management of rights of way & a national trail in the uk

Internship Report:

Management of Rights of Way and

a National Trail in the UK

Yumiko Yamamoto M1 - Landscape Architecture Laboratory

Department of Forestry

Graduate School of Agriculture

1

• Paths on which the public have a legally protected right to travel

• Customary used by public for over 20 years

• footpaths – walk

• bridleways – walk, horse, cycle

• restricted byways - any transport that

doesn’t have a motor

• byways - for any kind of transport,

including cars

Background 2

Public Rights of Way in UK

National Trails and Nationally protected area in the UK

• 15 National Trails

Background

15 National Parks

46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

• Host institute:

Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI)

The University of Gloucestershire

• Supervisor: Dr John Powell

• Duration: 17 September- 12 November 2014

Internship

4

Here !

London

• To acquire knowledge and understanding regarding

management of Rights of Way and National Trails in the UK

• Background & context

• The key organizations and stakeholders

• Their roles, relationships, and recognition

• The characteristics of volunteers and walkers

5 Objectives

How Rights of way and National Trails are

managed in the UK?

• Document search

• Interview to representatives

• Open Spaces Society

• Natural England

• Cotswold way Officer

• Gloucestershire County Council

• Gloucestershire Site Warden

• Cotswold Voluntary Wardens

• Ramblers Association

• Winchcombe Walkers are Welcome

What is your role as…?

What is the relation between…?

Have Rights of Way changed after National

Trails were created?

etc…

6 Methods

• Participant observation

• Guided walks

• Dursley Walking Festival

• Walk for Health×2

• South Cotswold

• Mid Gloucester

• Cheltenham Rambling Club

• Voluntary maintenance work

• Gloucestershire Vale Conservation Volunteers×2

• Cotswold Voluntary Wardens×3

• Interview to other participants

How often do you walk on footpaths?

What is your main reason for walking on footpaths?

Do you think there is any differences between National Trails and

other footpaths?

etc…

7 Methods

Cotswolds AONB & Cotswold way (http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/?page=map)

• Cotswold AONB

• 2,038km2

• The largest AONB

• About 150,000 people live in the area

• Gloucestershire County

• Local authority

• 60% of Cotwold AONB

• Cotswold Way

• 164km

• Developed by Tony Drake in

Gloucestershire Area Ramblers in

1960s

• launched as a National Trail in 2007

8 Research Place

university

Cotswold

9

Local

Volunteer

Groups

Cotswold Voluntary Wardens

Working Party

Cotswold Conservation Board

Staffs

Volunteer

coordinator

Walkers

Landowners

National

Trust Private

Local

Businesses

Na

tion

al

Lo

cal

The key organizations and stakeholders

DEFRA Natural England

Members

Gloucestershire County Council

Highway Department

Rights of Way

Department

Councilors

Officers

Property

Service

Department

Site

wardens Enforcement

Officer

Legal Officer

Central District

Chairman

Coordinator

Parish

Wardens

Coordinator

National

Trail Team

Cotswold

Way

Wardens

Trail

Officer

11 Their roles, relationships, and recognition

Natural England

• Non-departmental public body to work for the environment in UK

• A part of Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

National Trail Team • 8 people

• responsible for all National Trails in England

• policy, quality standards, promotion, building new NT

• receive money from DEFRA and distribute it to each NT


• Independent statutory body to look after the whole Cotswolds

• 37 members & 15 staffs

• make management plan

• employ Cotswold Way Officer

• register, train and manage volunteers


Trail Officer

• assigned to each National Trail

• practical maintenance, responding to inquiries, dealing with issues,

planning of work program, promotion of the trail

Cotswold Way Officer • responsible for Cotswold Way

• one of the 15 staffs in Cotswold Conservation Board

• 1 year contract

• 3 people → 1 person

• holds two other positions

The Budget

• 75% from Natural England

• 25% from County Councils

• Sales of merchandize and books

• have been decreasing

The Expenditure

• 70% for Trail Officer’s salary

• The rent for the office, utilities,

printing paper

• The cost for the actual maintenance

is the smallest


Cotswold Volunteer Wardens

• integral part of the activities of Cotswold Conservation Board

• divided into 5 districts

• 360 people registered as voluntary warden

• are required to commit at least 8 hours per month

• can take Coswold Rural Skills training courses for free

Dry stone walling Hedgelaying

Blacksmithing

Tile Roofing

Wheat Straw Thatching Charcoal Making


Working Party • do practical maintenance two

times per week

→ 25742.5 h /year

Parish Warden • patrol Rights of Way in the

responsible area

• do small maintenance jobs

• report big problems

• make good relationships

→ 3269 h /year

Guided Walk • organize free guided walks

across the Cotswold AONB for

the public

→ 6577 h /year

Cotswold Way Warden • 25 people

• patrol the responsible section

of Cotswold Way

• do small maintenance jobs

• report to Trail Officer

→ 1404 h /year



• responsible for all Rights of Way in the county

Rights of Way Team • consist of councilors and officers in Rights of Way Department

