General Information from local bridleways organisation

16th October 2011 - Rights of way - BHS 2011 Access

MID COTSWOLD

TRACKS & TRAILS GROUP

Maybe members would like to support this - http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/changing-footpaths-into-bridle-paths-where-accessible-t.html

Helping to improve our tracks and trails ... from this generation to the next

COTSWOLDS ON HORSEBACK - THE LAUNCH

We were blessed with good weather for the launch of Cotswolds on Horseback - a bright day, although a little breezy.

BHS Director of Access, Mark Weston, came to Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park to launch the publication and the day’s ride, with William and Lois sharing the honours of cutting the ribbon.

William was the Group’s founding Chairman, and Lois is the present Chair. 20 volunteer Group and BHS members, led by Lois, spent almost 3 years working on 28 circular routes routes, liaising with and assisting the Gloucestershire Rights of Way department on improving some of the gates and surfaces, etc. - a truly mammoth task.

Eight of these routes are published in the pack on laminated sheets, and cost £6.95 from http://www.britishhorse.com/products/ the-cotswolds-on-horseback-2011.html (please note that the OLD version of the book is available second-hand from Amazon, but some of these routes are no longer considered safe)

New version Old Version

So far 21 routes are available to download from BHS EMAGIN site: http://www.emagin.org/Routes_by_region/ South_West.aspx with another 6 due to be added shortly. We hope to add to the Cotswold chain of riding routes in the future, including a South-North linear route, which would extend the route coming up from the Mendips on to the north Gloucestershire border with either Worcestershire or Warwickshire, crossing the east-west Sabrina Way en route.

A GRAND DAY OUT

GETTING PUBLISHED - ROAD SAFETY

Some MCTTG members answered questions on their experiences of riding and driving on the roads, as part of Catherine Chapman’s thesis: EQUINE ROAD SAFETY: PUBLIC ATTITUDES, UNDERSTANDINGS AND BELIEFS FROM A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN THE UK.

Catherine has just heard that it has been accepted for publication in Accident Analysis and Prevention.

WELL DONE, CATHERINE !

TACK MARKING at Rodborough

Many thanks to our cheerful local police, who came and stamped tack for free - here they are getting down to it ! Having your specially fitted saddles and bridles stolen is every rider’s nightmare, and having your tack coded can be an aid to recovery of stolen items, or can act as a deterrent to thieves.

First Prize went to Sue Bryant from Bisley, who won a pair of Hi Vis Half Chaps - these are worn on the rider’s lower legs as part of the High Visibility clothing that MCTTG recommends. High Visibility hat covers, vests and other items can aid motorists in registering a horse and rider on the road, and gain seconds in allowing drivers to respond.

The group also ran a competition to win some Hi Viz items donated by Our emphasis on HI VIz also ties in with the research evening I attended with Catherine (see Getting Published), when I was astonished to hear one rider say she had been hit by vehicles 3 times - including being shunted across a main road at a crossing, and a carriage driver describe a car cutting in so close they ended up with the bridle caught on the wing mirror, and another incident of a cyclist rounding the corner behind the carriage at speed, hiting the back of the carriage and catapaulting himself into the carriage.

Can we ask all riders and drivers to report such incidents to the BHS at www.bhs.org.uk/content/accident-report-form.asp as they are trying to get statistics on road incidents, and not just the tragedies.

ROAD SAFETY & HI VIZ

MORE ROAD SAFETY - STATISTICS

MORE ROAD SAFETY - SLIPPERY ROADS

We want to thank GCC Highways for the horse-friendly areas of new tarmac that we know of - King’s Stanley and Hampton Fields. We have received reports from several riders at Hampton Fields saying they are using areas that have they have been unable to use for several years. We understand that they have contacted Highways themselves to thank them personally.

MORE ROAD SAFETY -

SAFER CROSSING

Here’s a note we received from Olga who has been liaising with The National Trust at Stockend.

As we reported in the last bulletin, Tim at the National Trust also opened a new bit of permissive track from Cripplegate to save horses having to venture out onto another part of the fast road that Olga refers to in her letter above.

I’m sure the car and bus drivers are as delighted as we are !

