Walking charity launches appeal to improve paths in Wales
Ramblers Cymru has launched a fundraising campaign calling on the public to help them improve paths and access in Wales.
“At over 20,000 miles long, our path network (public rights of way) crosses mountains and moorland, clifftops and commons, fields and urban fringes,” said Ramblers Cymru.
“It connects us to nature and to each other. However, the state of our path network does not reflect the popularity of walking.
“Ramblers Cymru estimates that around 50% of our paths are difficult to use or blocked, preventing people from enjoying the all-important health and wellbeing benefits of connecting to nature.
“To tackle this, Ramblers Cymru has launched a Crowdfunding appeal dedicated to improving routes across Wales through its Paths to Wellbeing project and other access work. With support from the public, Ramblers Cymru want to put walking back at the heart of our communities and help open the way for more of us to enjoy walking.
Alongside the campaign, Ramblers Cymru is also continuing its call for Welsh Government to provide fair funding for the path network.
The pledge has already collected more than 1,500 signatories.
Angela Charlton, director of Ramblers Cymru said: “Our paths are the gateways to our communities, they help us stay fit and healthy and connect us with our green spaces and nature. Unfortunately, they are often undervalued and underappreciated, and a lack of investment and care makes it impossible for many of them to be used.
“At Ramblers Cymru we want to be part of the solution, our amazing path maintenance groups and Paths to Wellbeing project working with communities, volunteers, local authorities and environmental organisations is making progress. But we need public support to do more, so that we don’t lose these paths, but instead protect and enjoy them for current and future generations.”
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Yeah, nah… I’ve only yesterday witnessed what these improvements mean, a group close to me claiming to want to “preserve” some local wildland and woods close to my home. They repaired a bridge which was very useful, but then the fencing and signposts were thrown into the river, which is not useful. Now they have “improved” the muddy pathways that had tree roots and bumps and all kinds of muddy puddles to stomp about in by widening the pathway and putting a pavement over it and then throwing builder “offcuts” into the bushes…and now everyone (meaning the dog walkers and… Read more »
Nice essay in sweeping dismissal of Ramblers’ right of access but at least some of your objections are very valid. One point you managed to overlook is that said Ramblers have a deep seated problem with closing gates and respecting fences aimed at keeping livestock in paddocks. Do they see leaving gates open as some sort of animal liberation thing? Also leaving their litter and other filth where livestock can reach it. People who see countryside as one big “leisure opportunity” need to pause and recognise that it is living space, working space and home 365 days a year for… Read more »
Wow – that’s quite a rant and exaggeration – and to dismiss all efforts to uphold our long held rights to walk on paths because of a poor example near you, is quite a leap. the vast majority of people don’t cause the problems and should be be stopped from enjoying a walk by the neglect or lawbreaking of others. .
I agree. These paths need opening up. The wildernesses I’ve had to hack through on public rights of way! There are going to be two problems with people going along to open these up. Ecology. These tangles massed house wildlife, including protected species. You will probably need an ecological survey before cutting back anything.Landowners. Most overgrown public rights of way are DELIBERATELY overgrown. Landowners have an obligation to keep rights of way open. They get benefits for doing so. When they don’t, it’s because they want the benefits but don’t want the walkers. You cannot cut a blade of grass… Read more »
I posted earlier that the two biggest challenges to clear paths are ecological surveys and negligent landowners. Apoarently that is “spam”