Guildford Ramblers’ Footpath Maintenance Team Back In Action

Published on: 1 Sep, 2021
Updated on: 1 Sep, 2021

Volunteers from Guildford Ramblers’ footpath maintenance team were back in action last week for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The Guildford Ramblers footpath maintenance team about to start work.

With guidance from Surrey County Council’s countryside team, nine members of Guildford Ramblers spent a day accomplishing a formidable list of tasks in the Effingham area.

These included the installation of a new kissing gate to replace a broken stile, cutting up and removing some trees that had fallen across a footpath and clearance of a footpath, which had become completely overgrown.

A team from Guildford Ramblers usually goes out every month to a particular path or problem, which has previously been agreed with Surrey County Council who provides the tools for any major work.

The monthly working party makes a major contribution to maintaining and improving the footpaths in their part of Surrey, clearing overgrown paths, cutting back trees and shrubs, erecting kissing gates, stiles, bridges and finger signpost and waymark posts.

With Surrey County Council suffering cutbacks to their countryside budgets, Guildford Ramblers’ says its work has become even more important in the last few years and the group has managed to obtain some funding from Ramblers nationally to pay for some new kissing gates, which are urgently needed.

A new kissing gate installed by Guildford Ramblers.

Lynne Davies who chairs Guildford Ramblers’ said: “The public usually think of the Ramblers as people who go walking for their own enjoyment, but a major issue for us is to help keep public rights of way in our area open for all to enjoy.

“The county council no longer has the funds to look after all our footpaths as they would wish to and so volunteer groups like the Ramblers are making a major contribution to the upkeep of footpaths for the benefit of all walkers in our county.”

All are welcome to join Guildford Ramblers. There is an eight- to 10-mile mile walk every weekend (usually Saturday) and a five- to six-mile walk on a Wednesday morning.

There is a shorter ‘taster’ walk on the first Monday morning of the month.

For further information go to www.guildfordramblers.org.uk and click on the walks programme tab.

Facebook www.facebook.com/guildfordramblers

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