• attend the Commons and Rights of Way Committee

• discuss the issue to make decision about amending the definitive map

Enforcement Officer • deal with claim for new Rights of Way and problems reported by the public

• collect the evidence of use

• demand landowners to maintain

Legal Officer • understands all the law about Rights of Way

• guides councilors as a solicitor

Site Wardens • manage Country Parks in the county

• maintain walking paths, make walking maps

• ask maintenance jobs of local volunteer groups

Local

Volunteer

Groups


Working Party


Staffs

Trail

Officer

Volunteer

coordinator

Walkers

Landowners

National

Trust Private

Local

Businesses

Na

tion

al

Lo

cal



Members


Highway Department

Rights of Way

Department

Councilors

Officers

Property

Service

Department

Site

wardens

Central District

Chairman

Coordinator

Parish

Wardens

Coordinator

National

Trail Team

Cotswold

Way

Wardens

Enforcement

Officer

Legal Officer

£

£

£

Local

Volunteer

Groups


Working Party


Staffs

Trail

Officer

Volunteer

coordinator

Walkers

Landowners

National

Trust Private

Local

Businesses

Na

tion

al

Lo

cal



Members


Highway Department

Rights of Way

Department

Councilors

Officers

Property

Service

Department

Site

wardens

Central District

Chairman

Coordinator

Parish

Wardens

Coordinator

National

Trail Team

Cotswold

Way

Wardens

Enforcement

Officer

Legal Officer

Report problems

Report problems

Task request

Task request

Local

Volunteer

Groups


Working Party


Staffs

Trail

Officer

Volunteer

coordinator

Walkers

Landowners

National

Trust Private

Local

Businesses

Na

tion

al

Lo

cal



Members


Highway Department

Rights of Way

Department

Councilors

Officers

Property

Service

Department

Site

wardens

Central District

Chairman

Coordinator

Parish

Wardens

Coordinator

National

Trail Team

Cotswold

Way

Wardens

Enforcement

Officer

Legal Officer

Report Report

Report

Report

Local

Volunteer

Groups


Working Party


Staffs

Trail

Officer

Volunteer

coordinator

Walkers

Landowners

National

Trust Private

Local

Businesses

Na

tion

al

Lo

cal



Members


Highway Department

Rights of Way

Department

Councilors

Officers

Property

Service

Department

Site

wardens

Central District

Chairman

Coordinator

Parish

Wardens

Coordinator

National

Trail Team

Cotswold

Way

Wardens

Enforcement

Officer

Legal Officer

Report problems

Report problems

Task request

Task request

Demand


Ramblers Association

• The biggest walking community

• manage funds from membership fee, charities and grants

• nationally promote walking, protect and expand places to walk,

campaign, provide walking information, maintain the path

Gloucestershire Area Ramblers • 10 local walking groups

• Each group hold 1-8 walks per month

• Volunteering on Rights of Way in the County other than AONB

• 110,000 members

• pay membership fee (£33/year, £725/life)

• can join any local walking groups’ walk

• 500 local walking groups

• divided into 57 Areas

• Each group holds guided walk independently

• Chairmen of each group attends Area Committee


Walkers are Welcome Network

• promote their own town as Walkers are Welcome Town

• raise funds from Natural England and local authorities

• create new walking routes, maintain the paths, publish maps,

hold guided walks, organize Walking Festivals

• 114 towns and villages

• pay membership fee (£30/year)

Winchcombe Walkers are Welcome • joined WaW in 2007

• became famous as walking destination

• Walking Festival

• 22 various guided walks in 3 days

• fund from local businesses and farmers

• 280 visitors (8% from abroad, 25% from outside)

• Visitors spent £163 /person for accommodation

and food in town

Interviewees

• 27people

• Guided walks

• Dursley Walking Festival (6)

• Walk for Health (1)

• South Cotswold (4)

• Mid Gloucester (4)

• Voluntary maintenance work

• Gloucestershire Vale Conservation Volunteers (9)

• Cotswold Voluntary Wardens (3)

22 The characteristics of volunteers and walkers

Male 20

Gender

Female

7

20s 2 30s

3

50s 3

60s 9

Age

over 70

9

Occupation

Company

employee

10

Retired

16

Are you a member of any walking groups?

