Author: Hilary Habberfield

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.
New Routes

SSBA – promoting access for horse riders under the new Environmental Land Management Scheme

SSBA has recently submitted a response to Defra on its Environmental Land Management (ELM) Policy Discussion document. The new ELM scheme is due to replace the current schemes that provide financial incentives for farmers and landowners to look after and improve the natural environment.

Under the new ELM scheme, taxpayers’ money will be used to pay for ‘public goods’ such as better habitats and water quality. SSBA have emphasised these should include public access, particularly plenty of new networks of bridleways and byways. You can read our response in full below.

SSBA-response-to-ELM-consultation-July-20205054