Rights of Way Group news and news archive

Can you help keep an eye on the Chiltern Way in Herts or Beds?

The Rights of Way Group played the major role in creating the Chiltern Way in 2000 and aims to ensure that it is maintained and waymarked to the highest standards.

Our Area Secretaries and Path Representatives do their best to ensure that the route is monitored regularly so that any problems arising are identified and corrected. We do however have difficulties in that we lack an our Area Secretary to cover a number of parishes in North Herts, are very short of Path Representatives both there and in the Chiltern parts of Bedfordshire, and that Les Maple, our Chiltern Way Officer, living south of the Chilterns, has difficulty in covering the northern parts as well as he would wish.

We are very keen to identify people who can help ensure the northern parts of the Way are as well monitored as the rest. If you feel you can spare any time to do this please let Brian Lawson know on 01494 815814.

Chalfont St Giles Literary Festival Walks

On Tuesday 13 May and Sunday 18 May gentle four-mile walks will be held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of John Milton's birth.

The ROWG will be taking the lead in organising these walks, starting at 10am from Chalfont St Giles car park (map ref.175 992 937), proceeding to Jordans, location of the grave of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, and his wife, Hannah. Following a disastrous fire in 2005 the interior of the 17th Century Quaker Meeting House may not be open for the public as it may still be undergoing renovation. The walks will return via Jordans Village, Seer Green and Milton's cottage, open to any walkers who wish to visit for the special group rate of £3 a head. For further details please contact Brian Tordoff on 01494 870549.

Chilterns Challenge Walk

This walk in support of the Sue Ryder Foundation will start from Nettlebed on Sunday 8th June 2008 from 9am onwards. The ROWG will clear, map, and waymark the one, five, and thirteen mile walks and man some of the check points.

Last year the walk raised £8,000. All are welcome to enjoy a full day out with entertainment, food and drinks, or to bring your own picnic and soak up the atmosphere. For further information please contact: sarah.smith@suerydercare.org, tel: 01491 641070.

White Roads

The Rights of Way Group tries to ensure that all public rights of way are shown accordingly on Ordnance Survey maps. One anomaly is that some of the white roads on their maps which are on a Highway Authority's 'List of Streets Maintainable at Public Expense' are not depicted as having public rights of access. To address that situation in Bucks the ROWG gave the County Council a list of 30 white roads where it was thought a right of way existed but was not indicated on the maps. The Council has as a result asked the OS to show 18 of the 30 as 'Other routes with public access' and three as 'public highways' depicted in yellow. The Group will continue to put forward such cases to all the counties covering the Chilterns so that they can give the necessary advice to the OS.