ACCESS TO THE FELLS

 Following the passing of CROW (Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000), many of us were looking forward to the commencement of the access provisions in Part 1 of the Act. Sep 04 saw the commencement of access to open country, when we were able to visit previously forbidden fells. 

In Bowland the authorities erected maps at the main access points showing the extent of the access land, access points and public rights of way, but not showing walls or fences. The result was that where only one fence existed it was possible to make a good guess as to where the access point existed. Where a plural of fences existed it became guess work as to where the access point was actually located and which pieces of open country it actually connected. 

The authorities then added a notice at bottom showing the places where dogs were restricted which made the whole notice board look a mess. 

In the South Pennines and the West Pennine Moors they erected notices which showed the extent of access land and public footpaths. They did not show the access points and neither the walls or fences, which meant that from a practical point of view they were useless. However the maps in the South Pennines did show where dogs were restricted, which is the best depiction of this information we have seen. No such restrictions exist in the West Pennine Moors. 

Following complaints from users, Lancs CC then produced posters for use in rural information centres, showing the access land, access points, public rights of way and fences, which was a useful step in the right direction. Unfortunately our joy was short lived for in most rural information centres these notices were taken down and replaced by some other notices. They did however survive in two information centres these being Wycollar for the South Pennines and Rivington for the West Pennine Moors. 

When it became apparent that we were less than impressed with this situation, staff in Lancs CC decided that they would add this information to their MARIO system (an internet site, http://mario.lancashire.gov.uk/ which needs broadband with a modern browser in order to use it). In late 2007 they gladly stated that the information had been added to the MARIO system, but on trying to use it I found that – 

i) At a scale of 1:25,000 it showed the access land, access points and public rights of way, but not the walls or fences. 

ii) At a scale of 1:10,000 it showed the access land, public rights of way and the walls / fences but not the access points. 

This resulted in yet another letter to Lancs CC stating that something better is required. At the time of writing they have stated that they intend to do further developments to the MARIO system, but they have not stated a date as to when this is expected to happen. 

Whilst we have expressed our wish in Lancashire for a better system for providing information about access opportunities following CROW, the situation in other authorities appears to be no better than that in Lancashire. This is clearly something about which we will need to continue to campaign about.

ALAN HOWARD                  A personal appreciation by Tony Clarkson 

Those of us with long memories will remember Alan Howard when he was chairman of Mid Lancashire from its inception in 1979 until his retirement to Shropshire in 1991. My own involvement with the Ramblers Association began in 1977, and at that time people (not just RA members, but also those in positions of authority in local government) spoke in awe of this man who had led the aims of the RA as chairman of Preston & Fylde Group.

It was Alan who determined that we should separate from Lake District Area and become an Area in our own right. In doing this, we increased our membership by 33% almost overnight and we have never looked back. The Area almost became Central Lancashire Area, but it was Alan who pointed out that this name was too close to Central Lancashire Development Corporation - which would never do - so we became Mid Lancashire. Even after this decision, there was detailed discussion about whether or not there should be a hyphen and the absence of the hyphen was eventually a committee decision. 

Alan first became involved in the Ramblers’ Association in the 1960s when his work as a graphic designer took him to Preston.  He joined the RA and attended his first meeting of the Preston and Fylde Group, only to find he had been elected chairman (a familiar story).  Thus began his long association with the RA.  He attended his first RA national AGM in 1976 where he delivered a brilliantly witty speech in moving a motion calling on the government to ensure that path users were not endangered by bulls.  He was subsequently elected to the executive committee.  It was the first of many brilliant speeches which Alan was to make in that forum, often railing against motor vehicles.  He once likened motorbikes revving up on the hills to ‘a flatulent dinosaur’. 

His skill in graphic design was a tremendous asset to the Area. The leaflets for the ‘Forbidden Britain’ campaigns for the Ribble Way rally of 1986 and the River Alt rally of 1988 were all his work, as was the cover and maps for the first edition of the Round Preston Walk.  

In 1982, after a long campaign to persuade the County Council to adopt the Ribble Way as a recreational footpath, he defiantly led the launch of the ‘Interim Ribble Way’ and it was, again, his artwork which became the leaflet for that event and, perhaps more importantly, the logo for the Ribble Way which is still in use today. Eventually, the County Council adopted the Ribble Way and the official opening was at Clitheroe in 1985. The Way is, unfortunately, still using the ‘interim’ route and does not have the full access to the river bank which Alan envisaged. 

He firmly believed in the use of public transport for rambles, and at all times.  In 1975 he helped to start the Lancashire Rail Rambles programme, and he would lead town trails from railway stations: if you stayed to the end of the Settle-Carlisle line you might be rewarded by Alan’s fascinating tour of Carlisle.  Keen on urban walking, in 1975 he published a leaflet ‘A plea for urban footpaths’. 

After moving to Shrewsbury, Alan continued his involvement with the RA and became involved with the Civic Trust. His fascination for languages, and his fluency in Welsh, led him to become deeply involved in the RA in Wales and he organised a rail rambles programme based on Shrewsbury and using the Cambrian, Central Wales, Marches and Chester-Shrewsbury lines. 

Following two strokes, Alan Howard died on the 14th April 2008 and I was privileged to attend the celebration of his life on the 24th April. In ways concerning the rights of walkers and dealings with those who would interfere with those rights, he was my mentor. Alan was a friend of us all, and we shall miss his intelligence, wit, outspokenness, stubborn determination, and lovely twinkle.

MID LANCASHIRE       

Area News – Early 08    Number 87