Monthly Archives: December 2023

The Duchy’s first plan for Dartmoor

Posted on 30/12/2023 by campaignerkate

Forty years ago this month the Duchy of Cornwall published its first management plan: Future Management of the Dartmoor Estate. In the press release accompanying its publication on 6 December the Duchy said that this was ‘the first full inquiry … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, common land, commons, Dartmoor, National parks, National Trust, Open country, riding, walking, wild country | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dead end at Wormsley

Posted on 27/12/2023 by campaignerkate

Visitors to the magnificent Wormsley valley, on the Buckinghamshire-Oxfordshire border, will be surprised, if not annoyed, to find that an important bridleway has been ‘temporarily’ closed. This is a popular spot for walkers, riders, and cyclists because it is a secluded … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, AONB, Bucks, Chilterns, Public paths, riding, Turville, walking | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Kilvey Hill in crisis

Posted on 21/12/2023 by campaignerkate

To the north-east of Swansea the land rises up to Kilvey Hill, a captivating place for its rough nature and solid culture. It feels like it hasn’t changed much over the centuries. There is a legacy of mining here, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, green spaces, Natural Resources Wales, Open country, open spaces, Open Spaces Society, planning, Public paths, riding, Wales, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Year-ticks at Otmoor

Posted on 17/12/2023 by campaignerkate

I joined members of the Bucks Bird Club for a walk around the RSPB reserve at Otmoor on a grey and atmospheric December day. I wasn’t expecting any year-ticks so late in the year, and was lucky to get four. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shrewsbury explorations

Posted on 10/12/2023 by campaignerkate

On 2 December I drove across England through freezing fog and arrived in Shrewsbury in glorious sunshine with delicately frosted trees. My eyes felt like burnt holes in blankets (as my friend Sylvia Sayer used to say) from the strain … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, Public paths, Ramblers, walking, walks | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A gate to remember two Kent Ramblers

Posted on 07/12/2023 by campaignerkate

Last month the White Cliff Ramblers celebrated the installation of a gate, replacing a horrible stile, on Elham footpath HE334 in Kent (here, grid reference TR182434). The gate was to commemorate two leading members of the group, Margaret Lubbock and … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, campaigns, Obituary, Obstructed path, Public paths, Ramblers, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

World Commons Week

Posted on 04/12/2023 by campaignerkate

Today is the start of World Commons Week, organised by the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC). World commons extend far beyond the ancient and historic land in England and Wales; this is an expanding academic discipline, … Continue reading →

Posted in campaigns, Canada, commons, Dartmoor, Defra, Elinor Ostrom, India, International Association for the Study of the Commons, Japan, Natural England, Netherlands, Open Spaces Society, Peru, Sweden, Switzerland | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Wander around Whitchurch

Posted on 03/12/2023 by campaignerkate

Following the Walkers Are Welcome towns annual get-together at Whitchurch, Shropshire, some of us enjoyed a Sunday-morning stroll around the local nature reserve and the town. The Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s Greenfields Nature Reserve is on the north-east side of the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Walkers Are Welcome Towns, walks | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment