Author Topic: Carmarthenshire footpaths  (Read 4077 times)

bridle17

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Carmarthenshire footpaths
« on: 10:17:13, 18/06/16 »
Does anyone have experiences of walking in west Carmarthenshire? Every time I attempt a walk I encounter barbed wire fences across paths, overgrown stiles, lying landowners telling me there's no path (when there is), missing footbridges and an almost total lack of waymarking. Is this the most walker-unfriendly county in Britain?

barewirewalker

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #1 on: 11:16:17, 18/06/16 »
Barbed wire fences; climb over them.


Some 10 years or more ago I started posting on forums, namely the now defunked 'Ramblers Forum', after being verbally abused by a welsh landowner (note lower case) thinking someone might care and take notice. I needed a forum name so I chose Barewirewalker, because I found that most of the walks I wanted to do involved climbing over wire. This was in North Powys.


Overgrown styles; not the farmers fault, landowners must be winning, they have frightened the walkers away, who by use will keep the vegetation at bay. Don't give them the satisfaction.

BTW Bridle17, your not an equestrian in disguise are you? BHS has woken up to the value of lostways way ahead of the Ramblers' Association.

PS. Welcome to the forum. should have started my reply, blame my attention being on the Rugby international.

Lying landowners, goes with the breed. Like spoilt brats, arrogant and lacking in working 'little grey cells'.


Bridge not there: Complain to the Access Department in County Council, back the Welsh assemblies wish to follow Scotland 2003 land reform act proposals.


Missing way marks; often used as target practice and a good sign of landowner hostility. An emotion that has been deliberately instilled by the Country Landowner's Association in their attempt to increase membership, since loss of hereditary peerages in the House of Lords.


If stopped by lying landowner use the examples of all difficulties experienced on the righteous way to explain why you are 'off' the designated footpath, they can't prosecute you.


Battle on and complain complain and complain again, but do it with cunning, figure out where the landowners soft underbelly is.
« Last Edit: 12:07:32, 18/06/16 by barewirewalker »
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

vghikers

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #2 on: 12:45:48, 23/06/16 »
I don't know about Carmarthenshire, but as barewirewalker says, neighbouring Powys suffers the same if an article I read a few years back is anything to go by. A tourist promotion website - can't remember which one - received reports from some rambler families that they had actually cut short their walking holidays in rural Powys because of the ubiquity of these problems and relocated to the National Park for the remainder.
Powys local authority were at least honest and acknowledged the problem, pointing out that some difficulties had been dealt with but there was virtually no chance for most of them due to budget cuts. Well the cuts situation is certainly no better now.
Since the CROW act era, our experience is that stiles and waymarking have generally improved with England faring somewhat better, but any rural area in Wales or England where very few walkers tread will likely have its fair share of difficulties. In farming areas, a good warning sign is where the 1:25000 map shows footpaths/bridleways with no visible sign on the ground (i.e. no underlying pecked line on the map).

Bishop

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #3 on: 02:33:34, 28/06/16 »
I tend to wander North of Carmarthen between Brechfa and Lynne Brianne and that has it's share of overgrown and poorly marked bridleways. Alltwalis windfarm down the gulley to the village is only just passable on foot in places with brambles & styles that would make an assault course instructor weep with joy.

It's not much better closer to civilisation around Carmarthen as the 'Coastal Path' actually involves walking on B4312 where there is no pavement and not much of a verge in places to dive into when oncoming trucks take a bend a bit wide.

bridle17

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #4 on: 02:47:34, 12/03/17 »
Recently I've had two landowners telling me I can't us a path across their land. The first was smaller than me, so I simply ignored him and went through, much to his annoyance. The other was quite a stocky chap, so I turned back. He later had a visit from the police! I saw their report, and it seems that a good few hours of police time were used up on this incident. All because Carmarthenshire can't signpost and maintain their footpaths to a reasonable standard.
My advice to any intending walkers is simple - DON'T COME TO CARMARTHENSHIRE - You will regret it.

barewirewalker

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #5 on: 09:55:03, 13/03/17 »
Bridle17 please don't tell us not to come to to beautiful Carmarthenshire, you will have us thinking that you want to keep the fun all to yourself, surely a map reference to locate this anti-hero of community relations might be more effective than call to disrupt the hospitality trade of that good county. I congratulate you on so rightfully getting the police to visit the culprit, who was committing the criminal offence, of obstructing a right of way.


The more of us, who go to Carmarthen to walk will wear down this antipathy against visitors amongst landowners, which has been embedded by the CLA in their members ossified crania. Surely it is better that these underused ways are marked by tread rather than the dwindling resources of the local authority.


This is the second topic the OP has opened;
Avoid Carmarthenshire - probably the most Walker-unfriendly county in Britain


We enjoy discussion here on his forum, but 4 posts blowing your top at us, does not seem to me to be discussion or a way to call for support. I repeat an earlier suspicion; are you an active horse rider, who is trying to spread your message on other forums.


For a real insight into the depth and history of this problem, I suggest you click here and check out the highlighted version of an 1886 OS map. Landowners have been at this sort of thing for a long time and this is the Local area of the landowner in chief and primary author of the CLA's most recent policy on access published in 2012.




