TODMORDEN: Langfield Common and Obadiah Wood

David, Duncan and RJ worked at two locations.

1. Langfield Common: new fingerpost erected, drainage carried out and old waymark posts straightened.

2. Obadiah Wood: platform constructed around the previously installed bench.

1. The previous fingerpost on Langfield Common (just up from The Shepherds Rest) had been damaged by cattle on the moor so we decided to put in a replacement to encourage people to walk to Gaddings Dam via the Basin Stone (or via Jail Hole) rather than up the very eroded and steep edge path. 

At least with the cattle off the moor for a few months the post should remain in place . . .  these posts, unfortunately, are such a convenient scratching post for the moorland cattle. The posts need to be in the ground by at least 1m - that's a fair amount of digging! 

Many thank to Langfield Common for letting us install a fingerpost at this site.

2. CROWS have previously erected two small seats: one on a new footpath from Pudsey Road and the second one at the entrance to Obadiah Wood. We were asked to make it easier to get onto one of the seats which we may be slightly too high. Consequently, we have built a step platform around the bench.  Many thanks to the landowner for allowing us to erect this small bench in his woodland.

The funding for today's work has come from Todmorden Town Council. Many thanks

Task 1: Langfield Common:

David starting to excavate the posthole.

The post in place (correctly orientated!) and the hole being filled.

The new markerpost in position and vertical . . . 
Mmm! Until the cattle return to the moor.


Task 2: Obadiah Wood:

David and RJ sorting out the timbers for the step platform.

Duncan making final adjustments to the platform.

The completed platform around the bench.

MIDGLEY

 Calderdale Way above Midgley Village

Ian S, Guy, Andrew and Paul were out today on the moors overlooking Midgley. It was a drizzly start with a few showers turning to sunshine by mid-day. The task was to repair a stretch of the Calderdale Way that runs high above the field boundary along a steep banking. This banking has seen lots of erosion over time with CROWS past interventions propping up the path with lengths of revetment. One such length had been damaged by cows using the path while another section of banking had collapsed and was needing some maintenance.

Blue arrow marks the spot!

As you can see from the above map, the worksite was a long way from the track by Midgley Hall Farm.

Fortunately, the farmer (and landowner of adjacent fields) transported timbers and tools in his Landrover from the farm track to the worksite. This saved us a lot of carrying though we did walk from the farm up Coal Dyke and along the Calderdale Way to meet the famer and Ian S who bagged a lift!

Thank you to Midgley Community Forum for funding this work and to Sam Barker for helping us with transport.

Carrying the kit from the drop off point

The damaged revetment:

Trodden on by the cows!

Banking displacement:

Eroded section of the path

We split into two teams - Ian S and Andrew tackling the eroded section and Guy and Paul repairing the damaged section.

Andrew cutting a trench

Andrew and Ian S fitted two lengths of revetment to a depth of 40 cm fixing them in the ground using long stobs.

Looking better!

Meanwhile Guy and Paul set about dismantling the damage timbers to reuse in the repair of their section and then fitted a new length of revetment (with the reused lengths on to) along the gap.

New timbers in place!

Guy had brought along some apples from his garden:

An Apple a day . . . 

There was lots of filling-in to do on both sections to ensure the new sections of pathway were firm and stable for walkers to use.

Lots of infilling!

We widened the path to obtain infill material.

The gang posing...

Job completed in the sunshine:

Completed!

Where was that Land Rover to transport the tools back to Ian's car?

Help!

PENNINE WAY - Colden - day 2

Steve and Rich finished off the work started on Monday - path clearance, cutting-back and some waymarking. 

Before and after photo at the top. 

 

PENNINE WAY at Colden

 A team of four - Andy, Chloe and two Richards - went to clear all the encroaching vegetation on the narrow walled path leading down to Shaw Bottom. This was not just a cut-back but involved uprooting brambles, ferns and Rose Bay Willow Herb. The work was funded by a partnership of Calderdale Highways and Natural England. 

Before and after at the top end - still a section to finish off on Wednesday

Before and after at the bottom end - a great improvement!

Superb lunch spot.

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.

PENNINE WAY AT GORPLE

 Paul and Rich went up to the Pennine Way at Gorple to clear a blockage (in a drain) that was diverting water to flow down the track! We also continued the task of uncovering Causey Stones to create a wider path. 

This work was funded by a partnership between Calderdale Highways and Natural England. 

After checking the forecast, we decided to have an early start!

The side-drain on the track over to Blackshaw was clogged with sedge in a few places and some of the banking had disintegrated. We tackled the obvious places where water was escaping but it really needs a digger!

Water will now keep off the track.

 Then it was back over to Graining Water for another session uncovering Causey Stones. This makes the path much wider . . . and we just love uncovering the area's heritage.

No more wet legs after rain!

A good session and, fortunately, we dodged most of the rain. 

TWO PATHS AROUND WADSWORTH

HURST BRIDGE AT NUTCLOUGH

 A few weeks ago a large branch fell off a beech tree on to the bridge. This was speedily dealt with by the council. 

After they had finished we discovered that the nearby fingerpost had been knocked to the floor . . . so needed reinstating. 

 

The reinstated finger post

CALDERDALE WAY BELOW PECKET WELL

Calderdale Highways received a report pointing out the lack of waymarking across Keighley Road. This was true but the least of the problem - the path on the Old Town side was nowhere to be seen! It looked like you were walking into a hedge!

 

Raspberries, Hawthorn, Rosebay Willow Herb, Himalayan Balsam, Brambles and Blackthorn were the main culprits. So Kris and Rich had to use the full set of cutting back tools to deal with the problem. 

 

It's jungle chaos! Where is the path?

A nice place to sit?

The path emerging

It became clear that bits of the stone surface were very large causey stones suitable for pack horses. 

Now you can sit and admire the view

Waymarks attached to an existing post.

 

The bottom of the path is now passable but will need another session to clear it completely. We think the wide causey paths will go to the Keighley Road, so clearing them will save time on future maintenance. It's very exciting to have uncovered this lost path. 

CRIMSWORTH DEAN

Encouraged by a cooler, misty morning Frank, Ian S, Jan, Paul and Stella headed up Crimsworth Dean to start work on a sort of 'path-botox' project: i.e. starting an uplift of a path which is slowly sliding down the hillside . . .  and in wet weather is lethally slippery. 

The path runs south above Crimsworth Dean Beck towards Hardcastle Crags

There's always kit to carry before we can start

In several places the path needs straightening and levelling.  Today we tackled the worst section, which involved creating a new route through the head-high bracken.  The ground is tinder-dry which made the digging out easier than we expected (although the fire risk is a worry at the moment).

This is the old path, disappearing down the hillside.
 

And this is the high bracken we needed to route the new path through

..

Early stages

Making progress

We started from both ends - a bit like the Channel Tunnel - and with a bit of waving at each other above the bracken we managed to connect up with the existing path further along, past the sagging section.

Here you can see the new path running above the old.

We have "closed off" this section of the old path with piles of cut bracken to encourage walkers onto the new route.  Several people came through today as we were working.  With a bit more footfall the new section will be well compacted.  The camber on this needs a bit more attention in places, and there are other sections to do, so we'll be back, perhaps when the bracken has died back a bit.

We are very grateful to the farmer who let us park by his barn and ferried our tools on his quad-bike to and from a point near the start of the path.  It's a steep hill and that saved us a lot of sweat.

Today's work was funded by donations to CROWS. These are hugely appreciated. Thank you.