Tag Archives: Ramblers

Norfolk Ramblers Take Part in ‘Time to Talk Day’

3rd February 2019 Julian

Norfolk Ramblers are taking part this month in a national campaign which focuses on mental well-being. One of the great things about walking is that it’s a healthy pursuit and we have some wonderful areas of coastline, woodland and riverbanks to explore in Norfolk.

We also want to people to feel comfortable talking about any mental health issues that they wish to, so we want to get people walking and talking. There should be no stigma to mental health issues and we just want to say that if anyone wants to talk, then they’ll find an open ear to listen.

Julian White, the area publicity officer, said:

“One in four of us will experience mental health issues this year and we want our groups to be a place where everyone can feel welcome. Getting out and meeting people is a great way to get healthy and also talking to others helps to alleviate loneliness and mental health issues. We have many members who have joined one of our groups and have found it’s a new community of friends for them”.

We’re running a number of walks as part of this campaign. The main day is Thursday 7 February and Hike Norfolk have a 6 mile walk near North Walsham. There’s more information here:

Thursday 7 February 2019 – 6 mile walk from Honing Common (Time to Talk Day)

Thursday, Feb 7, 2019, 10:00 AM

Honing Common Road
Honing Common Rd North Walsham, GB

9 Brave Walkers Attending

The very lovely Heather, who is also our official radio spokesperson after an excellent performance in December (see the event photo above, Heather is the one without the beard, as the one with the beard is Richard May, our quite competent area chair), is leading a walk for Hike Norfolk on Thursday 7 February 2019. It’s a mid-week walk and everyone…

Check out this Meetup →

Norwich Group also have two walks. The first is 10.5 miles and starts from Swanton Novers on Sunday 10 February, with information here:

NORWICH RAMBLERS Sunday 10/02: Swanton Novers 10.5 mi (“TIME TO TALK DAY”)

Sunday, Feb 10, 2019, 10:00 AM

Swanton Novers Village Hall
St Giles Road Swanton Novers, GB

17 Brave walkers Attending

The Ramblers, Britain’s biggest walking charity, is teaming up with mental health awareness campaign Time to Change for their annual Time to Talk Day on 7th February (please see this link: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/?utm_source=Time+to+Talk+Day&utm_campaign=17bcddc254-time-to-talk-day-guide-all&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_14847c985e-17bcddc2…

Check out this Meetup →

And there’s a 10 mile walk from Mannington Hall on Wednesday 13 February, with information here:

NORWICH RAMBLERS Wed 13/02: from Mannington Hall, 10 miles (“TIME TO TALK DAY”)

Wednesday, Feb 13, 2019, 10:00 AM

Mannington Hall
3 Mannington Hall Mannington, GB

19 Brave walkers Attending

The Ramblers, Britain’s biggest walking charity, is teaming up with mental health awareness campaign Time to Change for their annual Time to Talk Day on 7th February (please see this link https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/?utm_source=Time+to+Talk+Day&utm_campaign=17bcddc254-time-to-talk-day-guide-all&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_14847c985e-17bcddc25…

Check out this Meetup →

There’s more information about the national campaign on the Ramblers web-site.

Benefits of Joint Working – Dereham

16th May 2017 Julian

Last year, Dereham Town Council put in claims to have a number of paths in the town registered as Restricted Byways. The claims were put together by the Town Clerk, with input from Ian Mitchell. Much of the evidence submitted related to historic usage of the routes, and was collected both by The Ramblers, and through local advertising, including a ‘drop in’ morning at Dereham Windmill, which lies adjacent to one of the routes claimed. The issue was also complicated as a planning application was being processed which affected some of the routes, and the Town Council ensured in discussions with the developer that they were aware of, and accommodating, the claims.

The initial response from Norfolk County Council in reviewing the evidence submitted, was to propose making orders for some of the routes to be Restricted Byways, but others only to be Public Footpaths. In practical terms, the Town Council and The Ramblers both thought this was a nonsense, as it would have resulted on users of the Restricted Byways having to turn back where the only continuation was on a Public Footpath. Ian sought advice and input from The Ramblers national office, while the Town Clerk conducted his own review of past decisions, as the County view appeared to be based on the validity of evidence regarding cycle usage.

