This year seems to have been a year of responding to consultations relevant to walking and the aims of our Society.  These have been brought to your attention in previous editions of our newsletter.  The most recent consultation is on "Discovering Lost Ways".  This project led by Natural England requires that any rights of ways not currently shown on the Definitive map are added to it by 2026 or they will be lost forever.  Claiming a right of way and getting it onto the definitive map is a long drawn out process and requires evidence which is often difficult to gather.  If the project proceeds I will be asking for some help if we are to achieve the 2026 target in our area of interest.  In responding to the consultation one of the questions I had to answer required me to say what I envisaged as a good experience of a day walk with friends in 2020. I said "my ideal situation would be a circular route taking me through a variety of landscapes with no walking on tarmac and where rights of way are clearly marked and in good condition."  Do you agree?  If not send the editor your answers.
Some lost ways are potentially much more useful than others and I would certainly wish to concentrate my efforts on those.  There is also an argument for spending the project money on maintaining and improving what we have.

I have a wish list for improvements to our path network and I know from discussions with many of you and with other locals that an extension of the Castleman Trail eastwards and improvements around the Ringwood industrial estate area are high priorities and of course we would also like to see a similar trailway on the old Breamore Railway Line.  I hope that we can progress these projects during the coming year.
Seasonal Greetings to you all.
Ruth

We do now have another new path.  At last the long awaited footpath to the west of the A338 at Ellingham has arrived and is evidenced by some splendid gates, fingerposts and waymarks.  The path has been provided as part of the planning consent for gravel extraction west of the road.  The path runs south from Ellingham Cross to link with Ellingham FP 27.  I hope I shall be proved wrong but sadly I cannot believe this path will be much used on account of its proximity to the busy road and the fact that to incorporate it into a circular walk will involve TWO crossings of that road!  We continue to look forward to more paths at Blashford Lakes - but on the EAST side of the A338.
Rowan

                                                                              1
                                   Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5