A Joy to Walk On

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Walking on a good path is a special experience. There has been some thinking gone into its line and gradient. Successions of walkers have obeyed the unwritten behaviour code which keeps the path narrow and does not allow any section to get badly eroded: that's often a matter of instinctively lengthening one's stride or shortening it when coming to a worn patch. There's pleasure to be had too in seeing how the compaction of the path compares with the ground to either side. A well trodden path can remain  for many generations with no significant change.




The public footpath regulations from DEFRA laying down 1.5 metres as a standard do us no favours except on cultivated agricultural land. For walkers 40 cm should be a maximum.

Deer tracks are some of the very best around; their awareness of routes and gradients is second to none. Following a deer track in the woods, however, can lead you to suddenly come to a barbed wire barrier. They normally have no trouble with this though the youngest ones may struggle until they gain confidence and it's not unknown for deer to get trapped in the wire.

At this time of year the pathways through dead bracken are some of the most rewarding especially when the frost has worked its magic.

It's unfortunate that many of the paths that were once a joy to walk on are now a mess created by mountain bikers. These are walkers paths and should remain so. They have bridleways for their vehicles and should keep to them.