidae:Troglodytes troglodytes) 
the name's almost as long as the bird!

6. Packing and levelling;

In the afternoon we inserted a bracing section of lower revetment, filled and graded the tread areas, hammered-in stobs to support the weak end rail, widened the path where it met a side-inlet and expended a disproportionate amount of energy to install a final riser. Phew! Some muscles may ache tomorrow!

Today's work was funded by general donations to CROWS. Many thanks for your support to help us keep open this footpath (Heptonstall 053).

7. End section; Everything braced and secured.

8. Mid and upper sections overview:
Now safe and easier to negotiate.

It's always tricky carrying out repairs to an existing structure - new sections have to be tweaked and compromises are inevitable. Attempting a full reconstruction would have been problematic - the rocks supporting the lower end of these steps have settled into a state of interlocked stability. Disturbing this might be catastrophic . .  . and there is no alternative route up through this 'hangra' (Old English for wooded slope).

More next week . .  if we can straighten up!

DODD NAZE: Heavy-duty digging for a stile!

On an ever-warming summer's day, Ian S, Steve and Frank H worked on replacing a one-step stile on the right-of-way (Wadsworth 079) that forms part of the path that goes NE from Manor Drive (on the Dodd Naze estate) towards Sandy Gate Lane (see Map).

1. Worksite marked by blue 'pin'.

The problem:

The original stile looked like this:

2. View from Manor Drive side:

3. View from Field side:

This much overgrown one-step stile had a very long, partly rotten, sagging treadboard wedged at one end into a stone pillar 'keyhole' (picture 2) and supported at the other by a decayed step leg. 

Additionally the top-rail was far too high above the step treadboard, and the right-hand side-post (picture 3), which doubled as part of the stockfencing structure, had some evidence of decay.

The solution:

i)  Cut-back overgrowth

ii)  Brace the weak side-post with a vertical stob and a diagonal strut.

iii) Dig out the field-side step leg, dig a new hole for a Manor Drive-side step leg and install two new step legs to accommodate a slightly higher treadboard.

iv) Lower the top rail very slightly and embed 'take-off/landing stones to act as 'first' steps.

v)  Put a protective sleeve over the exposed barbed wire where it is attached to the right-hand side-post (picture 2).

Phew! Here's how the job went:

4. First tasks: Overgrowth cleared. Stile side-post
braced vertically and diagonally.

5. Out with the old: Decayed 
treadboard and step-leg removed

The excavation of holes for new step legs was a prolonged and very strenuous task. The remnants of the field-side leg were deeply and firmly buried. The new hole on the other side revealed remnants of two old legs also deeply and firmly buried! 

Two + hours later after much barring, digging, battering and the cunning use of hauling straps the old timbers were out and the new step-legs installed. Take-off/landing stones were embedded and the approach area to the stile was tidied.

6. In with the new i : Manor Drive side view.

7. In with the new ii : Field side view.

Today's job was funded by Calderdale Ramblers and General Donations to CROWS. Many thanks for your support. Enjoy using the stile.

Today was energy-sapping and a disproportionate amount of time (and effort) was expended before any progressive construction work could begin. It was a relief to finished the task and finally start ferrying tools and spare timbers back to the vehicle . . . but . . . 

8. "Hi Steve, Going right here instead of left is
the shortest way back to the vehicle . . ."
"Steve! Steve!, I said right not left . . . 
. . . Ah, well! Enjoy the walk! Mmm!"

 More in a week or two when it might be steps near Hebden Water. Good for a lunchtime paddle?