Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) looks after the bridleway through the Ladybower Wood Nature Reserve and they are proposing to undertake some works on the track. Mike Rhodes, RoW officer for Peak District National Park Authority, has advised that they are ok with the work, “The works will be pretty minor in extent (40m only) and will basically be trying to provide a good stone base for the muddy sections through the trees. The rocky climb up the ramps after the horrid metal gate will be unaffected – apart from providing the contractor with the means of access. The muddy sections are at the top of this slope, where the gradient levels off. Similarly, the stream crossing will be unchanged.”
The repair work is required to improve the track and prevent it from eroding and widening further,
it will consist of:
• The length of repair is approximately 40m over 3 sections, covering the badly eroding and muddy sections towards the top of the reserve track.
• Work is to re-pitch and repair the track way on the existing route using pitching stone, to match and blend in with the existing pitched track.
• DWT will be re-using and repositioning as much as the existing stone on the track as possible as well as importing stone as required. This additional stone will be sourced from a recycled random gritstone pitching / walling stone supply so that it will already have a “weathered” appearance of matching colour to blend in to the existing stone on the track. The conservation contractor DWT is using will source the stone form, Hillside Stone Sales, based in Glossop.
• The pitching is mainly on level sections but will include drainage grips as necessary.
• The conservation contractor will be carrying out the works.
• Work should take 10 – 14 days. Repairs will be done mostly by hand with minimal use of a 2 ¾ ton excavator where necessary. A tractor and trailer will be used to deliver stone in suitable quantities each day.
• The bridleway will remain open to the public at all times.
• Due to the constraints from Viridor (project funders) the project must be completed before 20th Jan 2016, so DWT aims for the works to be completed before 31st Dec 2015. No start date has been confirmed yet but is likely to be Late Oct/ early Nov.
We would like to express our support for the sensitive nature of the proposed repair work. If everyone could be careful when using this stretch of the bridleway whilst the work is underway that would be great.
