WELCOME to Waymark
I have pleasure in forwarding your latest Waymark. If this is your first copy, Waymark is a newsletter that will be published via email four times a year - helping fill that long gap between Signpost - and will also appear on pnfs.org.uk/waymark. One of its aims is to encourage members to volunteer or get more involved in helping the PNFS.
If you would like to contribute to or have any suggestions or comments about Waymark, please contact me on editor@pnfs.org.uk
Shirley M Addy, BA, PNFS Editor
Vacancies for Courts & Inquiries Officers
Are you passionate about rights of way and interested in the legislation that helps to protect them? If a Highway Authority (HA) fails to fix a problem, could you help to give them a nudge or, if necessary, take enforcement action to get the problem fixed?
If yes, then the Courts & Inquiries team would love to hear from you.
About you ~ Ideally you will have experience of inspecting footpaths and be familiar with reporting faults and assisting with proposed diversions or other changes to the network. However, if you don’t have the above background but are enthusiastic and willing to learn, we would love to hear from you.
Full training and support will be provided, including the opportunity to attend a comprehensive external training course.
About us ~ We are currently a team of 7 C&IO’s covering 35 Highways Authorities. Our backgrounds range from new members to those with years of experience as a PRoW officer. We meet 6 times a year (currently on a Friday morning) and support each other with all aspects of the role.
The time commitment for this role varies but on average takes around one day a month. Our vacancies are in Lancashire, Staffordshire, Wigan, and other areas.
Interested and would like to know more? Please email us at candi@pnfs.org.uk and a member of the team will respond to you.
Facebook for Members
The society has a Facebook Group - PNFS MEMBERS. This is a forum for discussion of all matters relating to the preservation and improvement of the rights of way network across our region, our signposts, bridges and research into unrecorded ways. We hope it will also be a good place to share images of walks that can also be posted on our Instagram account, #LOVEOURFOOTPATHS.
Quiz by Ken Brockway
Question 1 - In the Trent Valley, this folly was reconstructed from a demolished house that was located up stream from the current location. Where is it now and where was it originally?
Question 2 - An unrecorded track in Kirklees, it forms part of a recreational route. Name the 'A' road and bridleway that the track links.
Detailed answers in next Waymark.
Slow Ways Website Launch Date Announced: 23 April to 3 May
Slow Ways is a national project to create a network of walking routes that connect all Great Britain’s towns and cities as well as thousands of villages. It is designed to make it easier for people to imagine, plan and go on walking journeys. Using existing footpaths, people will be able to download and use the Slow Ways routes (free of charge) to walk between neighbouring settlements or combine routes for long distance journeys.
During lockdown 700 volunteers from across the country collaborated to produce a first draft of the Slow Ways network, creating a stunning Slow Ways map in the process. This incredible effort has led to the creation of 7,500 routes that collectively stretch for over 110,000km.
Get Involved: Walk, Review, Verify, Survey - Slow Ways now depends on walkers to sign up (www.slowways.uk) and provide review information to help others decide if a route is suitable for them. Reviews can be simple (giving a star-rating and verifying a route as good enough to be on the network) or a more detailed survey of features on the route (e.g presence/absence of cows, stiles, mud on the route, path widths & gradients, facilities etc). Basic online training and guidance will be given to surveyors.
Slow Ways will launch its website on 23 April and will be holding a series of Zoom webinars during the launch week to help users (sign up via www.slowways.uk):
Introduction to Slow Ways - Tuesday, 27 April at 7pm
How to use the Slow Ways website - Wednesday, 28 April at 7pm
How to survey Slow Ways walking routes - Thursday, 29 April at 7pm
Groups like PNFS can play a special role in this process by selecting, walking, and reviewing routes using our valuable local knowledge. Get involved:
- Sign up on the Slow Ways website
- Walk routes as individuals in your local area
- Footpath Inspectors could walk Slow Ways routes where these run through your parish(es), using your observations for the benefit of both the Slow Ways review and your PNFS inspection reports.
- Use your local knowledge to suggest better routes if the original route has limitations.
- Groups of individuals could get together to ‘swarm’ a route or an area, providing strong information from multiple surveys and opinions.
- Spread the word to others in the walking community and via social media (use the hashtag #SlowWays)
- If you find a fault – report it to PNFS via our website (Report an Issue to Us)
PNFS hopes that Slow Ways will encourage more path usage which, in turn, should result in more pressure for public rights of way to be maintained to a good standard.
