Article talkback

Richard Gale wrote (see)

lets hope it gets washed away in the near future.

 mmm very constructive

I don't see what the fuss is about - usually folk moan when paths have been remade with  stones by FTF - now they are moaning that one is not?

IIRC it's only a very short stretch of path close to the bottom of the hill right beside a man-made plantation  - and the farmers fence was there before - they do need replacing now and then...

give it a year or so - in winter - running water and frosts plus mud deposits from the edges and above, then a summer or 2 of vegetation at the edges - it'll blend in quite quickly

(believe me - as a garden landscaper I've built paths like that, looking initially pristine,  come to look like shit after a year or so's neglect)

There are some horse breeds known for their agility on rough terrain. IIRC the Welsh Cob is one horse like that, there are many others too. However getting the horse over rough tracks is one thing getting the horse and rider over must surely be another thing. All Paddy's examples are pack horses which I guess the bridleways were for. Riding a horse over some bridleways in the Lakes I'm sure takes some skill and most riders would not manage it. I guess that is why you don't see riders going over them.

Personally I agree with all said above about paths returning to a more acceptable look after a year or two, but it can be helped along a bit by the style of path build I'm sure. Of course the bog trots in the Pennines I guess the only way is the flags. Like the way up Ingleborough from the pub side, that is all flagged over a SSSI to protect it. I think it used to have wooden walkways once but they rot, tilt and become very slippy when wet or icy. Stones were the best solution there.

At the end of the day that path isn't badly made it hasn't bedded in yet that's all. The stone is not from the area but then you couldn't get enough stone from that exact area as it's a National Park without extraction rights there. I still prefer this path to some stone pitched ones in the Lakes. At least it is safe. There are some really dodgy stone pitching I've seen in the Lakes and most of them end up with paths by the side. One I remember had been laid within the last month (I know as I walked it a monthy previously and the work hadn't started) and there were clear paths at the side because the pitched stones were lethal. It is difficult to get things perfect everytime of course.