Somerset is a beautiful county, we all know that. And accessing its lovely, out-of-the-way places is made possible by a network of paths, some of them centuries old.
But it is a sad fact that, far too often, I set out to research a route for Somerset Life only to be thwarted; paths shown on the map as rights of way have become completely impassable. Many is the time that a green lane is so overgrown it simply isn’t penetrable, or a stile leads straight into the densest blackthorn hedge.
At this point I have to find another route to get us back to where we want to be – hoping all the way that this alternative won’t also be blocked. But I know, too, that once I’ve beaten my way through the thickets and am back at the desk I have the added task of contacting the county council in an attempt to get the path unblocked. The success of this can be variable.
On one memorable occasion, after having put the problem in the hands of both the county and parish councils, I was contacted a year later by a reader telling me that one of our signature paths was still difficult to traverse, overgrown and with broken stiles. Disappointing.
These are frequent challenges, but the problem of potentially losing paths extends far beyond those shown as rights of way on our current Ordnance Survey (OS) maps. Many historic maps show paths that are no longer shown on the modern Definitive Map, the legal record of rights of way. Some may still be used as ‘unofficial’ footpaths but many have, quite simply, vanished from view and from memory, as well as from the map.
この記事は Somerset Life の October 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Somerset Life の October 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Up on the Down
Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE
Shop until you drop
It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY
Creatures of the night
Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE
Bowled over
Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links
Trackway through time
In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Charity starts at home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
Blooming brilliant
Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role