Take a look at the Slow Ways website, get involved and tell us what you have been doing with Slow Ways in your local area (submit an article for one of our newsletters or post on our social media).
Linda Smith, Footpath Inspection Team
Fed-up with finding paths obstructed or overgrown? Become a footpath inspector for PNFS!
Monitor rights of way on behalf of the Society:
- in an area you have agreed to inspect
- at your own pace
- in your own time
- find the paths on our unique database
- record your inspections
- report problems
Have the satisfaction of supporting the work of the Society and protecting our right to walk public footpaths.
If you are interested contact Footpath Inspection Coordinator, David Gosling 07841647275 or by email inspection@pnfs.org.uk
In case you missed ...
Thanks go to John Harker for:
Proposed Bypass If built this bypass will have an effect on the path network around the edge of the town which in turn will effect access into the National Park.
A research project into rights of way by Newcastle University.
Climbers tackle frozen waterfall in Derbyshire.
Upper Don Trails Trust The Trust intends to link Sheffield city centre to the Peak District around Langsett via a continuous cycleway/footpath along the river Don corridor. A proposed new section at Deepcar is under threat as Bloor Homes are trying to renege on a planning condition to construct a new section along the river Don where they have consent to build over 400 new houses. Local members are encouraged to respond to the application as requested by the Trust which is rallying support.
BOAT Huddersfield 231 This is partially about the BOAT Huddersfield 231 which PNFS is involved in through Andy Leader and Terry Norris. The farmer applied to have it downgraded to BW status. Objections from the BHS saw a 5 day public inquiry in January 2019 of which PNFS officers attended for 3 days. The farmer also objected as he now thought there was no right of way at all. The inspector confirmed the Order but the decision was appealed to the High Court by the farmer and DEFRA consented to having the decision quashed. I believe Kirklees Council have agreed to make a fresh downgrading DMMO which is bound to go to public inquiry again with the farmer, egged on by anti-rights of way campaigners, no doubt pressing for a confirmation with a modification to delete entirely. Apologies if I've got chronology wrong.
Ramsden Road BOAT This vlog contains a section on Ramsden Road BOAT from about 12 mins 45 secs which is the BOAT that Andy and Terry are concerned about.
PNFS signpost The signpost at the top of Jacob's Ladder above Edale is shown just after the 3 minute mark.
Obstruction on a footpath If you have not yet found this gentleman (of "Mr H's Hot Pot") from Wigan, you have a treat ahead. He has a bee in his bonnet about an obstruction on a footpath near Wigan and has made three short vlogs about this case. There is a 1:25000 extract of the OS map at about 6:10 in this first vlog. He is fairly clued up about the legalities and thinks the landowner is responsible for maintaining the path, conflating the duty to maintain the stiles etc with the duty to maintain the surface. Clearly, he has had less experience than Terry has in dealing with Wigan Council. Part two of this saga and the third and final part
How to get a footpath diverted legally
Derwent Valley cycling and walking route
Footage of Peak District areas by drone Over thirty to choose from!!!
I have stumbled across this article written by the late Professor David Hey in 2011. Some of you recall that he was invited to be a speaker at our AGM several years ago at my suggestion, but tragically David died of a brain tumour before he could do so. He was a keen rambler, supporter of the campaign for open access and an expert on the history of the moorlands in the National Park and the ancient routes that criss crossed them. He once told me that the off-roaders regularly tried to persuade him to help them find evidence of historic roads that they could claim, but he would always refuse their offers of money. His AGM talk at my request would have been about GHB "Bert" Ward "King of the Ramblers", one of our earliest members and, for a long time, the Society's only inspector east of the Pennines. PNFS benefitted from his estate about 15 years ago to the tune of £36,000. Footnote references to David Sissons refers to the Society's inspector David Sissons who covers some parishes in the National Park.
This may interest members around Stockport
Thanks to Rhoda Barnett for this one: Derbyshire County Council has told us that the contract for the installation of signposts where a PROW meets a metalled road is now on-line – you can use the link below to see the details. You can check which PROW which you inspect are included. This is very helpful. If you as inspector has reported PROW which are not on the list, then do let DCC know via their On-line reporting mechanism
Volunteers area on website
David Gosling, Footpath Inspection Co-ordinator tells us that thanks to Mel Bale's work, we now have a new Volunteers Area on our website.
You can access the new area from a link on the front page of the website which is located next to the FID and Pathcheckers links (bottom right-hand corner). It is a password protected area. The log-in is the same as accessing the FID. If you don't have log-in details then, if you are an inspector, I can help you, or ask Mel (webmaster@pnfs.org.uk) to give you access.
