Essex Area Update

Welcome to the October Edition of the Area Update

Essex Festival of Walks October to November

Hi Everyone,

This link is the programme for the above, look at it and see the support and interest it has created. The number of hits on the Festival Website is over 1500, more than we normally get in 6 months on the rest. All Groups and leaders need to be thanked for their efforts. Also many thanks should be given and recorded to Brian Hayes who has set up the Festival Website and made such an impressive document. In should be noted only one Group has not offered a walk. It is a wonderful achievement.

Mike Cannell has produced something for Groups and members to publicity the event and show Essex Ramblers is the centre of walking in the county.

Kate Ashbrook, the Chair of the Ramblers Board of Trustees will join us for the walk around being lead jointly by South East Essex and and , supporting our first attempt at an event of this size.

All Groups will be asked to collect numbers and take pictures so we can show everyone how successful it is,

This is your event. Take pride in what you have set up and most importantly enjoy yourselves

Alan Goffee Area Vice Chair

Working with Essex County Council

My predecessor as Footpath Secretay, Gordon Hands, fought a long and successful battle to get Byway 33 which runs from Henham, and joins Byway 38 from Widdington, walk-able. The route, part of which runs along side the , is historic, and part of it is likely to have passed along the river bed itself at one time. It is 2 kilometers long and is delightful to walk. Unfortunately its use by large motorised vehicles caused considerable damage to the banks of the river and other parts of the route. In 2011 extensive repairs were carried out to correct this. However by the early part of this year, when the attached pictures were taken, the same problems had arisen. The Ramblers had long supported the restriction of use on these Byways, and had raised the issue with Essex County Council on a number of occasions. In 2017 ECC set up the Byway Working Party to agree a strategy for Byway Management. The Group seeks solutions for routes where long term issues exist and have failed to be addressed satisfactory. This was one of the routes they reviewed, and in September an order was raised restricting the use on the Byways and installing barriers to reduce the entrance width. The route will be accessible to walkers, cyclists, motorbikes, horses, and some smaller quad bike and horse drawn carriages ECC are to be congratulated in making this order and working to provide access to the majority of the users of this route. Essex Area support the setting up of the Byway Working Group and have asked, as a stakeholder, to be involved.

Alan Goffee Area Vice Chair.

Working to Protect the Path Network

Here are two examples of Ramblers' work in protecting the path Network.

The Battlesbridge planning response is on the CC planning website. Recce and pictures from a member of C&B group.

The Statement of Case is for the public inquiry where the Ramblers are objecting to the diversion routes proposed for Tolleshunt D'Arcy footpaths 2,4 & 5 and Little Totham footpath 7. The Statement is in the public domain and can I assume be seen at Essex Highways. The Statement was compiled with assistance from Eugene Suggett at Ramblers Central Office and the Footpath Secretary at the time that the Ramblers' objection was formally made in 2018.

Katherine Evans Ramblers - Essex Area Footpath Secretary

Gate at Stebbingford Green

Blockage on Stebbing Bridleway 40 near Blatches Farm, Stebbingford Green.

In June it was reported that a metal gate had been installed over the bridleway at Grid Ref 6710 / 2250. Alan Roscoe, one of Essex Highways ROW Inspectors, was contacted and visited the site.

Alan found that although walkers usually walked down the metal track on which the gate had been installed, it was not actually the legal line of the path. This was to the east of the gate. Following discussion with the landowner and the Essex Bridleway Association, a new access on the correct line was installed and is now walk-able.

Essex Ramblers wish to record their thanks to the landowner and to the efforts of Alan Roscoe.

Alan Goffee Area Vice Chair.

Update from Area President

Alas our 2019 summer of walking draws to an end, but what an Autumn we have to look forward to here in Essex!

Anyone who has not heard about the 1st Essex Area Walking Festival should start by looking in their own group’s programme for their Festival walk/s then go onto Essex Area Ramblers web site for very much more. All but one of our groups have been able to put on their own walk. We also have a Monday walk sponsored by Essex Area, it would be nice to see anyone able out on this often non walking day. During the Festival there are a wide range of walks to choose from. In addition to the more expected all day and half day walks for ‘people like me who are normally unable to partake in a regular group walk’ you but be tempted by the very short walk and trip down the pier with Rochford and Castle Point.

I wish to offer the biggest possible thank you to everyone involved in this Festival from Alan who seeded the original idea to everyone else involved down to all of you who will soon be leading, back marking and joining many of these exciting walks.

On a more serious note Ramblers subscriptions increase from 1st October 2019. Full details available on Ramblers website and new joining forms I am told have been produced these are available for anyone out recruiting new members.

Can I next ask everyone to check their Ramblers Data Protection Regulation information. Some members are not getting their newsletters as a result of ticking a NO when they needed to tick YES. Walks programme sheets are part of your rambler’s contract when you join so group secretaries can send them to all members. Newsletter are not they need to have your permission under the GDPR so tick YES on the main website to ‘post’ or ‘email’.

