Facelift makes footpaths easier to use

A £65,000 scheme to open up around 100km of rights of way to more people by removing stiles, introducing kissing gates and installing signs has been completed.

The Leicestershire County Council project, which has seen paths and bridleways in the west of the county revamped to make them more inviting, has been finalised in time for walkers to explore them during the summer holidays.

A number have also been made more accessible to people who use heelchairs and mobility scooters for the first time.

It is hoped the paths will not only be used for leisure, but also on a day-to-day basis to connect residents to their workplaces, schools or shops.

Picture of a man walking

Picture of a women cycling

The improvements, some of which were made following suggestions from local user groups, include:

The installation of more than 50 informative direction signs, indicating where rights of way start from roads. Many show the paths’ destinations and distances.
More than 50 stiles have been replaced by either gates or gaps in fences and hedges to make routes more accessible to people with mobility difficulties. These include disabled access kissing gates on a bridleway / cycle route located near to Ratby in Martinshaw and Pear Tree Wood, with the agreement of the Woodland Trust
Improvements to routes linking Glenfield and Groby, Desford and Newbold Verdon and Peckleton and Desford
A fully gated footpath from Markfield Lane near Desford onto a popular cycle / walking route

Roy Denney, Chairman of the Ramblers for Leicestershire and Chairman of the Leicestershire Local Access Forum said: “It is great to see these rights of way being opened up like this.“Regular ramblers already enjoy these routes but I am looking forward to seeing other people tempted to try them out either for leisure, discovering our beautiful countryside, or for more practical reasons. Direction signs are particularly helpful for people unfamiliar with the areas.”

Prof Mike Preston, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at Leicestershire County Council, said: “In Leicestershire we have a wonderful network of more than 3,000km of rights of way linking communities and providing access to the countryside.

“We want to make sure that everyone can use them, and that they can make this network of paths and bridleways part of their daily lives.

“Walking is a great alternative to travelling by car enabling us to cut our carbon emissions, fuel costs and get healthier.

“These improvements mean that our rights of way are more accessible for more people, and that they link communities to make everyday journeys simpler.”

Parishes where work has been completed under the new scheme are: Glenfield, Kirby Muxloe, Groby, Ratby, Desford, Bagworth and Thornton, Peckleton, Newbold Verdon and Cadeby.

More than 90 per cent of people in Leicestershire live within 500 metres of a footpath or bridleway and some of the routes in the scheme are featured in a new Strolls booklet for the area. For more information visit www.leics.gov.uk/paths

Picture of a people horse riding