South Somerset Bridleways Association
Promoting safer routes for riders
Phil and Sarah have worked tirelessly for many years to try and restore our lost bridleways and restricted byways.
If you enjoy riding out and off road, please show your support by clicking on the link above and voting for our amazing access champions, Phil Wadey and Sarah Bucks.
VOTING CLOSES THIS THURSDAY 27TH OCTOBER AT 11.59PM
Sophie Spiteri has been offering a retraining service to racing yards and owners across the UK and Ireland for over 10 years. One of our members was so impressed with their visit that they requested we share Sophie’s details with you.
Sophies Biography:
“I have been lucky enough to work alongside former racehorses for the last 15 years. I have retrained many horses over the years for a number of national and international yards. I pride myself on forming long term relationships with trainers and new owners alike. Acting as a ‘middleman’ between horses exiting the racing industry and the private home and competition scene, all horses undergo assessment and some degree of retraining before they are matched up with suitable long term homes.“
“All horses are individually assessed and worked according to their individual needs and requirements. Horses will generally undergo an assessment period of 3-6 weeks according to their ridden capabilities, before finding private, long term homes. There is no rehoming fee, and all transport and shipping costs are met by ourselves. Should owners wish to stay in touch, an update service is offered for this purpose. All horses are rehomed on long term homing agreements, with references and background checks undertaken as standard.“
You can find out more via the website https://sophiespiteri1.wixsite.com/spiteriretraining
Want to find out what your evidence can unlock, and how to create a systematic research method to make DMMO applications to record & save lost routes? The British Horse Society is collaborating with the Ramblers to deliver two training days on Restoring the Record in the South West of England.
The courses will be conducted by two experts, well-known to the BHS: Sarah Bucks, Historic Research Advisor – South Somerset, and Dr Phil Wadey, CABO Hertsmere, Historical Research Advisor to AROWAC & Hertfordshire County Committee Member. They will run from 10am-4pm, covering how to research and apply for routes and the key resources used to study them.
The courses will run in the following locations (click on the link to find out more and book):
The courses are free of charge, but spaces are limited so please book your place if you’d like to attend.
We will be holding our Annual General Meeting on the evening of Tuesday 8th November 2022 via Zoom.
Please email info@southsomersetbridlewaysassociation.co.uk for the agenda and meeting details if you wish to join.
Members will be sent an invitation link via email.
Please contact us if we do not have your current email address.
PINS proposes to modify the definitive map to raise Underwood Lane and Dyer’s Piece Lane to Restricted Byway status along with the northern end of Westerngate Road to Bridleway Status.
The nest step is for PINS to issue the Modification Notice.
For further information and a link to the Interim Order Decision see Alan’s post below.
Stakeholder Working Group
Update from DEFRA, 17 May 2022
In February we communicated our decision to repeal the 2026 cut-off date, and to proceed with the right to apply and cost recovery statutory instruments.
In addition, we can now also confirm that we are in a position to proceed with the remaining statutory instruments which will mean that we can implement the full package of reforms, not related to the cut-off date, and bring into force the improvements to rights of way processes originally envisaged under the Deregulation Act 2015.
See Backgorund page for info https://southsomersetbridlewaysassociation.co.uk/background
Please check out our ‘Dates for your Diary’ page for this year’s fun ride locations and dates.
The Highway Code has changed from 29th January 2022.
When driving, you should now pass horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 10 mph and allow at least 2 metres of space. Check the changes, let’s keep each other safe.
Please remember to wear hi-vis clothing and report any bad driving to the BHS website.
Find out more about the changes https://www.gov.uk/…/the-highway-code-8-changes-you…
Would you like to help improve a new bridleway by helping to plant trees (small whips) in the Parish Council Allotment land between Peak Lane and Somerton Road. This will continue the new hedgeline which will delineate the boundary of the new permissive bridleway.
The new green lane runs 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.
For further details or to register your attendance please email info@southsomersetbridlewaysassociation.co.uk
Natural England has commissioned the Oxfordshire County Council, Systeme D and the University of Oxford to undertake a project to understand the most important qualities that define a good path (e.g. footpaths, bridleways, byways) for different types of uses. As part of this project, they are conducting a survey to collect feedback from user groups across England to identify the top quality metrics for different use types. The results will be openly available and published on greenspacehack.com/.
The survey comprises of 7 questions and should take less than 10 minutes to complete:
