HAMPSHIRE RAMBLER July 2015 * General Council 2015 * SDNP 5th Anniversary * Coastal Access * The Big Path Watch * European Ramblers Assn * Path Changes * New Area Chairman ~ From Our New Chairman, David Nichols ~ Hello I am David Nichols and I was elected to be the Ramblers’ Chairman for Hampshire at the AGM held in February this year. Some might already know me from my being the Hampshire Area Mem- bership Secretary for the past 7-8 years. I am also Chairman and Member- ship Secretary for the Portsmouth group which I joined in 1990 and have walked with ever since. The group’s walking and social activities are very important and I would mention here that you can become as involved as you wish with both and certainly the social side is as important as the active walking. Members of group 96 which involves members who merely wish to walk, are looked after by Ruth Croker and myself for sending them a copy of this magazine. Contact details are on the rear cover. I would however suggest that those members might be missing out on the many social activities that the local group might provide and would encourage participa- tion. My thanks to Owen Plunkett for the past eight years in the chair and he remains as Public- ity Officer and our interested party in the South Downs National Park. I would draw your attention to an article later in this edition of the celebration on Easter Saturday of the Fifth Anniversary of its creation. I wish you all a happy walking summer although as I write the temperatures are already rising! ~ VE Day: First Days of Peace - Ben Robinson, in a BBC film, reveals the postwar revolution that altered the English countryside into a landscape that could not only feed the nation but also be seen as a place of leisure. It features an interview with Kate Ash- brook, President of Ramblers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/…/…/ve-day-first- days-of-peace-11052015 ~ Coastal Access by Alan Marlow ~ Natural England have at last announced their plans for completing the Coastal Access path. The map opposite, published in early March, shows that work will begin on sections of the coast path in Hampshire later this year. If these plans survive after the general election we can expect that NE staff will start consultations with the Ramblers and other interested parties before the end of 2015. Once the timetable is clear, the Footpath, Access and Walking Envi- ronment committee will co-ordinate our actions across all the Ramblers groups with parishes along the coast. Cover photo by Alan Mather: New Forest walk, near Copythorne 2 Coastal Access Completion by 2020 - Provisional Timings and Stretches 6th March 2015 1 Aust to Brean Down 52 Gretna to Allonby 2 Brean Down to Minehead 53 Allonby to Whitehaven New coast path and 3 South West Coast Path 54 Whitehaven to Silecroft associated access rights now open 4 Lyme Regis to Rufus Castle 55 Silecroft to Silverdale 5 Rufus Castle to Lulworth Cove 56 Walney Island Work in progress 6 Lulworth Cove to Christchurch 57 Silverdale to Cleveleys 51 Est. start 2015-2016 7 Christchurch to Calshot 58 Cleveleys to Pier Head, Liverpool Berwick- ") 8 Calshot to Gosport 59 Birkenhead to Welsh Border upon-Tweed 50 Est. start 2016-2017 9 Isle of Wight Est. start 2017-2018 10 Gosport to Langstone 49 11 Langstone to East Head Est. start in stages 12 East Head to Shoreham 2015-2017 13 Shoreham to Eastbourne 48 Natural England Areas 14 Eastbourne to Camber 1 52 1 ") 15 Camber to Folkestone Newcastle ") Carlisle 16 Folkestone to Ramsgate 47 17 Ramsgate to Whitstable 53 18 Isle of Sheppy 46 19 Whitstable to Iwade 2 45 20 Iwade to Grain 21 Grain to Gravesend 54 55 Scarborough ") 22 Gravesend to Southend 23 Southend to Wallasea Island 56 57 44 24 Foulness, Potton and Wallasea Islands 3 25 Wallasea Island to Burnham on Crouch ") 43 Blackpool ") Leeds 26 Burnham on Crouch to Maldon Hull ") 27 Maldon to Salcott 58 28 Mersea Island 4 42 29 Salcott to Jaywick 59 ") Liverpool 30 Jaywick to Harwich 41 31 Harwich to Shotley Gate 32 Shotley Gate to Felixstowe Skegness ") 38 33 Felixstowe Ferry to Bawdsey 5 37 34 Bawdsey to Aldeburgh 40 35 Aldeburgh to Hopton On Sea 39 36 36 Hopton On Sea to Sea Palling 6 Great Yarmouth ") 37 Sea Palling to Weybourne 38 Weybourne to Hunstanton ") Birmingham 9 39 Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge 35 40 Sutton Bridge to Skegness 33 41 Skegness to Donna Nook 32 31 42 Donna Nook to Humber Bridge 8 34 ") 43 Humber Bridge to Kilnsea 7 28 29 Felixstowe 44 Kilnsea to Filey Brigg 27 30 45 Filey Brigg to Newport Bridge 25 26 46 Newport Bridge to North Gare 23 24 47 North Gare to South Bents 1 10 22 London ") 48 South Bents to Creswell ") Bristol 18 17 21 49 Creswell to Bamburgh 20 2 