Stile repairs at Oxlow Farm - DCA request for volunteers

[Pete K]

The wooden stile used to access the field off the road from the Oxlow parking layby has fallen apart. DCA has assembled materials and gained permission to build a new one. We're looking for a few helpers for the 2nd of December. We'll be digging holes and concreting posts in, then doing a bit of basic joinery to fit the fence slats and new steps. Anyone who can help with that would be welcome, but we don't need a cast of thousands so please get in touch with me in advance if you're interested in coming along to help.
If the weather in unsuitable for the work then we'll cancel this date and rearrange for another.

Pete Knight
DCA Projects Officer

 

[owd git]

You have my no' if no one else applies Pete.

 

[Pete K]

Cheers. Will ping you a message.

 

[DCA]

Just to bump this back up before the weekend - A small party of volunteers will be rebuilding the Oxlow/Maskhill/Nettle access stile this Saturday (2nd Dec). Please avoid the normal parking area if you can. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Pete K
DCA Projects

 

[Cantclimbtom]

Just to be entirely nosey, I might (or might not) be wandering about the area on Saturday. Whereabouts is the stile, just out of sheer bloomin' nosiness... Is that on the PRoW marked from Oxlow farm leading up towards the top of Eldon Hill?

 

[alastairgott]

Not prow, marked “cavers only!”

Dropped pin

https://goo.gl/maps/VZz782KLYbbn5yHo7

 

[pwhole]

Or grid ref SK 12204 82366, as he just beat me to it

 

[Cantclimbtom]

Not prow, marked “cavers only!”

This is a caving stile for caving people... there's nothing for you here! 🤣

Thanks Alastair and thanks pwhole for the grid ref

 

[alastairgott]

There is only one thing a sign can say under No PROW.

I think with the stile renewal we should have a rethink of the sign, "CAVERS ONLY no Public right of Way."

'And Definitely no sledging or snowball fights on this land in winter'.

 

[DCA]

Driving through the Hope Valley in the mist and watching the temperature gauge plummet to -7c this morning, we did briefly question our sanity for undertaking a working day at this time of year. However, within an hour of being on site the sun rose up above the hill and we spent the rest of the day in the relative warmth of the winter sun. A good crew of volunteers and just the right amount of supplies meant we were able to completely replace the stile and fence before the sun went back behind the hill.
The volunteers today were – Pete Knight, Phil Wolstenholme, Rob Stephenson, Roy Rogers and Victoria Kocher. Special thanks to Roy who had done most of the planning for the work.
More details and pics can be seen over on the DCA website: https://thedca.org.uk/2023/12/02/new-stile-for-oxlow-farm/
Pete Knight, DCA Projects Officer.

 

[pwhole]

Here's a few more from the session, ranging in temperature from about -5° C to 0° and back down to -2°. We just didn't stop moving, so kept fairly warm, though my feet weren't warm again until about 7pm. Hopefully we've also helped reduced the incidence of the most common accident at this site, which is falling off the stile in wet/icy conditions

 

[Tangent_tracker]

Here's a few more from the session, ranging in temperature from about -5° C to 0° and back down to -2°. We just didn't stop moving, so kept fairly warm, though my feet weren't warm again until about 7pm. Hopefully we've also helped reduced the incidence of the most common accident at this site, which is falling off the stile in wet/icy conditions

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I see you met Rob Phil!