Guildford Ramblers Help To Keep Footpaths Open For All To Enjoy

Published on: 14 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 14 Mar, 2019

Eight volunteer path wardens from the Guildford group of the Ramblers Association have been helping to keep footpaths open for anyone to enjoy walking along.

Working in conjunction with Surrey County Council, the volunteers have checked 552 public right of way (PROW) problems, probably walking more than 100 miles in the process.

A new kissing gate being installed by Guildford Ramblers.

Also, a monthly working party has undertaken work to maintain and improve many paths.

Apart from Guildford, the area covered includes the parishes of Worplesdon, Compton, Artington, Shalford, Send, Ripley, Ockham, East and West Clandon, East and West Horsley, Effingham, St Martha’s, Albury and Shere.

Guildford Ramblers’ footpaths secretary Andrew Bowden said: “We assist the council in checking the quality of our paths by spot-checking 5% each year and currently have over 80% of our paths ‘easy to use’.

“Surrey County Council has an interactive map and database system called the Countryside Access Management System (CAMS), which is open to any member of the public. This enables us all to report the problems we encounter on our footpaths and bridleways.”

Every month a team goes out to a particular path or problem, which has previously been agreed with Surrey County Council, who will provide the tools for any major work.

The monthly working party has made a major contribution to maintaining and improving the footpaths in its part of Surrey and during the past year has cleared overgrown paths, cut down trees and shrubs, made a new route up to the Pitch Hill viewpoint, erected five kissing gates, built two stiles, two sets of steps, and erected seven finger signposts and 30 waymark posts.

A new bridge built by Guildford Ramblers.

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. The group has recently managed to obtain some funding from Ramblers nationally to pay for some new kissing gates, which are urgently needed.

Lynne Davies, who chairs the Guildford Ramblers, added: “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 on one of its walks. There is an eight- to 10-mile walk every weekend (usually Saturday) and two five- to six-mile walks on a Wednesday morning. There is a shorter ‘taster’ walks on the first Monday morning of the month.

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