A ‘FORGOTTEN’ set of stone steps has received a Spring clean from a group of volunteers keen to help fellow walkers put their best feet forward.
The steps are located at the back of Waterside Mill in Greenfield and at the base of a right of way officially known as Footpath 262.
Over time, the distinctive stone ‘ladder’ has been neglected and become overgrown. Thanks now to the efforts of Oldham Ramblers’ Footpath Clearance group, they are easier and safer to use.
The working party also fixed a signpost blade signalling the start of Footpath 239 which repeatedly has been swivelled to face away from the route.
However, the Ramblers good work has been marred by the ‘removal’ of a way marker only fixed in place a week earlier during a reccy of the area.
Issues with FP262 at its junction with Bradbury Lane remain to be fixed, including the erection of a new step plus improvements to drainage at the stile.
Does any Independent reader know the origins of the stone steps? Even local history guru, Peter Fox, curator of Saddleworth Museum, is stumped. If so email trevor@localcommunications.co.uk
Elsewhere in Saddleworth, improvements continue to be made for the benefit of walkers.
John Walton, footpath secretary for the Oldham Group of the Ramblers Association for 40 years, has been at the forefront of the campaign.
“In 2021, the Manchester Area of the Ramblers Association awarded the Oldham Group a small pot of money to fund stiles in Saddleworth that had been reported unsafe or in urgent need of repair,” he explained.
“I came across at least 16 stiles that could be repaired or renewed. I tried many avenues to locate landowners as their permission had to be gained to access the stiles on their land.
“Some had died and no relatives could be traced. Some land was unregistered and therefore the number dwindled to eight stiles and two kissing gates.
“A new stile had been constructed on path 55 leading to the Castleshaw Valley by Rowan Ashworth.
“There were originally three kissing gates to be installed at Well-I-Hole Farm, three stiles on a footpath below Pots and Pans, two stiles on a small field path in Delph and a completely new stile at the Moorlands Caravan Park in Denshaw.
“In six months travelling from one end of Saddleworth to the other I had to go along Dobcross New Road. I always looked to see if the free, steel bridge had been installed but no sign.
“I wonder what the delay is as this new one has a lifespan of 100 years, three times the timber one which was damaged in 2015.”
I think the Ramblers do a wonderful job identifying these problems and fixing them. Perhaps sometime when they are in the Denshaw area they could check the public footpath just a few yards higher up than the Printers Arms (same side)plus the style at the top of the field. The original public footpath has been built up and moved lower down without. Permission.
The signpost was also turned the opposite way this has now been reinstated to its correct position. Thanking you in anticipation
There are also a couple of new, (replacement,) styles on the footpath that leads off Ripponden Road going down towards Shaw that look to be the same workmanship, but to whoever fixed them their work has been noticed and is appreciated.