We have posted new training resources for beginner inspectors which includes presentations, documents, videos. More resources will be added as ee go along. Other resources for volunteers available in the Volunteers Area include: expenses claims, Inspector Newsletters, Volunteers Handbook, minutes of PNFS Management and Legal meetings, and a link to the digital archive
We will be posting the list of inspectors with their email addresses soon. This replaces the list that used to be published in the Annual Report.
Got the message, right?
If you are not sure where to turn at this footpath on the lane above the welcoming Inn at Whitewell, which is owned by the Queen, in the Ribble Valley, this signpost with its three waymarks should help you. Right?
Shirley M Addy, Editor, Footpath and Signpost Inspector
Signposts available for commemoration
Do you know that there are still some signposts available for individual walkers or walking groups who would like him to make and fix a commemorative plaque to one in return for a donation of £375? As can be seen from David Morton's Signpost Reports in Signpost, all signposts receive periodic inspections and maintenance as required. Please have a look at previous issues of Signpost to see which signs are available for commemoration. Then take a closer look at their photographs, GR and OS map on option 2 of the signposts gallery of our website pnfs.org.uk/signposts/where-they-are.htm
If you are interested, contact David on 0161 283 7824 or email him on davidcmorton@ntlworld.com.
Ken Smith's Walking Videos
PNFS FOOTPATH INSPECTION WALK SADD FP242 ALONG SIDE THE RIVER TAME Obstruction at SD9965 0546 Bridge Street-Carr Lane Uppermill - land slip onto footpath and into River Tame. At the Oldham Council PROW User Group meeting on 14.1.20, Saddleworth FP242 was discussed: "Saddleworth 242 River Tame Path at Uppermill. The land is currently still moving and the current situation is that there is no funding available for the large remedial costs needed and the causation cannot be proved." On 16.1.20 I inspected FP242 in detail from Uppermill Cricket Club car park. This is a very beautiful footpath along the River Tame away from traffic and takes you all the way to Greenfield and beyond. My thoughts are: Open the footpath from Spring Street to the cricket ground, which would not require a lot of effort (it needs clearing) until monies can be found to sort the land slip, which does not look a too big a job to me. The council does not have the money at the moment to carry out the repairs. Alternatively, start a fund raising campaign to pay for it. A better option is a team of volunteers for a couple of days and ten shovels and we can sort it out. Read the article in the Saddleworth Independent
PNFS SHAW FOOTPATH INSPECTION AND WALK BACK TO DOBCROSS 17.81km 11mi 4h 22min According to OS maps. Lowest ascent 163m 535ft; highest ascent 356m 1168ft; total ascent 493m 1617ft. Walked 2.9.20, the inspection part of this walk was around Shaw. Explored Besom Hill along the way and also missed my way a little and the weather in part was very wet all the way back and windy, not good for navigating a route you have not walked before. The large stainless steel cross was erected to celebrate the start of the third millennium. After getting down from Besom Hill I walked up Ripponden Road, down Grain Road then took the footpath down into Delph then onto Dobcross. Click link for OS route map
Footpath Improvements
The Society would like to use some of its legacy funds to improve the footpath network. Our constitution now allows this to happen. So here is an offer. Pass the word on!
Do you know a path that needs a boardwalk over boggy ground, a path on a steep slope where steps would be an improvement, difficult stiles that could be replaced by gates, a path that is permanently slippery and muddy where installing a hard surface would increase its use?
We all know those kinds of path. Now funds are available to get these problems fixed.
We are keen to support Footpath and Walking Groups, Affiliated Societies, Wildlife Trusts, Rights of Way Teams in Highway or National Park Authorities. If there are projects which would not otherwise be funded, PNFS may be able to finance reasonable solutions.
So, if you know a path that you would like to see improved, talk to your rights of way officer and put together a proposal to the Society. If we judge that it is a good use of the Society’s funds, we will be happy to provide the finance.
All good ideas to Jenny Allen at improvements@pnfs.org.uk.
Trustees Wanted
Make a difference - become a trustee. Trustees help to set the direction for the charity, ensuring that it is meeting its charitable objectives and helping its beneficiaries. They are responsible for overseeing and monitoring the charity's activities.
What will you be doing?
We are looking for new trustees who can contribute knowledge and experience to the team. Whilst not exclusive we would particularly value someone with the following skills and experience:
- Digital marketing skills
- Media & PR
- A knowledge of the area of legislation which affects the Society’s work.
