Footpath maintenance - Grosvenor Road to Brabyns Park / Station

[marplerambler]

The primary reason that some obvious horse routes have a legal status of footpath when they were very clearly constructed in the eighteenth/nineteenth century it that the legal maps and lists of footpaths/bridleways were drawn up by the local councils in the early 1950s to comply with the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act requirements. The problem is that hardly anyone rode a horse in 1949 so many routes were recorded as footpaths. Those who had been wealthy enough to own a horse earlier in the century opted for four wheels. Recreational riding has only really taken off during the last twenty years. The local authority cannot just change the legal status of a footpath to bridleway. It needs either (i) the owner of the land over which the highway crosses to give his express permission for the legal status to be upgraded or (ii) a claim to be made to the Council for a change in the legal status in which it is proven that the route has been used continuously for 20 years without objection  from the landowner. Messy but that is the law. Stockport East Area Bridleways Association have done a lot of valuable work to get the status of a number of routes in Marple and Romiley changed to bridleway status.

[Melancholyflower]

Given that horses were used to tow barges back in the day, I would guess that towpaths are classed as bridleways in practice.

[amazon]

Some years ago (About 20) there was a draught horse called "Majestic" who pulled a wagon giving rides to visitors through the town of  Beaumaris, Anglesey. He used to wear a "poo catcher", too.

Incidentally. if the path in question is officially designated a "footpath" horses should not be ridden (or led or driven) on it. It's one of the oddities of English law that people can walk along bridlepaths but horses can't walk along footpaths.

So what's a canal towpath designated as . I've used spell check this time .

[My login is Henrietta]

I was waiting for that reply Henrietta!!  I think horses should be fitted with 'nappies' like the cab horses in London in times past.

Some years ago (About 20) there was a draught horse called "Majestic" who pulled a wagon giving rides to visitors through the town of  Beaumaris, Anglesey. He used to wear a "poo catcher", too.

Incidentally. if the path in question is officially designated a "footpath" horses should not be ridden (or led or driven) on it. It's one of the oddities of English law that people can walk along bridlepaths but horses can't walk along footpaths.

[Dave]

the end product is less yucky.

Yucky? My dog thinks it's yummy........ 

[Barbara]

I was waiting for that reply Henrietta!!  I think horses should be fitted with 'nappies' like the cab horses in London in times past.

[My login is Henrietta]

The path from Grosvenor Road to the canal has suffered from heavy rain and lack of maintenance, as is the drainage that was put in when the path was resurfaced.

As a frequent user of the path down to Brabyns Park I often see people, often families with children and buggies, having to avoid deposits left on the path by people who exercise their animals in the park.
Before you even  think about replying, I am not talking about dogs walkers, the majority of whom are responsible and can often be seen carrying black bags which they deposit in the bins provided. I am talking about people from the equine fraternity whose animals often leave large deposits in the middle of the path over several yards (several metres for the younger readers !), and carry on as if nothing has happened.

It would make the paths more pleasant to walk on if these users adopted the same principles as the canine fraternity.

By the park do you mean the Memorial Park? I was under the impression from years back that exercising horses there is prohibited. I'm sure that when I was a girl (and that was a l-o-n-g time ago) there was a sign to that effect.

Several yards? Oh come ON! I know the average horse has 60 feet of intestines but they don't pass enough at one time to cover that distance. Seriously, though, just to set your mind at ease, horse droppings are neither as unpleasant or as dangerous as dog faeces. Children cannot pick up worms from horses as they can from dogs and as horses are more or less vegetarian the end product is less yucky.

[thebigshed]

Hi Marplerambler.  Although I raised this post I am not the type to get down and organise a volunteer group so I'm glad you would do that.  Count me in to join the volunteers though. 

[marplerambler]

Dave is exactly right in his statement. The Council has a statutory obligation to ensure that the public footpath is free from obstruction and fit for purpose. The difficulty is that Stockport MBC has only two members of staff and a very limited budget to sort out problems on the entire public right of way network in Stockport. I have worked with Ernest Nama (Senior Public Rights off Way Officer) in the past and I would be prepared to set up a team of volunteers to carry out basic footpath clearance work in Marple in conjunction with Stockport MBC. If you would like to volunteer just let me know.

[tonyjones]

The path from Grosvenor Road to the canal has suffered from heavy rain and lack of maintenance, as is the drainage that was put in when the path was resurfaced.

As a frequent user of the path down to Brabyns Park I often see people, often families with children and buggies, having to avoid deposits left on the path by people who exercise their animals in the park.
Before you even  think about replying, I am not talking about dogs walkers, the majority of whom are responsible and can often be seen carrying black bags which they deposit in the bins provided. I am talking about people from the equine fraternity whose animals often leave large deposits in the middle of the path over several yards (several metres for the younger readers !), and carry on as if nothing has happened.

It would make the paths more pleasant to walk on if these users adopted the same principles as the canine fraternity.

[Melancholyflower]

Glad to see someone bring this up. I think there would be plenty of volunteers for a clean-up, myself included.
I have only lived here 2 years but in that time the path has always had a thick layer of vegetation. It was only looking at a wet patch that I noticed that the 'core' path underneath looks quite substantial.

[Dave]

You could ask the Rights of Way Officer.  Email ernest.nama@stockport.gov.uk.

[thebigshed]

The footpath from the bottom of Grosvenor Road which crosses the canal at lock 7 and then continues along the edge of the tennis courts and follows the railway line towards Brabyns Brow is in some need of repair.

This path was rebuilt a few years ago and I have used it to get to and from the station almost daily ever since.  Over the last few years the vegetation has been growing back and the long wet months just gone have caused the fallen leaves to rot and cover the path in mud in a lot of places.

Does anyone know who is responsible for this? Would it be easy to get it back to its former glory? Could a volunteer group be organised?

It would be a shame to let the path get worse if something could be done now.