 
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

bridle17

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #6 on: 10:21:50, 13/03/17 »
Carmarthenshire is almost certainly the most walker-unfriendly county in Britain. I've lived here for 10 years, and apart from the coastal path, and a few of the council's 'recommended routes', I have been unable to find ANYWHERE in my local countryside where I can enjoy a walk without encountering serious problems. It really is that bad.
I've contacted councillors, my MP (twice), reported about 30 problems to the local R-o-W department, but still I can't walk anywhere in my local countryside. Quite a few times, when attempting a new route, I have to give up after about 5 minutes.
Since I've tried all reasonable ways of getting improvements, I am now out to name and shame the council. If that impacts on rural tourism then so be it. The council will have to learn the hard way.

Mel

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #7 on: 18:11:13, 13/03/17 »
Sounds like it's taking all the pleasure out of walking for you Bridle17.  Have you considered (a) moving or (b) finding a different hobby  :-\
 
Life's too short.

bridle17

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #8 on: 19:38:32, 13/03/17 »
Moving is a bit drastic, and I do enjoy walking, so no and no! Everywhere else I've lived in the UK I've been able to enjoy walking in my local area, and I'm going to do the same here, with or without the council's help. As well as a large scale map (essential in Carmarthenshire) I also carry secateurs, a pruning saw for larger branches, a hacksaw for barbed wire fences which are too wobbly to climb and a camera to record and report the countless obstructions. Soon I'll be churning out videos for Youtube, showing the reality of walking in this county.

Mel

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #9 on: 20:52:45, 13/03/17 »
The Ramblers have a report the footpath type scheme.  It might be worth you having a look at their website (don't think you need to be a member).  They might have more clout with the council.
 
In the meantime, happy snipping and pruning  :D

barewirewalker

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #10 on: 09:40:58, 14/03/17 »
The type of grievances Bridle 17 is airing are not, as previously mentioned, only Carmarthenshire's problem. As Mel suggests, notify the Rambler's, but as a ratepayer in that fair county are Bridle's, underlying concerns being dealt with by her Local Authority?
 There is a statutory body set up by the CRoW act 2000, which all too often does not get mentioned on this forum.
These are Local Access Forums.
Carmarthenshire LAF is open to the public. Bridle, your participation as a member of the public may be more effective here than your secateurs and pruning saw. Their next meeting is on the 11 May, might I suggest that you take your complaints directly to a place where they have to be answered in open meeting. Write out your main grievances and send them to the LAF saying you wish to attend their meeting. Try to find out the various interests of the members of the forum, so if you are accusing landowners of lying and bad practice, you are directing your accusations directly at a landowner.
Looking at the minutes for the last meeting of your counties LAF and adding up the attendance plus apologies, I think there may be vacancies for further membership.



BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

bridle17

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #11 on: 13:09:09, 20/05/17 »
Barewirewalker : I am not a horse rider and have never even sat on a horse. My username is part of a previous address of mine (in Weymouth). Also I am not "blowing my top at you", merely trying to inform others just how bad things are in this county and hopefully here the experiences of others. That's what this forum is about. It is not about having a go at other people because you don't like what they are saying.

barewirewalker

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #12 on: 10:44:51, 21/05/17 »
Bridle,
You have my most sincere apologies if my replies in anyway seemed hostile to you personally or that I have in anyway suggested that you should not post on this forum. Had you, as an infrequent poster here, read some of my posts you may have realised that I am one of those likely to sympathise with the motives that have bought you to this forum.
To tell a forum of walkers that they should not go to a county because the landowners are hostile carp is a negative way of approaching the problem, many of us here have come across this problem both up close and personal and in the evidence of where we are not wanted in our countryside. You have had good suggestions from other members of this forum and my own suggestion that you look into your own counties Local Access Forum was one I had hoped would have bought back positive news in any subsequent post from you on this subject.


I thought that asking about an equestrian connection as the term 'bridle' is part of the gubbins used to harness a horse worthwhile, as the British Horse Society is running a campaign (probably more effective than the Ramblers) into lostways.


I have done some walking in Camarthenshire, it is a great county to walk in. The positive approach to vent your frustrations would be to find a forum used by people interested in the hospitality trade and tell them why it is inadvisable for people to go to that county with the intention of staying and expecting to walk with the wholehearted approval of the indigenous population, then come to this forum and provide us with the links so that we can add very relevant comment.


If you look here; you will find a map, it is the area in Herefordshire, where the President of the Country Landowners Association, who wrote or was editor in chief of that organisation's policy on access to our countryside. This organisation sends a monthly publication to all members it recruits, from dwellers in the countryside, be they farmers, smallholders, my pony in my backyard or hereditary landowners with vast estates. Why? Because the hereditary landowners lost the ability to control their political will with a veto by numbers in the House of Lords after having hereditary lords thinned out in that chamber.


Now ask yourself why you are meeting landowners with 'attitude', where is it coming from and are you the only person in the only county, who is experiencing this?


You have my every sympathy with the problems you have met, but emotion will not win the argument. I believe the answer is economic, which I hope to show  maybe in the topic provided in the previous link. That is if I can continue to gather the examples and make sense of them.
BWW
Their Land is in Our Country.

bridle17

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Re: Carmarthenshire footpaths
« Reply #13 on: 12:00:17, 21/05/17 »
Thanks for your comment, and I agree that telling people not to come here is a negative way of dealing with the problem. However I have exhausted all other options ; I have contacted councillors, my MP (twice), visited the R-o-W department, logged countless reports of obstructions and am not exaggerating when I say that after 10 years living here, I still don't know anywhere in my local area where I can walk without problems (with the obvious exception of the coast path). I have now set up a webpage in the hope that this approach will force the council to do something - it's here : http://blueseasurf.co.uk/footpaths/walking.html [nofollow] and it explains just how bad things are.


Any suggestion from anyone as to how I can get things sorted are welcome





 

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