Transforming the stiles

December 2013

The Walkers, riders and cyclist group have been meeting throughout the year to work towards trying to improve our rights of way in the parish.  The aim of this group is to carry out improvements in conjunction with, and with the co-operation and support of the landowners.  All landowners were therefore contacted and the overwhelming support to improve the paths and provide dog gates where necessary was fantastic.  We carried out a full survey of all our rights of way – 24 footpaths, 1 byway and 1 bridleway.  Materials were costed and grants applied for and insurance sought for the volunteers and the work to be carried out.  

We were successful in obtaining a grant of £750 from South Somerset District Council.  Somerset County Council agreed to provide three new stiles on one footpath which were particularly bad.  They also agreed to carry out a major clearance of the Byway and replace broken or missing finger posts by the roadsides.  The work involved has gone out to contractors but we do not have starting dates yet.  The new finger posts however, are beginning to appear around the village.

The No 2 party organisers generously gave us a donation of £100 from funds raised at the party and the Parish Council awarded us £300 and the village hall also awarded us £300.

Sir Cameron has made major improvements to the bridleway which goes up to the woods past New Park Farm now making this an excellent access point to the extensive riding opportunities, available by permit, in the woods and beyond.  We are now speaking to the Stourhead Estate to try and improve the path within the woods to make access safer particularly in the winter months when it gets very wet there.

Volunteer working parties started on the stiles on 25th October and carried on with two further sessions on 21st and 29th November.  We have now mended or replaced 11 stiles, put in 4 new dog gates and made access possible for dogs on all other stiles, put up 4 new handrails, built one footbridge and improved two other footbridges!  We are now having a break in December ready to start again in January.

None of this work would have been possible without the incredible support of landowners, the generous support of all grant funders, and the hard work of all the volunteers.  Many thanks to everyone involved!

We are organising a village walk on Friday 3rd January to celebrate our new easy-to-use stiles, meeting at the village hall at 11am with or without dogs.  The walk will take approximately one hour and is a circular walk returning to the hall for mulled wine, sausage rolls and mince pies and other hot drinks.  We do hope you can join us!

If anyone else would be interested in joining the group or helping out on working parties please contact me – Sally Amery on 31330. 

Where it all started

January 2013

Walkers riders and cyclists group  This group was formed as a result of the Charlton Musgrove parish plan to carry forward some of the actions suggested and to try and improve the rights of way in the village.  We have had two meetings and are in the process of carrying out a survey of all the rights of way in the village to establish where improvements and maintenance might be required.  We are also investigating the possibility of creating some circular off road routes for walkers, cyclists and riders.  Our aim is to achieve these improvements or changes by working in collaboration with our local landowners.

Thanks to the Parish Council and the No2 Party we now have a funding basis which, all being well, will enable us to seek other grants to start some repair work to broken and difficult stiles in the late spring/summer.  We will contact landowners before carrying out any work.  We also plan to draw up a small booklet suggesting circular walks and pub walks in the village pointing out things of interest along the way.  Our history experts and people who have lived in the village for a long time will be a valuable source of information.  If you would like to help with some of the practical outdoor work please let me know.  Sally Amery 31330.