4 5 5 1

9

1

0

5

10

15

No 1 group 2 groups 3 groups

volunteer

walker

County

Gloucestershire

23

South Gloucestershire

Somerset

Oxford


Have you walked on any of the National Trails?

How often do you walk / participate in volunteer work on public footpaths?

8 4 2 1

4

4

1 1 0

5

10

15

2- /week 1/week 1-3/month less than1/month

walk

2 1 2 1 1 1

4 5 1 1

0

5

10

2- /week 1/week 1-3/month less than1/month

2-5 times once never

work volunteer

walker

1

5 3 3 2

2

4

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

No 1 2 3 4

• Cotswold Way 13

• Southwest Coast Path 9

• Pennine Way 6

• Pembrokeshire Coast Path 5

• Offa's Dyke Trail 4

• West Island way 2

• Hadrian's Wall Path

• Thames Path

• Great Glen Way

• South Downs Way

• West Highland way

8

4

9

Thru-hike

Section-hike

only some parts

Complete distance in

one time

Complete distance with

some section-hike

What is your main reason for walking on footpaths? • Health

• health (8), exercise (3), get fit, keep fit (2), physical fitness (2),

• relaxation (2), mental health, feeling good

• Pleasure • pleasure (2), leisure, enjoyment, fun, enjoy walking, like to walk in mountains

• Outside, Countryside, View • enjoy countryside (3), being in nature(2), get outside into countryside, get out in the country,

• being outside (3), get out the house, explore countryside

• in the air of countryside, fresh air (3), sunshine

• view, enjoy the very beautiful wonderful scenery, see beautiful countryside, see landscapes

• Difference • to see different places, do something different, explore new places, away from where we live,

away from works

• Social • talk to people and friends, social occasion

• Public • keep footpaths open and more use them, to look after the National Trail

• Transfer • transport, taking dogs


What is your main reason for participating in volunteer work? • Health

• exercise outdoors, exercise, keep fit

• Pleasure, Interest • enjoyment, I like to organize things, satisfaction of seeing paths improved

• I’m interested in volunteering, general interest in a countryside and rural landscape management

• Outside, Countryside • being outside (3), being out in the country, working outside in fresh air, I like countryside

• Difference • doing different things

• Satisfaction, Learning • satisfaction of seeing paths improved, doing something productive, to occupy myself

• learning some skills from other people, learn something about countryside and skills

• Social • being a part of community, companionship

• meeting people (3), doing something with other people, sharing useful things to do

• Public • not to lose footpaths (2), help countryside, keep the variety of wild life, to preserve history

• keep paths for people, for general public who walk in countryside


Do you think there is any difference between National Trails

and other types of public footpath?

• Scale • bigger, much longer, continuity

• Importance • nationally quite important

• Maintenance • better maintained (4), better kept (3), better looked after (2), better cared for, in good condition,

guaranteed to be looked after

• kissing gates and less stiles (2), easier to walk

• better way marked (4), better sign posted (3), easy to find (2), easier to navigate

• Facility • more accommodations

• more interesting things to look at (monuments, seaside, places where battles have been fought)

• better situated (café, toilets, youth hostels)

• Use • more use, more popular, more people walk

• more information (2), you can buy books and maps

• require more planning, more expensive


A Landscape Character Assessment (http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/userfiles/file/Publications/Landscapefinal.pdf)

29 Various landscapes

• grasped the structure of management

• made connections with stakeholders

Summary 30

Internship

Key points

• Volunteers play an important role in the financially difficult situation

• actual maintenance, patrolling, reporting, guiding walks, education, rural skills succession,

campaigning, promotion, management of organizations

• Walkers have a strong power because their organizations operate not only

a local basis but also on a national basis

• Walking activities have some big economic impacts

• Rights of Way connect various landscapes

• protect landscapes by preventing land use change

• enable people to walk in countryside and appreciate it

Thank you for your kind attention!

management of rights of way & a national trail in the uk

Education

uk national trails

national trails background

cotswold aonb

national parks

public rights of way

cotwold aonb cotswold

gloucestershire area

management of rights