Exciting news from Central Office popped into my in box recently it includes the following;- “Assemble is our new volunteer website. We're just doing a lot of work on improving the documents that are in the Volunteer Zone (and usually rather elusive!). They'll be really easy to find on Assemble. There's news for volunteers, where you can find out more about what others are doing as well as sharing your own local successes. The Message Centre will let you contact any volunteer anywhere without ever sharing your email address - it's a really lovely internal messaging system - so you can link up with Ramblers volunteers in your own area and beyond”. Its so new I have not found time to investigate it yet so we will all be learning about it together.

Essex Walking Strategy

In last month’s Area Update we summarised our response to a consultative document from Essex County Council . ECC has now announced a wider public consultation phase with a close date of Friday 18 October. There is again an online survey at: https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/rci/essex-walking-strategy- resident-consultation/, which is very similar but not identical to the June/July survey.

Colchester Ramblers Concert

Adoption of Named Paths

In 2016 Area Council debated the issue of Named Paths, of which Essex has at least 28. The Essex Way and St Peter’s Way are maintained by Essex County Council, but the rest are not. Area Council agreed Groups would volunteer to survey, work with ECC to sort out any problems found, re-waymark, and if necessary rewrite the route details

The Groups who volunteered to adopt a named path have all worked towards their objectives and we now in a position to publicize the work done and suggest the many walkers in Essex re-walk these paths. Essex Area Council wishes to record its thanks to the Groups involved for all the hard work they have done.

The Essex Area website lists all the named paths with the details of the routes. Area Council is now asking Groups to volunteer to continue the work. This is not a project limited in time and Groups can set their own working patterns. It is possible that our own Working Parties can help in some places with maintenance and Area is able to obtain money for way-marking and other items that may arise. The only requirement is that everyone involved ensures Ramblers’ discs are installed along the route to ensure the public know who has done the work. We work for all walkers and they need to be aware of what we do.

The Named Paths Groups have worked on are as follows:

Chelmer and Blackwater

The Chelmsford Circle. A circular footpath around the county town of 21 miles, which can be split into five smaller sections.

The Group has surveyed, sorted out maintenance problems and re-waymarked the route. The major housing development at Beaulieu Park has only a temporary route. Discussions with ECC for an alternative are taking place.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links.

North West Essex

The John Ray Walk. A circular 10 mile footpath around Braintree and to celebrate the county’s famous botanist.

The Group have surveyed, sorted out maintenance problems and updated the way marking. Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links.

Redbridge

The Saffron Trail. This is a linear footpath across the county, from Southend to , of 71 miles. The Group have surveyed, sorted out maintenance problems, installed new waymarking and updated the route booklet.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links or by contacting the Group to obtain a copy of the booklet.

The Harcomlow Way. A figure of eight footpath in Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire of 141 miles.

The Group have surveyed, sorted out maintenance problems, and installed new waymarking. The Group is presently working on the production of a booklet of the route.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links. The booklet will be available in 2020 from the Group.

South East Essex

The Southend Millennium Walk. This is a circular footpath around the town and pier of 24 miles. The Group have surveyed, and are working with the local council to solve minor problems. The Group is also in the process of updating the booklet of the route.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links.

Uttlesford

The Dick Turpin Trail. This is a circular 17 mile footpath around the countryside based on the early life of the county’s infamous highwayman, which can be walked in three smaller sections.

The Group have surveyed, sorted out maintenance problems using the Group Work Party, installed new waymarking, and updated the route details for publishing in October 2019.

Details of the route can be found on the Uttlesford Group Website.

West Essex

The Epping Forest Centenary Walk. This is a linear footpath of 17 miles through the Forest set up to celebrate 100 years of open access to the Forest.

The Group have surveyed and worked with City of to sort out maintenance problem. The City of London does not allow waymarking within the Forest.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links.

The Lea Valley Walk. This is a 53 mile linear footpath along the .

The Group have surveyed, and worked with the Lea Valley Regional Authority and Canal and River Trust to sort out maintenance problems, and updated the waymarking.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links.

The 3 Forest Way. This is a 60 mile linear footpath connecting Epping, Hatfield and Hainault Forest.

The Group have surveyed, sorted out maintenance problems using the Group Work Party, and installed new waymarking.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Links.

The Forest Way. This is a 25 mile linear footpath linking two forests in South West Essex.

The Group have surveyed, sorted out maintenance problems using the Group Work Party, and updated the waymarking.

Details of the route can be found on Essex Area Website under Link.

The Stort Valley Way. This is a 28 mile circular footpath through Essex and Hertfordshire based around the River Lea.

The Group are starting work on surveying of this path.

Alan Goffee, Area Vice Chair

September Volunteer News

Click here for the August Edition of the Ramblers Volunteer News

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