Walking
Festival Background Information |
The
Mendip Ramblers volunteer work party meets every Tuesday,
in all weathers, to open up footpaths by installing/repairing
stiles and kissing gates, building bridges, etc and waymarking.
Every year an area is agreed, in conjunction with Mendip
District Council Footpath Officer and hopefully, by the
time of the festival most, if not all, of the footpaths
in those parishes will be accessible to anyone wishing to
walk them. The walking festival originated, about five years
ago, to celebrate the completion of the work and gratifyingly
the number of walkers has been increasing year on year. |
Mendip
Ramblers Footpath Work |
Mendip
Ramblers Group has been working on footpaths in the Mendip
area for the past six 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 associated problems which range from minor repairs
to stiles and steps and clearing of undergrowth to complete
reopening of totally obstructed paths. 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 up steep slopes and banks are required. The tasks
are varied and as the group’s experience has grown,
so has the ability to tackle most situations.
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