Here are Tim’s eco-posts ..... FABULOUS !

Hi Pat,

Last night I rode over the new trackway that has been installed by NT between Stockend Woods and Edge Common. They have done a wonderful job. There is much greater visibility, the track is wide enough to accommodate several horses and the clearance of trees means that you can hear the traffic.

I only meant to ride up to the edge and then back again, but the track gave me such confidence that I actually rode across the road and then over the common. Something I haven't done for over 15 years and certainly not on a weekday.

I will be writing to Tim and his colleagues at NT, put a notice in the Parish Mag and email and letting the riders who signed the petition know the good news.

Thank you for starting the ball rolling and then with all your follow up.

It has been a great success and another feather in the MCTTG hat.

Regards, Olga

MORE ROAD SAFETY

SAFER CIRCUIT

midcotswoldtrails@gmail.com www.midcotswoldtrails.org.uk

info officer: Pat Harris 01453 823841

ADOPT A CoH ROUTE

Having done all the work to ensure that the routes published in Cotswolds on Horseback are rider-friendly, we are now looking for Group members to help by adopting a route - keeping an eye on it to make sure it stays open and acessible.

IF EVERY PARISH HELPED TO LOOK AFTER IT’S TRACKS, THE WHOLE COUNTY NETWORK WOULD BE SAFE AND AVAILABLE FOR ALL

If you think you could help in this way, please e-mail Lois at lois_eyre@hotmail.com.

WORK WITH US TO IMPROVE YOUR LOCAL TRACKS

We need local input and liaison to get things done - just help us with ONE of your local tracks and the improvements will all start coming together.

Local riders, County Rights of Way Officers and Landowners are looking at ways to improve a bridleway at Frocester - we have a cunning plan !

Hopefully more on this in the next newsletter.

I have also seen a gate on a footpath donated in someone’s memory - we could do this too, for people who loved to ride the Cotswolds, or for the horses who loved our hills and valleys.

COMMUNITY INTEREST

There is a general movement afoot for community involvement. We are hoping that both The Localism Bill and a new DEFRA White Paper on Natural Environment will make it easier for groups and communities to help to look after and maintain their local rights of way - if all parishes could and would do this, our tracks and trails would be less likely to get overgrown and obstructed.

I (Pat) have had a meeting with some lovely people from DEFRA on the subject of communities working with Councils and grants-funders, and the problems with getting environmental grants for Rights of Way - they are listening but even they don’t have a magic wand. We went to see Gipsy Lane and another project I am involved with, at Marsh Lane in the Stanleys, which a local group are working on with GCC Highways. DEFRA are keen to work on “Best Practices”- passing on ideas that are working between all interested parties around the country - and it is great to be a part of it.

Give A New Meaning To

HORSE POWER

Join In, Be Heard, and Be Active

- even if all you do is share this newsletter or become a member

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Independent Panel on Forestry – Call for Views

The Independent Panel on Forestry would like to hear your views on forests and woods in England, and what this part of our landscape can and should provide, now and in the future. This call for views is the start of an ongoing dialogue with everyone who is interested in forests and woods.

The Panel has been set up to advise Government on the future of England’s forests and woods by April 2012. Our terms of reference, which you can see in full on the webpages, state that we should advise “on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England”.

This includes, but is not limited to, the work of the Forestry Commission, forests and woods in public, private and charitable ownership, the economics of forestry, public benefits such as well being, access for leisure pursuits and the role of forests and woods, and related open habitat, in the wider natural environment.

This ongoing dialogue will work in a number of ways, including site visits and web activity. We will develop the best way to engage people through the Panel’s work over the coming year. The Panel will draw on existing information and previous Government consultations but will not be limited to the questions and issues asked before.

Please see the attachment for the questionnaire, which contains details at the end of it, for a web site where further information can be obtained. Please send completed quetionnaires to the address shown on the attachment under 'Practiclities' or to the following email:

forestrypanel@defra.gsi.gov.uk. For Gloucestershire, particular areas of concern are The Forest of Dean and Westonbirt Arboretum. Please pass this information on to Members of the Public too, where possible.