A number of people have contacted me in the last 3 months about the Breamore Railway Line Path.  It is disappointing that it is still not open to the public.  In June I explained the problems causing delay.  One of these is yet to be resolved.  We have to wait for The Environment Agency to give permission for installation of the small bridge needed just to the north of the old station.  Hampshire County Council think they have "ticked all the right boxes" on the application form so everyone involved is hoping the new bridge will soon be in place.  The old one is unsafe to use.  If, and I hope it does, open before the December Waymark is published I will announce details at evening meetings which start in early September and on walks.  I hope there will be an opening ceremony and that many of you will be able to attend.  I will certainly organise a walk along it soon after it is open.

Work on the second stage of the Breamore Railway Line project should start in October.  I will be looking for volunteers to help clear 1 mile of the old track to the south of the station.  Any new volunteers wishing to help with the work should let me know.

Natural England will then start to draw up detailed plans of a proposed route around the 2,748 miles of the English coast.  An audit of the coastline has already taken place.  It has been found that on average people can walk only about 2 miles before their way is blocked.  Natural England will consider how the route can best be made continuous.  There are problems on the Hampshire coast and these are not likely to be among the first to be tackled.  We are however very lucky to have easy access along the 630mile Dorset Coastal Path running from Poole to Minehead in Somerset. There are very few places on this path where walkers are away from the coast and unable to see the sea.  The same cannot be said for the Solent Way and it is hoped that by negotiation with landowners a better route can be found for this path.

Have you found it easier to find us on our stand at summer shows?  We have been flying our new banner high in the sky and it is easy to spot.  It has our logo on it and initials RFFS.  My thanks to Claire and David Knapp and Carol Thornton for their work on this.  If you are at Frogham Fair we should be easy to spot so do visit our stand.
Ruth

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