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CROWS CROWS volunteers repair paths in the Pennines. Support our work by visiting our website.

Ryburn - Path clearing above Bar Lane. October the 5th and it still feels like Summer! Well almost - apart from the driz...
09/10/2026

Ryburn - Path clearing above Bar Lane.
October the 5th and it still feels like Summer! Well almost - apart from the drizzle - as the sun did come out . . . but after we'd finished!
Carla, Chloe (new volunteer), Jerry and Angus firstly headed along the A58 to Cairn wood Drive, at the end of which was the badly overgrown footpath that leads down to Bar Lane.
This footpath has been visited by CROWS on several occasions but, yet again, despite some work by local householders, it was almost impassable
A big thankyou to Ripponden Parish Council for funding this work.

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TODMORDEN - Mankinholes FingerpostsA day for fingerpost aficionados, as Duncan, Gareth & Neil B spent the day erecting o...
04/10/2026

TODMORDEN - Mankinholes Fingerposts
A day for fingerpost aficionados, as Duncan, Gareth & Neil B spent the day erecting or repairing a series of fingerposts around Mankinholes.
We started with a new fingerpost off Woodhouse Road providing directions up the hill towards Mankinholes. Our second post was a replacement for a rotten fingerpost at the top of the same path on Mankinholes Tops on the way to Cross Lane. Number 3 was a new “flag” (the correct term for the “finger” of the fingerpost bearing the words Public Footpath or destination of the footpath) for an existing post on the same path just off Cross Lane. Number 4 was a replacement fingerpost on Upper Shaw Wood Road, replacing a post lost when the adjacent wall was demolished by a careless driver some months before! This last post sits at the top of an attractive flight of stone steps leading down into Deep Clough which we cleared of vegetation a few weeks ago
Today’s work was funded by Todmorden Town Council. Thanks as always to all those who support our work.

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MILL CHIMNEY AT COLDENJust a heads up ....... After an inspection by steeplejacks it has been discovered that the top 10...
02/10/2026

MILL CHIMNEY AT COLDEN
Just a heads up ....... After an inspection by steeplejacks it has been discovered that the top 10 -15 courses of stones have no mortar in place and essentially only gravity is holding them in place. It is possible that these stones could fall at any moment.
They have advised Calderdale Council that all public access around the chimney is restricted, so the area fenced around the base and all the public footpaths close by will be closed off to minimise risk to public.
The map shows footpaths which have been closed, (marked in red) and the suggested diversion (marked in yellow).
Each closed path has notices on it about the closure and maps showing the suggested route.
A full report from the steeplejacks will follow then, a plan will then be made about the future.

MIDGEHOLE - fallen tree on path to the Blue PigThe tree team went to deal with a reported tree which had fallen across t...
02/10/2026

MIDGEHOLE - fallen tree on path to the Blue Pig
The tree team went to deal with a reported tree which had fallen across the path. The branches were all cut back so easily passable. The main tree that has fallen above seems secure, but we will deal with it on our next tree sorting day.
Nearby to the tree a low point on the path has become very muddy, so we have earmarked this to be sorted in the next couple of months.

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TODMORDEN - Near StonesDavid and Kasher returned to Tod 102, which is the footpath which runs parallel to Stones Lane an...
01/10/2026

TODMORDEN - Near Stones

David and Kasher returned to Tod 102, which is the footpath which runs parallel to Stones Lane and Bacup Road, to sort out the legs and treadboard on a stile.
The one-step stile is far from aesthetically pleasing but more importantly the legs were rotten and in need of replacement. One leg was positioned extremely close to a large stone gatepost and we had hoped to move the leg and treadboard to be more central. Unfortunately, very large, deeply embedded stones which may have been wall footings (or even a built-up track between the gateposts) prevented us from doing so.
The treadboard on this one-step stile is slightly higher than we would have liked but the stile itself is easy to use. We may return to sort out the mixture of rails and posts that comprise this stile.
After dealing with this stile, we carried timbers to a stile on Tod 080 which we hope to fettle up on Friday. This path runs between Todmorden Edge North and D**e Green Barn.
Many thanks to the two landowners who have been most supportive in working with CROWS to improve these stiles.
Thanks too to Todmorden Town Council for continuing to fund CROWS to carry out footpath and bridleway maintenance in the Todmorden area.