We are pleased to note that the orders now made by the County are for Restricted Byways for all of the claimed routes.

The attached file illustrates the affected routes.

National Ramblers Article – How to Get on the Map

9th December 2016 Julian

There is an interesting article on the national Ramblers web-site entitled “How to Get on the Map” which features work that our volunteers in Norfolk have been doing over recent years.

We’re always need in volunteers to help is with getting unrecorded paths on the map, so please contact us! Our details are available here.

The link on the national site is located at:

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/news/blogs/2016/december/how-to-get-on-the-map.aspx

Ramblers and Open Spaces Society Call for Norfolk County Council to Do More

9th November 2016 Julian

Norfolk Area Ramblers and the Open Spaces Society have today published a news release calling on Norfolk County Council to do more about the state of our county’s paths.

The release reads:

Little satisfaction with our public rights of way network

The Ramblers and Open Spaces Society have today called for Norfolk County Council to take action to improve on its poor reputation in maintaining and promoting its rights of way network.

Only a few weeks ago, the Council celebrated the opening of the latest stretch of the England Coast Path, from Hopton on Sea to Sea Palling. At the opening, the Chairman of the County Council, David Collis, joined Lord Gardiner (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Andrews Sells (Chairman of Natural England) to tell the gathered audience about the great benefits that walking – and the availability of footpaths – brought to the whole community: individual benefits in physical and mental health, and economic benefits to the county.

The Ramblers – who agree entirely with this – wondered then why the same considerations did not apply to the rest of the county’s 2400 mile public rights of way network. We wrote to the Chairman to ask about this, pointing out that the Council as Highway Authority has a duty to assert and protect public rights of way in Norfolk. Since then, the results from the 2016 Highways and Transport Network Survey have been published .

The Council is rightly pleased that, for the third year in a row, it has been in the top 3 of 28 similar counties for Highways and Transport matters overall. But it overlooked the fact that, also for the third year in a row, it is in the bottom half dozen for ‘Satisfaction with public rights of way’ – this year being 25th out of 28.

The Ramblers and Open Spaces Society have therefore put a question to the meeting of the Council’s Environment, Development and Transport (EDT) Committee on 11 November, to ask: If Norfolk is serious in aspirations to promote itself as a preferred tourist destination, public satisfaction scores should be brought towards the top of the list. Will the Committee refer this as a significant concern to the LAF* and ask them to bring forward proposals, or does the Committee have other proposals to address this?

Norfolk has an amazing network of public rights of way, but fails to promote and maintain them, and thereby fails to secure the health and financial benefits that are there in return for modest investment and effort. We hope the EDT will take an initial step to change this. Ken Hawkins will be attending the meeting of the EDT at 1000 on Friday 11 November to hear the response.

For further information, please contact Ken Hawkins on 01362 691455 or 07505 426750.

*The LAF is the Local Access Forum, which represents a variety of countryside interests with regards to improving public access across our beautiful county, and provides independent strategic advice to the County Council and others where there are issues around public access – see https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/nlaf.

Workshop on Rights of Way and the 2026 Deadline

27th January 2016 Julian

A workshop is being held by The Ramblers and the BHS on the importance of recording and registering rights of way by the 2026 deadline.

The event will take place in Garboldisham Village Hall (Church Road, IP22 2SE), near Diss, on Saturday 5 March 2016. It will last from 09.30 until 16.00 and it is free of charge with lunch and refreshments being provided.

The tutors for the day will be two acknowledged experts in this field, Dr Phil Wadey and Sarah Bucks, the authors of the book “Rights of Way: Restoring the Record”.

The day will concentrate on the key sources of evidence of lost ways, where that information is located, what it can tell us, and how a systematic research method is the best way forward.

Please book via the BHS website or by calling the BHS Access department on 02476 840 515. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Norfolk Ramblers Holiday in Sidmouth

20th January 2016 Julian

In addition to all of the walks which take place in Norfolk from our ten groups, there are also many trips away which occur throughout the year. New members are always welcome to take part and last year there was a trip to Sidmouth which proved popular all round.