Page 28 - The Parish News May 2019

The Ramblers association & looking after our footpaths
The West Wilts Ramblers Group (WWR) are part of the national Ramblers Association (RA) and organise two led walks per week for their members. In this age of financial constraint, we also see it as an essential part
of our remit to help to maintain and improve local paths. In addition to our twice weekly walks programme, we provide a volunteer working party for Wiltshire Council on Tuesday mornings each week, and every now and then we mount a campaign when we spot particular problems.
We are all so lucky in Wiltshire to have the benefit of our
3851 miles of Public Rights of Way. Of these, over 2,200 miles are footpaths and nearly 1,000, bridleways. Responsibility for ensuring that they are all kept open and properly maintained rests with the Rights of Way and Countryside Department of Wiltshire Council (RoW).
In Erlestoke, Coulston and Edington you have for a long time had a major on-going problem with the B3098, cutting you off from Salisbury Plain as it does. In February, West Wilts Ramblers surveyed the two Coulston paths that cross the B3098, one of which is completely unsafe to use. We came up with some recommendations that have been passed to RoW for action and copied them to Coulston PC. In particular, for the western path, we have asked for a standing space to be cut out of the steep bank on the north side of the road, with bricked walls, perhaps two metres by one metre, with steps up and handrails for a distance of about 10 metres. Both paths need to be defined again and steps cut into the steep hillside of Baynton Hill Woods.
Whenever you spot something about a footpath that needs fixing, report it on the ‘My Wiltshire’ on-line reporting page on the Wiltshire Council web-site
at: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/mywiltshire-online-reporting. Follow the link to Public Rights of Way section. Nowadays, footpath maintenance is effected only when reported, and if considered sufficiently important. At WWR, we recommend that members of the public request their Parish Councils and their local Wiltshire Councillor to get involved, keep them aware of progress and request their intervention if adequate progress is not
seen. Perhaps you would like to make your own report about footpaths crossing the B3098?
A thought. Take your secateurs with you when you walk and snip the odd bramble if it gets in the way – every bit helps!!
Brian Micklam,West Wilts Ramblers Group, Email: brian.micklam@gmail.com
26 THE NEWS MAY 2019 www.thenewseec@gmail.com