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RYBURN - Crow Hill BridlewayA crisp early autumn day saw two teams out from Ryburn working on two sections of a bridlewa...
29/09/2026

RYBURN - Crow Hill Bridleway
A crisp early autumn day saw two teams out from Ryburn working on two sections of a bridleway which crosses Crow Hill.

This work was funded by Calderdale Highways. Many thanks to them.

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CRAGG VALE - Small JobsAndy, Chloe and Sean decided to have a day working on 3 smaller jobs in Cragg Vale. The first job...
29/09/2026

CRAGG VALE - Small Jobs
Andy, Chloe and Sean decided to have a day working on 3 smaller jobs in Cragg Vale.
The first job of the day was to replace marker posts in Deacon Hill Wood (One of them doubled up as a support when climbing some steep steps). We also cut back some Rhododendrons.
The second job was cutting-back near Robin Hood rock
Job 3 was a replacing stile legs and a treadboard in the Top Land Estate

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TODMORDEN - Below Hartley Royd (session 2) Catherine, Duncan and RJ returned to the partially-built stile below Hartley ...
25/09/2026

TODMORDEN - Below Hartley Royd (session 2)
Catherine, Duncan and RJ returned to the partially-built stile below Hartley Royd (on Tod 197) to install the step-legs and to finish the task.
Regular readers of this Blog/FB post will know that last week a team of four took a full CROWS' day to dismantle the previous stile and to put in two stile uprights. More progress was made today with a two-step stile taking shape.
The team still had to battle through the surface remnants of the old roadway leading up to Hartley Royd from the valley below. Thankfully step-legs do not have to be dug down quite as deeply as stile uprights.
Today's team have installed the legs and have attached the tread boards. The cross-rails have been added as well. Apologies to a mountain biker who thought that we had completed the task last week and who was very pleased that the rails were not too high. We think that today's outcome is a suitable compromise! (and should perhaps mention that this route is a designated as a public footpath and not a bridleway).
We will need to return (hopefully on Friday) to add in a dog-gate, sort out the poles in the fence line, and tidy up the sheep netting.
Many thanks to the residents of Hartley Royd for allowing us to park in their yard and for storing our timber there. Thanks too to Todmorden Town Council for funding today's task. Your continued support is much appreciated.

Follow the CROWS
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[email protected]

TODMORDEN: below Stones Lane; Stile tlc Middle of Nowhere!Right-of-way Todmorden 102 traverses the hillside and runs app...
25/09/2026

TODMORDEN: below Stones Lane; Stile tlc
Middle of Nowhere!
Right-of-way Todmorden 102 traverses the hillside and runs approximately parallel to and between Stones Lane and the Bacup Road (see map). It's a longish walk from either end to reach the worksite but fortunately we had the landowner's permission to access the stile by walking directly down from Stones Lane.
The task, on an ever-improving day, was to replace a rickety, partly collapsed stile by installing new side-posts, constructing a stone and treadboard combination of steps, and adding parallel cross-rails with some side-rail extensions. Phew! Lots of digging and careful alignment for Kasher, Kris and Frank on the Autumn Equinox (the first day of Astronomical Autumn).
Today's work was funded by Todmorden Town Council. Many thanks.
Follow the CROWS
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[email protected]

Stile repair and rainbow delight on Keelham Edge, Wadsworth 🌈Ian S and Paul were out today in the mizzle repairing a sti...
24/09/2026

Stile repair and rainbow delight on Keelham Edge, Wadsworth 🌈

Ian S and Paul were out today in the mizzle repairing a stile on the Calderdale Way near Claytons Farm. It's a long walk to this stile from the nearest parking place - the quarries at Little Moor - but fortunately we had Rich and Steve to help carry the tools and materials from our vehicle to the stile site. Thankfully, only one journey was required. Once delivery duties were done, Rich and Steve then scarpered off to a job they had earmarked.

Thanks to Wadsworth Parish Council for part payment towards this job and to the landowner for paying for the materials. Also, a big thanks to the Keelham landowner for allowing us to park above Mount Skip quarries.

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Unit 3, Mount Shed. Banksfield Road
Mytholmroyd
HX75NW

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