Hi all, I've not been on for a while but have been out & about walking.

 Can somebody let me know who is responsible for path signs on the kerb/roadside (usually posts), the maintenance of paths (if at all) more importantly the provision & maintenance across private land (usually farms) ?

I was recently walking in north shropshire on many local paths - on the OS map - & found the lack of signage/maintenance very unhelpfull & began to think it may have been deliberate..any thought's.

Craig.

 Can somebody let me know who is responsible for path signs on the kerb/roadside (usually posts), the maintenance of paths (if at all) more importantly the provision & maintenance across private land (usually farms) ?

I was recently walking in north shropshire on many local paths - on the OS map - & found the lack of signage/maintenance very unhelpfull & began to think it may have been deliberate..any thought's.  - Wrote Craig.

Hello again Craig, good to see you back here by the way. I really should have said that above before I know, sorry!

'Getting tired tonight a bit I am maybe!' As Jedi Master Yoda would say probably, y'know.

The answer to the above posed question is to declare that it is not necessarily so! But again it could perhaps well be in some few unusual cases! Most damage to paths and signs is non-deliberate on the part of local farmers or landowners, with the possible exception of a good few notable mostly already highly publicised cases. These make the local or national press mostly as they're being fought legally by the Ramblers Association, in law through the courts; as the Rambler's Association strives to promote and protect Ramblers/walkers rights issues.

So most damage done is not deliberate but accidental, and as a result of the aging over time naturally of wooden sign posts etc. A lot these days is down to plain straightorward vandalism by gangs of destructive youths too, just like as with any other youth crime concerning criminal damage sadly really though.

Yeah... cut out the middle-men listed above and just go direct to the 'rights of way' officer or the 'countryside' section of your local authority. They're the ones with the money, the materials, the picks and shovels, and they're paid for out of your Council Tax.

But having said that, if a sign is clearly damaged, then there's a reason for its damage, and a reason for its replacement. If there was never a sign there in the first place, then the local authority might have a reason for not planting one. By and large, you expect to find rights of way signposts where you leave the road, but you can't really expect hundreds more of them marking the way to and from every field on a little-used path. It's all a matter of scale. 

i've noticed, particularly in kent, it would  appear that someone is sent out with some signs and told to stick them in the ground at random, the greensand way is littered with signs along straight sections of path poinitng in both directions whilst the "trickier" bits don't have any. a couple of years ago there were no signs or even indications that this is the end/start of the greensand way and no signs through the opening/end bit of woodland.

but on th eother hand i am pleased when i see a sign i wasn't expecting to be there and perplexed at things like this

Oh Yeah, know more than well about them!

Its a worm hole, a gate to another time dimension

Sore point as I'm only just recovering from my last encounter with one and that was 2350 years ago but in the future

Most county councils have contacts on their web pages for RoW issues. Shropshire's is here (bottom right) and the (theoretical) responsibilities of the council/landowners outlined.

There used to be a poster on uk.rec.walking who was walking all the RoWs in Shropshire and reporting the condition to the council. I can't find his web page now but I remember his grading which was along the lines of 1 (Good Condition) to 5.(Impassible unless SAS trained). 

Parky Again: I have seen a gate very similar to the one in your post, it may be the same one, on the Greensand Way?

Generally I find the waymarking in Kent to be good. I've walked quite a bit throughout the County and have not had to many problems finding ROW's, there will always be room for improvement. The waymarking in parts of East Sussex might not be so good - the existance of some ROW's is hard to find.

Was it East Sussex where the local authouities had problems defining a ROW that ran close to a freshly constructed Mousoleum ?

al anon

the answer to your question is yes.

the path concerned crossed the land of Nicholas van Hoogstraten in Framfield E.Sussex.

yep, greensand way somewhere between sevenoaks weald and oxted al anon.

you would gave seen this too.

surrey have been putting quite a bit of effort into signs over the past year or so. they seem to be keen that people come and visit the area. with good reason i think.

sussex can be hit and miss.

a general gripe is that signs are often put in places that are obscured by foliage - especially when you're trying to find the path again after crossing a road. praise be to maps.

Thanks to all who have responded & I will try to investigate those suggestions, though it's not a major issue (for me), it was more a curiosity question for reference.

I have a great funny pic of a kissing gate I came across, which was actually on the Shropshire Way, but sadly don't know how to reduce it to fit on here..DOH!

Any help would be appreciated..ta!

Craig

Yeah... cut out the middle-men listed above and just go direct to the 'rights of way' officer or the 'countryside' section of your local authority. They're the ones with the money, the materials, the picks and shovels, and they're paid for out of your Council Tax. - Wrote Paddy

Sadly though the reports are made and very often the work isn't being done by these such persons of 'officialdom'. Which is the very reason why the Rambler's Association has their own reporting procedures, and why they very often have to turn out volunteer repair partis armed with their own bow saws, hatchets, picks..etc. The Ramblers nationally end up doing quite a bit of this very necessary repairs work themselves every year.