management of rights of way & a national trail in the uk
TRANSCRIPT
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
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
Cotswold Conservation Board
• 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
12 Their roles, relationships, and recognition
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
13 Their roles, relationships, and recognition
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
14 Their roles, relationships, and recognition
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
15 Their roles, relationships, and recognition
Gloucestershire County Council
• 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
Cotswold Voluntary Wardens
Working Party
Cotswold Conservation Board
Staffs
Trail
Officer
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
Central District
Chairman
Coordinator
Parish
Wardens
Coordinator
National
Trail Team
Cotswold
Way
Wardens
Enforcement
Officer
Legal Officer
£
£
£
Local
Volunteer
Groups
Cotswold Voluntary Wardens
Working Party
Cotswold Conservation Board
Staffs
Trail
Officer
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
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
Cotswold Voluntary Wardens
Working Party
Cotswold Conservation Board
Staffs
Trail
Officer
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
Central District
Chairman
Coordinator
Parish
Wardens
Coordinator
National
Trail Team
Cotswold
Way
Wardens
Enforcement
Officer
Legal Officer
Report Report
Report
Report
Local
Volunteer
Groups
Cotswold Voluntary Wardens
Working Party
Cotswold Conservation Board
Staffs
Trail
Officer
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
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
20 Their roles, relationships, and recognition
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
21 Their roles, relationships, and recognition
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
23 The characteristics of volunteers and walkers
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
24 The characteristics of volunteers and walkers
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
25 The characteristics of volunteers and walkers
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
26 The characteristics of volunteers and walkers
A Landscape Character Assessment (http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/userfiles/file/Publications/Landscapefinal.pdf)
• 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