Volunteers' Top Tips: Keeping public paths clear

Safeguarding our public path network is at the heart of Ramblers work. Yet the quality of the network differs across Britain. Sometimes this is down to differing attitudes in local authorities, and sometimes down to the effectiveness of the Ramblers locally. We asked volunteers to share their ideas - you can share your own at the bottom of this page.

Rights of Way Improvement Plans (RoWIPs), their implementation and Local Access Forums (LAFs)

• The Welsh experience – money in Carmarthenshire for the Plan. The Local Access Forum is running the RoWIP.
• Merseyside – the Local Access Forum is key – it has produced an action plan and is driving it forward.
• In a number of places the RoWIP seems to be focussed on maintenance, rather than big ideas...
• East Riding – they starting to rewrite their RoWIP.
• A number of councils pay lip-service to it.
• Often just seen as a document on the shelf.
• North Yorkshire – split between the LAF and the Ramblers. LAF does not represent walkers’ interests and is landowner dominated. It has not been given the budget it needs this year.
• Help for practical path work through RoWIP – need to identify pots of money.
• Use the RoWIP to defeat gating orders.
• LAFs – by invitation/interview – if you are militant or noisy, you do not get onto LAFs.
• Leicestershire – now has a fairly influential LAF. But RoWIP is largely based on maintenance – not extensions.

Way forward, what to concentrate on

• Need to get onto the farmers – question of cross-compliance. Challenge farmers on this. Need to start putting down Parliamentary Questions.
• Councils are now going backwards on rights of way. Need to be very clear with councils – clear message from DEFRA. Need to take legal action where needed – and challenge inaction this way.
• Glastir in Wales – cross-compliance is not being pushed enough. Need to look at this.
• Central Office needs to give more help on grant funding – support local Areas and Groups – Oxfordshire and Merseyside.
• Herefordshire – contracted out the whole system to Amey. Doing highways and rights of way.
• Public Service Agreement for paths. Had some money in. What happened to these?
• Creations – where is the future here? There should be far more, as it is simple and relatively cheap.
• 2026 cut-off date – where are we now? Support for volunteers. Big project in Hampshire – looking at routes for RoWIP. Generalised scoring system – some sort of matrix, which links in to usefulness. Claims going in in East Riding – about 50 per year, but council is only processing about 4 a year.

Alleygating

• Alleygating– need to highlight safe routes to schools, bring to bear the full weight of governors and Parent-Teachers Associations. Need to get the gating reviewed – find where people are unhappy. Gated paths that are in a terrible condition.
• Need to establish demand for these routes.
• Need to find local opposition. Gating – need to consult LAFs. Litter and detritus doesn't help.
• Also worries about other illegal closures and obstructions. Need to take action on these.
• Need to carry out research into how much gating is costing. We need to know how much gating is going on and the overall cost.

Role of National Parks

• National Parks – do they all have responsibility for footpaths? If not, we need the National Park to do it. North York Moors and Dales have taken on responsibility. Harrogate District Council – handed back agency agreement. Carmartenshire has delegated to National Park.

Practical path work

• Nottinghamshire – new system of parish wardens. Beds has parish wardens. North Yorks has parish survey. Walkers are Welcome is mobilizing a new group of volunteers. Need to support footpath volunteers.
• More working parties are starting (or restarting) – Ramblers has got insurance sorted out. But a number of councils don’t welcome volunteers because of concerns about liability. We need to address this.
• Walk leaders with loppers – they do this at their own risk!
• Some councils won't let volunteers work near main roads. But are willing to negotiate with landowners elsewhere.
• North Somerset – to get on with practical work get councillors and other organisations on board.

Shared use and upgrading of paths

• Upgrades to bridleway status. No objection if wide enough. Cycle tracks – needs to be designed right. Commercial aspect comes in. Surfacing is a major issue. Bells on bikes is a real issue.
• Canals – Sustrans. Not a tarmacced surface. Off-road generally not tarmac. Good practice in Herefordshire.

Urban paths

• A high number of footpath claims in the West Midlands. 108 applications in to Coventry. 130 in to Birmingham. Lots of good work on urban paths. Need to be aware that a path claim can sometimes lead to a gating application.

Surveys

• Ploughing and Cropping surveys – Nottinghamshire. Good example of surveying and follow up legal action having an effect.
• Notts are also still doing surveys like BVPI. Devon – wardens are expected to survey paths every two years. Herts are still doing it, Hampshire are still doing it.
  

Additional tips from readers (to add others, click on the link below)

I have a small set of folding gardening tools including secataurs and small saw purchased at a modest cost (£3.99) from Wilkinsons. They came with a case intended to but put on a belt but the addition of a simple key ring makes it easy to attach them to the front of a rucksac strap. Thus on encountering stiles etc. barred by new brambler growth I can have the offending brambler trimmed befor other walkers can get their rucksac off to look for the tools that they might have included. As well as being a usefull suggestion for walkers to take with them there could be a publicity opertunity to be xploited with the Wilkinsons or other hardware suppliers.