Back Dane is by the confluence of the River Dane with Clough Brook, just south of Burnt House Farm, Wincle. Wincle footpath 26 follows the rural river valley at a higher elevation.
Alan Catherall is the ECR Footpath Inspector in this parish and whilst there, has expended some of his time and enthusiasm in 2017 by negotiating with the very cooperative land-owner, Mr Francis Goodman, to allow an old Defra-created ‘Conservation Walk’ to be restored as a Concessionary Path.
The path, marked in red dashes on the OS map, descends to follow the river at this lovely, secluded location in the valley bottom. It forms a one km. diversion from the higher level PROW path FP 26 between Allmeadows and Bartomley Farm.
Alan sought the resources of ECR and its Projects Team to supply and install the signage for this path, and to clear the route of obstructive vegetation. On an autumnal day in November ’17 Alan and I spent a delightful time walking the proposed concessionary path and planned the locations of five way-marker posts defining the route, and restoration of two finger posts on FP 26 intersections.
Walking the Concessionary Path from the north end, we approached two hairpin bends on a rocky and grassy descending track to the River Dane……
Alan Catherall. North of CP 
CP just south of north split from FP26 
River Dane below start of hairpins 
Track ramping down to south hairpin – middle ramp seen below. 
View south at first hairpin 
Old Defra post below south hairpin 
A curiosity 
Middle ramp northwards 
Alan on the north hairpin above the river. 
Lower ramp southwards to riverside. 
View south across riverside meadow
The route follows the river down-stream…..
River Dane, viewed northwards upstream 
Towards confluence with Clough Brook 
Confluence – Clough Brook (left) 
River Dane south of confluence
At the rivers’ confluence, the route climbs to join FP26……
Path climbs …. 
…..straight ahead route to be cleared through thicket 
Path climbing steeply ahead. 
Tree to be cleared 
Lovely views along route 
Route bears right, uphill in distance 
FP 26 finger post beyond brambles 
Some veg. clearance required.
We also walked the higher path FP26 to return to our start, and judged it needed selective vegetation clearance to keep its route clear.
Walking FP26 north to our starting intersection with the concessionary path……
Alan looking towards the CP route we arrived along. (FP 26 continues south). 
FP 26 viewed northeast 
Continuing north….. 
Thickets to clear ahead 
Path clearances in patches ahead 
FP 26 and the CP meet. Viewed southwards.
The Tasks
On 6th December 2017, seven ECR Projects Team members arrived at Allmeadows to carry seven heavy posts, post-digging tools, and various tree and shrub clarance tools down to Back Dane and beyond. This day four waymarker posts and one finger post were installed.
Whilst posts were being installed, other team members cleared vegetation on the new path and much of the PROW path between the concessionary path intersections with it. I am sorry not to have photos to include of all our helpers listed, but we were working on parallel paths simultaneously.
Three members returned on the 12th December, installed one finger post and one waymarker post, and continued with clearance works on the concessionary path.
Upper PROW FP 26 work:-
Finger post installed – north end of CP 
Thicket cut back……a) northwards 
b) Northwards 
c) Southwards
Concessionary path waymarker posts erected and disks added:-
Way’post – to leave the riverside. 
Way’post installed – as photo above 
Third photo of one waymarker post! 
Considerable clearance in distance was carried out on the first (pre snow) day.
Three of us returned on 12th December to work in snow in minus two degrees Centigrade crisp cold air to finish the post erections and fix waymark disks.
Mike Collins, Alan Catherall. Excavating for a waymarker post. 
Brian Richardson, Mike Collins. Post erecting. 
Post positioned on previous visit…… 
……waymarker CP disc added today.
We also cut away some fallen trees and removed gorse clumps.
Alan Catherall, Mike Collins………. 
………..Removing fallen tree.
These days proved very enjoyable and Alan was very satisfied with the result.
ECR Footpaths Project Team members who attended were Janet Allan*, Alan Catherall, Mike Collins, Roger Fielding, Chris Munslow, Gill* and Tom* North, and myself, Brian Richardson. We eight people contributed 12 person-visits providing in excess of 43 hours work excluding lunch breaks etc. * Sorry – no photos.
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