11 19 50 Lindisfarne 16 51 Bamburgh to Scotish Border Folkestone ") Bridgwater 14 ") 15 8 ") 11 Southampton 10 Brighton 13 7 ") 14 3 ") Exeter 12 13 12 4 5 6 9 ") Newquay ") Plymouth 0 25 50 100 150 Kilometres © Crown copyright and database right 2015. ³ All rights reserved. Natural England Licence No. 100022021 3 ~ European Ramblers Association by Liz Neilson, President of European Ramblers Association ~ I am the president of European Ramblers Association – an organisation with member organisations in 33 European countries representing more than 3 million registered walkers and more than 100 years of expertise in creating and maintaining walking trails. ERA was born in the 60s when northern European workers started to go on charter holidays and visit other parts of Europe. The walking federa- tions found the best way to explore Europe could be on foot and created a system of long-distance trails criss crossing Europe. Trails maintained by the national member organisation – but connected by our network. Today we have 12 long- distance trails covering more than 50.000 km. The longest of them is E4 going from Tarifa in Spain via France, Switzerland, Germany, Aus- tria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece to Cyprus. In total 11.800 km. In Great Britain we have E2, E8 and E9. Some years ago the European Ramblers Association launched the label “Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe”. Like the “Blue Flag” for the beaches, it is a guarantee of high qual- ity - is our label, a guarantee for a trail of outstanding high quality. Such a system has to capture the complexity of different landscapes, infrastructures and route character in comparable dimensions. To allow for the variety and uniqueness of the landscapes and walking routes in the different regions of Europe, the criteria system has been constructed with maximum flexibility. It uses the years of practical experience in countries that already use quality criteria to plan and upgrade walking trails. The transparent criteria are the system’s strongest quality. The label makes attractive routes measurable and ensures a good experience for the hikers. The rating/grading as ‘Leading Quality Trails - Best of Europe’ is an award as well as a method to optimise the overall route infrastructure. The criteria can be used as a checklist and help regions that have to build up their walking route network. In regions that already have a functioning route network, such a system can strengthen the walking tourism further. The logo ‘Leading Quality Trails- Best of Europe’ can be used on national as well as inter- national trails. Certification is only available for complete trails. Minimum is a distance of at least 50 km with three daily stages. All the criteria can be found at the ERA homepage where you also can find a presentation of qualified trails. You can also find information how to become a Leading Qualified Trail – Best of Europe. The Lechweg in Austria was opened as the first Leading Quality trail in June 2012. The Lech valley is a well-known 5 star ski-resort – but in summertime most hotels were closed. The 7 communes involved decided to create a 5-star hiking resort for summer tourism and developed a trail from the spring of the Lech River to the fall where it goes into Germany. Last summer- season – the first full hiking season after the opening - they had 4.500 extra nights in the hotels, the public transportation along the trail had many new customers and the shops registered a lot of tourists with a rucksack on their back. In 2015 five different travel agencies have Lechweg in their program and several guidebooks are available. 4 These are the current qualified trails, but many more are in the pipeline: Lechweg Austria/Germany Escapardenne / Eisleck trail Luxemburg / Belgium Kullaleden Sweden Mullerthal trail Luxemburg Zeugenberg runde Germany Veldenwanderweg Germany Moselstieg Germany Menalon Trail Greece Gendarmstien Denmark Albtraufgänger Germany E-Path Certificates European long-distance paths go between European countries - from North Cape to Crete and from the At- lantic to the Carpathians and the Black Sea. There are 12 E-ways, bearing the name of E1 to E12. ERA seeks to encourage walkers to use the E-paths to strengthening the mutual understanding between people. ERA wants to encourage cultural exchange, develope an understanding of different environments, increase knowledge of the countryside and the people who live there. ERA awards walkers who have used the E-paths in an outstanding way. ERA has two special certificates: E-path Certificate 1: walkers must walk on the same E-path in three different countries - in each of the 3 countries a distance of at least 50 km.