Essex has over 4,000 miles of Public Rights of Way: more than 10,000 footpaths, bridleways and byways spread across more than 300 Parishes.
Essex Ramblers want to ensure that all these Public Rights of Way are kept open and free from obstruction. We want each Parish to have its own volunteer Adopter, who will ensure that all the paths in their Parish are walked at least once a year, and to record any faults found.
If you are willing to adopt a Parish, there are two steps involved:
firstly, find a free Parish near you, and contact the District Coordinator for that area. Details of District Coordinators can be found on the 10,000 PRoWs page. If you are OK entering data into a spreadsheet, then we will use your email address to grant you permission. We can also provide you with a printed A3 colour map of all the paths in your Parish so you can plan which Paths to walk and when.. If you're not comfortable with online spreadsheets, you will need to capture your findings on paper (say) and make them available to your District Coordinator, who will get them typed in for you. (If you don't have contact details for your District Coordinator, email telecall@essexarearamblers.co.uk.)
secondly, after we have added you as an Adopter, you will need to confirm your acceptance. We detail how this works on the 1st Time Access page.
Use your A3 colour sheet (or online map), to plan the sequence you'll walk your paths. Details on Planning Surveys.
When you become an Adopter, you will be granted edit access to an online spreadsheet for your District. Use it to see a list of all its paths, and use it to record the date you walked a path and a summary of what you found. If you find a path that is (for example) blocked by a fallen tree, or is missing a finger-post, or has a damaged bridge, or is overgrown, or is flooded, then you also need to report it to your Highways Authority. The Reporting Findings page describes how to record what you found. (If you're not comfortable using the internet, then you can often email what you found to your District Coordinator, and they will enter it for you).
You may have question about things you come across (when should a path across a cropped field be cleared?) The Advanced Guide page will hopefully provide you with answers.