A simple little task, Won't take more than a few days or a week or so. That 's what I
thought when we started work just the other side of the lift bridge by the Darnford Moors
Golf Club. How wrong can I be?
How can a task as simple as pulling the shuttering into
shape and securing it escalate it to a major project ?
This 'simple task' mushroomed into one that is going to employ our volunteers for many
a month or more.
Digging out the 'triffid' brambles presented no great task to Tony and his digger, digging
the soil from behind the shuttering was accomplished in no time as well. Even the
installing of the 'tie rods went without hitch. Then the additional work started to pile in.
In addition to the clay back fill between shuttering and the tow path we are now tasked
with laying clay at the bottom of the shuttering on the canal side. And sealing the joints
between each individual shutter with mastic to make the joints water tight.
Also down beyond the lift bridge the tow path has to be reconstructed to continue alongside the adjacent field in the direction of Capers Lane. When this is done and the clay back fill is completed the tow path will need topping with stone to the standards of our other tow path works. But that's only half of it! It appears the the 'Trust' has had in store some eleven sections of concrete culvert that are going to be used to form the canal culvert under Darnford Lane by the Golf Club. These concrete sections need to be moved to Darnford Lane sometime soon, in the New Year. To enable this to be done a hard standing area, by the roadside, has to be made for a huge crane to be positioned and be able off load these massive concrete sections from the roadside into the canal bed where they will be stored until such time that this crossing is made.
Another task that we have been asked to do, whilst all this plant and equipment we need for the above is on site, is to clear the bed of the stream of all the excess vegetation. all the way from Darnford Lane to the lift bridge. No small task and electric cables above to be avoided.
The December Blog should go into more detail as to how we got on with these tasks. Plans have been made for volunteers to work over the Christmas / New Year period and the appropriate machinery is being sourced.
My usual thanks to all our volunteers for their work throughout 2017. You have achieved
much over this period. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Hugh Millington
