SHEPTON
MALLET 2006
During
2005/2006 the group concentrated on parishes around Shepton
Mallet. Photographs of recent work parties are on another
page of this website.
The
culmination of each year's work is the August Bank Holiday
Walking Festival when we invite people to walk our routes
(and admire our handiwork!!)
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MENDIP
RAMBLERS FOOTPATH WORK
Mendip
Ramblers Group has been working on footpaths in the Mendip
area for the past five years, organised and co-ordinated throughout
by Bob Berry. Every year an area is chosen and routes selected
within it to produce about a dozen varied walks. The work
party group then walks these routes and identifies problems
associated with them. Problems range from minor repairs to
stiles and steps and clearing of undergrowth to complete reopening
of totally obstructed paths. The work party then spends every
Tuesday for a year correcting all the problems!! Often hedges
have to be cut through and new stiles installed where none
previously existed or have long since disappeared. Sometimes
ditches and small streams have to be bridged and at others
flights of steps are required up steep slopes and banks. The
tasks are varied and various and as our experience has grown
so has our ability to tackle most situations we are likely
to meet!! |
PREVIOUS YEARS
Batcombe 2005
Beckington 2005
Westbury-Sub-Mendip 2004
Binegar 2003
West Pennard 2002.
Photos
of our work in those areas (and various other "one off"
jobs) can be found within the archive
section of our website |
| If
you couldn’t attend the festival, why not buy the booklet.
It contains descriptions and maps of all the walks. All walks
conveniently pass at least one pub so can be adjusted to start
and finish where refreshment is available! |
Mendip
Ramblers Walking Festival over the August Bank Holiday was
again very successful with over 170 walkers participating
in the 3 day event. Mendip Ramblers work closely with Mendip
District Council (MDC). This year, in partnership with Shepton
Mallet Town Council, a fine booklet of walks was produced
and is now available at Shepton Mallet TIC.
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Saturday
at the MDC car park in Shepton Mallet started ominously with
showers but they soon cleared and there were 3 fine days of
walking in the countryside all around Shepton Mallet. After
the walks on Sunday and Monday two Mendip Ramblers stalwarts
(Trevor and Val Evans) provided excellent cream teas to help
the weary walkers recover. |
| |
Mendip
Ramblers Working Party work with the Rights of Way Department
at MDC to maintain footpaths and stiles throughout the MDC
area. This year well over a 100 stiles, along with sundry
kissing gates, bridges and marker posts have been installed.
Several heavily overgrown paths have also been cleared and
made easily useable. The culmination of the year’s effort
is the Walking Festival.
The festival wouldn’t be possible without the Working
Party volunteers, MDC Rights of Way Officers (Shelia Petherbridge
and Clare Haskins) and the cooperation of the many farmers
and land owners with Rights of Way across their land. Bob
Berry of the Mendip Ramblers coordinates most of the work
and is worthy of a special mention for his seemingly tireless
efforts.
Next
year the aim is to hold the festival in the Holcombe area,
make a note in your diaries for August Bank Holiday 2007 weekend. |
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