Chilterns Weekend Walkers
CWW news
CWW has raised the alarm over a spoil heap blocking a footpath in Saunderton.
The huge pile of asphalt was discovered by walk leader Anne Kimber on a recce. It is completely blocking footpath 42 close to its junction with the A4010 south of the Crownfield Industrial Estate.
Anne said: "What a drag to find this pile of slag! It's in a narrow area which is tarmaced, with a padlocked gate at one end, and with nothing else here apart from this strategically placed pile of loose asphalt chippings blocking the public right of way.
"I did try to climb over the obstruction but it's slippery and dangerous and definitely not suitable to take a group over. Plus the field path beyond the blockage is ploughed up.
"There is an alternative route nearby, but the principle remains. We must keep walking all paths, keeping them free and open - or risk losing them." The spoil heap was reported to Buckinghamshire Council by former CWW footpath secretary Ian Inch.
• In Speen, misleading signage at the Horse Trust was corrected after Ian reported it to Bucks Council. Walkers trying to follow footpath 48 past the Home of Rest for Horses had been confronted by a gate marked "Private", plus a "No entry" sign nearby.
But new signs have now been added, making it clear where the right of way runs. The stables are in Lacey Green parish where the Ramblers' Bucks Area committee has given CWW a special responsibility to check rights of way. Ian's successor, Alan Cooper, regularly patrols the local footpaths and bridleways, trimming back overgrowth around stiles and signs, and even pulling up nettles by their roots.
• At Turnip End, also in Lacey Green parish, thanks to efforts from veteran footpath campaigner and CWW affiliate member Kate Ashbrook and others, the landowner has decided not to pursue a proposal to divert a path. Kate has, meanwhile, questioned the closure of a bridleway into the Wormsley Valley on safety grounds.
• South of Winchmore Hill, CWW members have alerted Bucks Council to a path where where the waymarked route differs from the one shown on OS maps.
In response, the Council opened up a new route through a hedge, but the arrows on two nearby footpath markers still appear to contradict each other.
• CWW's Anne Kimber has alerted Bucks Council after five of our walkers were bitten by horses on a path near Jordans. According to social media reports, it's not the first time the horses have caused problems for passers-by.
• Near Coleshill, a landowner who put up an electric fence across a public footpath has now added a crossing point, following a complaint from Anne.
Anne said: "It was a shocking affair! The path was blocked by the electric fence, which went right across the field. I saw someone in a garden and they directed me to the farm owner. I knocked on her door and she told me to duck under the fence, saying it was only a mild electric shock to stop the horses wandering, and she wasn't going to change it.
"I gave it a try but got all tangled up in it. I took off my rucksack and shuffled under it getting a bit muddy. I realised some groups would not manage this and, unsatisfied with the landowner's response and the thought of getting electrified, I reported the matter. I think the 'gate' appeared after that."
Inspecting the newly added gate on the electric fence, CWW chair Tim Axten said: "Footpath checking and reporting faults are an important part of what we do in CWW. As Ramblers our mission is to care for and protect our precious rights of way network, keeping footpaths open and accessible for anyone who wishes to use them."
Anyone can report a footpath problem to Buckinghamshire Council, writes CWW footpath secretary Ian Inch. Before you can add details, you will need to register on the website, which is simple. The Council will prioritise issues according to importance, and provide a reference code for you to track their progress dealing with your issue.
In practice the Council are stretched and it takes time for them to examine issues, but it's important that particularly high priority issues like path obstructions, unauthorised diversions and threatening or obstructive landowners are reported, followed by medium priority broken stiles and paths obstructed by overgrowth.
• CWW keeps a special watch on rights of way in Lacey Green on behalf of Ramblers. If you spot a path problem in the parish or something serious elsewhere in our area, please email footpaths@chilternsww.co.uk
To add to the confusion, the arrows on two footpath markers and a nearby fingerpost appear to contradict each other.
• CWW's Anne Kimber has alerted Bucks Council after five of our walkers were bitten by horses on a path near Jordans. According to social media reports, it's not the first time the horses have caused problems for passers-by.
• Near Coleshill, a landowner who put up an electric fence across a public footpath has now added a crossing point, following a complaint from Anne Kimber. Anne said: "It was a shocking affair! The path was blocked by the electric fence, which went right across the field. I saw someone in a garden and they directed me to the farm owner. I knocked on her door and she told me to duck under the fence, saying it was only a mild electric shock to stop the horses wandering, and she wasn't going to change it.
"I gave it a try but got all tangled up in it. I took off my rucksack and shuffled under it getting a bit muddy. I realised some groups would not manage this and, unsatisfied with the landowner's response and the thought of getting electrified, I reported the matter. I think the 'gate' appeared after that."