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Some really good news on footpaths!!

Thanks to a grant from the Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust, four new kissing gates are to be installed in Frocester Parish enabling a “stile free” circular walk from The Badger to The Kings Head through some lovely countryside. The walk will take about one hour.
I’m hoping that the gates will be in place by the end of April………weather permitting !
This work will of course maximise the use of our own Parish footpaths and make walking easier for dog-walkers and those of us who find stiles more difficult to cope with.

As most of you will know, I have always worked closely with Vanessa and the Eastington Walking Group, and I used to lead some of the walks until hip and knee problems slowed me down!

The ‘Walkers’ walk on the 3rd SUNDAY of every month, normally from the ‘Badger’. You can check times etc. on Facebook “Eastington Community Walking Group”, and on the ‘Whatson’ pages of our website ecn.me.uk. If you need more information about the Walking Group, contact Vanessa on 828557, or 07806-802540.

All being well, it is hoped that this new route will be walked on 20th MAY, so let’s hope that the ground starts to dry-up quickly. * Make a note in your diary !!!

I would like to thank Sarah Macaulay-Lowe, our County Footpaths Officer for all her help in getting this project ‘ off the ground ‘. I have worked with her for many years and I know that a lot of her work on our behalf is “behind the scenes”, and not always obvious.

Thanks must also go to Farmer Hawkins and Farmer Prout for allowing the installation of these gates, AND to the Cotswold Warden Volunteers for the hard work of actually getting on-site and doing the installations,…….. I wish them well, and hope that the ground conditions enable them to ‘get-on’.

Another ‘thank you’, to Farmer Nick Spencer for allowing two more kissing gates on his land, and for very kindly paying for the one of them to be installed (EEA65 ).

 

The map should be self-explanatory and can be used for future reference, and of course, anyone can walk the route at any time.

Click the thumbnail for  full size (.pdf)

If you need any more information on “Footpath Matters”, please phone me on 824452 or email edwards.parish@btinternet.com

I hope that you have all had a dry, and ‘Sunny’ Easter, and that we have some good walking weather to look forward to!!

Best Wishes, Bill Edwards ( Public Rights Of Way Defenders )

Apart from ensuring the continued enjoyment of our beautiful countryside, a matter has recently come to light that further underlines the importance of the work that Bill does (entirely voluntarily) in keeping track of our our footpaths and our access to them. During the 1960’s when the houses were being built in the Victoria Drive area, there was little regard to such things, and some footpaths were simply ignored and ‘buried’ under the development. In recent times, now that some people wish to buy these houses, the legal searches reveal that they are situated on top of a footpath – which leads to all sorts of legal complications and mortgages being withheld. The matter is being resolved by the County ‘officially’ rerouting or removing the footpaths, but it is causing a lot of trouble for those concerned in the meantime! Ed