Confident, pinpoint navigation depends on accurate maps for the walker and mountaineer

 Thanks very much for the e-mail and yesterday evening's discussion.

I made good use of the DM in January 2019 in re-opening Worcs 514(A is my insistence) (actually, 514(D) because the landowner was only too happy for it to become invisible/grown over, to further protect her caravans in her caravan storage park in the railway cutting.  She is now using my new path, herself!).  The large scale paper version proved beyond doubt it was a right of way and, with the note, "farm cart track".  It runs between two long rows of railway concrete posts, twelve of which I straightened!  I would love to show you, one day, because it opens up the extensive path network in our 32 sq Km Golden Green Triangle from Hunnington cricket ground and the proposed housing development at the Blue Bird sweet site.  It allows more circular walks from Bromsgrove Road.

I certainly want more paths or obvious desire lines and, lost paths to be added to the DM but would prefer the Ordnance Survey, when there is conflict between the old DM path and the actual path on the ground, to map the one on the ground and not the invisible one.  This, for clarity, to not clutter the map and to avoid confusion for walkers that then lead to complaints to the OS at Southampton.  The DM will always remain as the final arbiter and protector.  I'm attaching three screenshots of the zig-zag path at Neen Sollars that is even more important because it appears to be a sunken lane but is missed off the OS maps.  Very poor!

I'm simply insisting on accuracy, correctness and to be able to hone my much sought after pinpoint navigation skills on 100% reliable maps!

Thanks so much for your point of view that has informed me so helpfully.

All the best

FEET BEFORE FOSSIL FOOLING!

I think we are all guilty of living unsustainably and, therefore, threatening all life support systems on earth.  The size of our homes and gardens, the size of our families, the kind of commuting and consuming we do and the holidays we take, all contribute to resource depletion, especially of finite fossil fuels and, highly dangerous greenhouse gases to bring climate catastrophe to end all life on earth.

I am very guilty of all this.  My land take and lifestyle means that if everyone lived like I do we would need three or four planets!  I’ll work it out from 

http://www.footprintcalculator.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuJz3BRDTARIsAMg-HxXbEjRqUmqs0ZEJXBOAusr6nHxzsfRPC7osTIur-aC9aBe0NFAOCzYaAn7fEALw_wcB

In fact, I need 2.1 planets and my overshoot day is 24 June.  I’ve probably biased it in my favour!

To compensate, I cycle instead of the car whenever I can; and, I used the bike for commuting and work visits before retirement.  I drive to 70 mpg, cut down on meat and dairy and v nearly never go abroad and certainly don’t fly - a big blown raspberry for that one.

To compensate, I am writing and working to open our English and Welsh 19th century railway network for trains or, as cycle-walkways.  I am working to maintain our footpaths in our 32 sq Kms Golden Green Triangle, bounded by M5, A456 and A491.  I continue to ask for it to be the first area to go in the 2019 announced W Mids National Park to prevent any built development on fresh land.  Land that must go only for farming and for recreation, as we are doing in lockdown.  I am trying to win over all our wonderful farmers/landowners not to sell their land for the false, fools gold of concrete, brick and tarmac.  Especially at Tack Farm that is so near to the bypass boundary that must not be breached.

Lockdown for all slashed the world’s greenhouse gases.  I think, to achieve the same bliss but to help those who suffered, governments have, as their first duty, the defence of the realm from civil unrest by protecting the worst off with:

• a Basic Income scheme for all to cover food, clothing and shelter;
• East Europe’s Fare Free Public Transport for all and not just for the disabled and over 60s, like me;
• Carbon allowance for all to start rationing the calamitous burning of finite fossil fuels.

Learn from the UK’s disastrous laid back approach to the virus and prepare now for the inevitable Really Big Crisis we have been warned about for decades.

We cut economic activity to kill the virus.  We must now continue the good work of minimum economic activity in order to leave the planet’s life support systems able to support our descendants.