The Management meetings take place on the last Friday of each month (no meeting in December), normally at Taylor House, Offerton, Stockport but currently via video conference. Papers for the meeting, including reports from our officers who attend the meetings, are distributed ahead of the meeting. Trustees are expected to have read the papers and noted questions which they wish to raise at the meeting, to gain a clear picture of issues or problems that may have arisen. Trustees need to have adequate information to make responsible decisions about the future of the organisation and the way it is run. They are required to plan strategically for that future. Trustees are responsible for approving the policies which govern the charity's activities, ensuring that they are reviewed regularly, and monitoring their implementation.
Trustees are expected to take advantage of any online training which is available.
The minimum time commitment for this role is 4-5 hours per month. You may be invited to join a subcommittee. The time commitment for these varies.
What’s in it for you?
This important and rewarding role provides a unique opportunity to be part of the continual evolution and development of the Society, ensuring that it continues to meet the needs of walkers and other users and fulfil its stated aims in a positive and innovative way. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference.
What are we looking for?
We particularly welcome applicants with experience of marketing and communications (media and PR), digital and IT. Some experience of a leadership role would be useful, as would legal knowledge.
Time to act.
Interested? Please send a brief outline of your relevant experience with a covering letter to trustees@pnfs.org.uk
Walking in the Forest of Bowland and Pendle
First published in 2008 and reprinted last year, this walking guide by Terry Marsh describes forty walks in the Forest of Bowland AONB and its most famous landmark, Pendle Hill. Grouped into Lune Valley, northwest, western and central moors, Hodder and Ribble valleys and Pendle, the walks range from 3 miles to 12.5 miles long, but mostly about 6 miles. Each walk is prefaced with practical information and a general description of the walk.
The book is printed on glossy white paper and is designed to be read easily and carried by hand or in a pocket whilst walking. Succinct directions of the walk are given with an extract of an 1:50000 Ordnance Survey map highlighting the route. Local features of interest are given brief descriptions and the book is illustrated by many photographs but these not obstruct the flow of the direction.
I treated myself to this book recently as I like to occasionally refresh my library of Lancashire or Ribble Valley walks. I was not disappointed and although there was one or two routes that I've previously walked, most of the routes are new to me. I look forward to ticking them off between my footpath inspections and I recommend this book to anyone wishing to walk in one of the most beautiful walking areas in the country. It is available from outdoor shops or post-free from cicerone.co.uk
Shirley M Addy, Editor, Footpath and Signpost Inspector
Parish notes
Want to tell us about your favourite parish for walking or the one where you live? Signpost publishes Parish Notes which is a series which will also be published both on the website. Members who would like to contribute are encouraged to contact Mel Bale at webmaster@pnfs.org.uk. No more than 500 words and one or two photographs please.
See copy deadlines at end of this Waymark.
Highest number of PNFS signposts on a walk?
Following on from the nineteen signpost walk in Signpost No 66, David Gosling has achieved a route with twenty signposts. Go to pnfs.org.uk/routes
Can you help with these photographs?
Ken Brockway, footpath inspector, would appreciate some help with two photographs. Fourteen old photographs supplied by John Kidd found in an album bought at auction. It is assumed the picture are all from the same source and that the photographer may have been Sheffield based. Know scenes include Millers Dale, Haddon Hall and Monsal Head. Generally winter scenes some with snow. If anyone can offer location and a date he would be pleased to hear from you. Email him at great.english.walk@gmail.com
A well known view perhaps of Monsal Head viaduct, improved by less trees than seen today. The River Wye is in flood and another picture shows the view upstream also in flood. The trees are leafless. The photographer appears to have no interest in railways, I would have waited for a train to cross.
A square stone or brick two story tower with castellated parapet. The elevation in view has no door opening but a square window at the ground floor and a larger arch topped opening at the first floor. The tower ivy covered and surrounded by close growing but leafless trees. A wooden fence can be seen behind the tower and two figures in the distance suggest a path or road.
Deadline for Signpost
The deadlines for copy for Signpost magazine are 15 February, 15 May, 15 August and 15 November. Please forward your articles to editor@pnfs.org.uk in good time. Remember I can only accept them in an editable format, such as Word, and photographs in jpg format; including your job or role title would be helpful.
Copyright of the original material belongs to individual contributors, unless stated otherwise. No part of Waymark may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the Society. The views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Society.
Produced by Shirley M Addy, Editor and published by Mel Bale, Webmaster
Contact for Waymark is editor@pnfs.org.uk