Author: Hilary Habberfield

New Routes Volunteering

Volunteer! Tree planting to mark a new bridleway in Compton Dundon

Would you like to join the Compton Dundon Volunteers on Tuesday 23rd March from 10.00 to plant trees (small whips) in the Parish Council Allotment land between Peak Lane and Somerton Road?

The new hedgeline will delineate the boundary of a new permissive bridleway (see route below). 

The new green lane would run from the B3151 opposite L7/12 (Restricted Byway Touch Lane) through an existing vehicular access around the fields to Peak Lane by the southern end of Public Footpath L7/11. Pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders will be able to cross the B3151 where there are clear sight lines and no longer need to travel along the road to/from the Peak Lane junction. 

Please email info@southsomersetbridlewaysassociation.co.uk by Sunday 21st March if you would like to join us to help the fantastic Compton Dundon Volunteers with this very worthwhile project. We will send you the Covid compliant joining instructions and details of where to meet. Thank you.

Permissive-Bridleway-Plan

Council DMMOs

Do you ride these routes? Please send us your user evidence!

The Planning Inspectorate have directed Somerset County council to get on with processing the following applications and it would be very helpful if anyone who has walked or ridden these routes would fill in user evidence forms (see below). 

Huish Episcopi and Drayton – Huish Drove, Frog Lane, and Park Lane.   

Chaffcombe/Chard – Paintmoor Lane  

Merriott – Niddons Lane and Holdfast, Ham and Middlefield Lanes (these have been blocked for many years)

Charlton Mackrell – Withybed Lane (blocked at southern end) 

User-Evidence-FormDownload

Please scan and email your completed form to info@southsomersetbridlewaysassociation.co.uk or let us know if you’d rather send by post.

New Routes

Ham Hill Country Park, Norton Sub Hamdon and Montacute – your suggestions, please!

There is a new project with funding available to make improvements to the routes in this area.  We would welcome your suggestions. So far the following have been mentioned:

  • better route map boards/signage in carparks
  • route maps on the internet
  • waymarking of existing routes
  • new additional routes
  • better surfacing
  • marked road crossings
  • hitching posts

Please do let us know if you support any of these suggestions or have new ideas you would like to share.

New Routes Route maintenance

Route cleared to Frogmary Green Farm

Thank you to the owners of Frogmary Green Farm who have kindly arranged to have the restricted byway between Fouts Cross and Frogmary Green Farm near Lopen cleared (see the before and after photos below). 

The result is a clear, wide safe path for horse riders and hoof prints suggest that at least one horse rider has used it.

Fouts cross to Frogmary Green Farm obstruction
Fouts cross to Frogmary Green Farm obstruction cleared – thank you!

Route maintenance

Knap Hollow: Bridleway near Wyke Champflower

Do you ride in the Castle Cary/Bruton/Pitcombe/ area?

There is a bridleway near Wyke Champflower, running through the lowest part of a big hill near Pitcombe. We’d like to hear from you if you ride this route or if you’d like to ride this route but find it difficult for any reason.

If you have any comments, please contact Ginnie Jones gjones@mbba.org.uk who is kindly leading on this. Thanks, Ginnie!

Knap Hollow

Photos Route maintenance

Lydford Lane – restored and being ridden….

Following on from the post on 9th August, the routes at Babcary are already being ridden and proving popular. Below is a photo of the newly cleared and resurfaced Lydford Lane bridleway, complete with the new bollards. Compare this with the earlier photos showing the damage done by 4 x 4s over the past years!

Our sincere thanks to Ginnie Jones at Mendip Bridleways and Byways Association for all her time and effort in achieving this super result and for the reminder that we should take care of the routes we have as well as legally reinstating the under recorded ones!

Photos courtesy of Ginnie Jones.

The newly cleared and resurfaced Lydford Lane bridleway, complete with the new bollards.
Lydford Lane in 2018
Previous illegal use of the Babcary routes.
Route maintenance

Thank you to the Compton Dundon Parish Rights of Way Volunteers

The CD Parish RoW Volunteers usually meet on the second Sunday of every month. On the 8th August they met for the first time since March and did a fantastic job of cutting back scrub and brambles to clear Bridleway L7/17, Emblett Lane. Thank you very much from SSBA.

Huge thanks to the Compton Dundon Parish RoW Volunteers for their work to clear the bridleway in Emblett Lane.