Join the buy less brigade and don’t head out to the shops.  Feet first to our footpath network, instead and lower your eco footprint!             

Tim Weller  17 June 2020

Our Golden Green Triangle proposal to be the first area recognised in our new W Mids National Park

Thanks for replying, Mick.  And please could ALL of you read and act - urgently.

Will you all and especially, Carole and James Morris, Kathryn and Andy, et al work to get our Golden Green Triangle of 32 sq Kms to be the first officially recognised area in the WMCA's West Midlands National Park?  It is the obvious triangle of land bounded by the M5 between Jcts 3 and 4 and the two other dual carriageways to the west (A456, A491), with the Clent Hills Country Park and its glorious foothills of woods, fields and fishing pools.

Can all of you, please work to improve access to all remaining dismantled/disused railway lines that will never be able to have their trains back.  Especially, the 8 Kms Dowery Dell Trail from Halesowen to Longbridge (available for many years on the Brum side of the M5 public right of way subway) is in the new West Midlands National Park.  It is an unofficial, old railway walk - even from when it was first opened for trains in 1883.  Children and young people (similar to the book, 'The Railway Children') walked parts of the line even when in use, got shouted at by train drivers and risked the 40 shillings fine.  Please can you ALL help to make it legal and official as a permissive adventure walk, with the co-operation of the landowners?

The 22 Kms Black Country Cycle-Walk Mudway is an existing public right of way on two railway lines from Brierley Hill to NW Wolverhampton, via Wombourne.  It must be made free of mud and puddles, widened with an all weather surface and, made suitable for responsible shared use.

It is extremely urgent that we all cut our use of finite fossil fuels and take more local walks and recreation.  Our local countryside must be used for growing more of our food and NOT for the insidious encroachment of concrete, brick and tarmac - and the worsening climate catastrophe that wipes out even more life on earth than the virus.

ACT AGAINST ECOCIDE, now!

Best wishes and thanks

Tim Weller

National Trust wants up to 20 green corridors

Dear Kathryn and Hilary - and copied to the three council leaders, my MP and the WMCA.  For all to follow up, to work together to show a little enthusiasm, positivity and, sheer pleasure at doing something sensible and co-operatively - PLEASE!

You, Kathryn came up with that great idea of a West Midlands National Park, as areas of open spaces, next to the conurbation.  Now we have the Director-General, Hilary McGrady of the National Trust, writing in the current, summer magazine of green corridors linking built up areas.  On page 69 she writes of the NT creating "up to 20 new 'green corridors'.  Paths from inner cities through parkland and farmland into wild landscapes and National Parks.  Corridors that will be great for people and give nature space to thrive."

I would like to suggest that the first part of the W Mids NP to be our 32 sq Kms that forms a natural Golden Green Triangle.  It has the NT owned Clent Hills Country Park on one side.  The rest is farmland, parkland, woodland, fishing ponds and, the foothills of the 1,000 feet high Clent Hills.  A triangle of three main roads to the west of the M5 between Jcts 3 and 4.  A much needed national park to stop roads and buildings on fresh land, for growing our food and for recreation.

Please, work together so that both of you achieve your ambitions here in the West Midlands.  You, Kathryn with your National Park, Hilary with her green corridor on the 137 year old Halesowen Railway from Halesowen to Longbridge.  Halesowen is in the Black Country and Longbridge is in Birmingham.  It is an 8 Kms route either side of the M5 that goes through a subway beneath the M5 that takes a public right of way next to the old railway line, now obliterated at that point.  There are 4.5 Kms on the Halesowen side and 3.5 Kms on the Longbridge side that is already open and in use with various names for its different sections.  Just the far eastern end is still being worked on, by St Modwen at Longbridge Business Park.  I'm proposing the name that footpath author, Roy Burgess has chosen, viz. the Dowery Dell Trail.  Like the three Peak District trails on old railway lines - Tissington, High Peak and Monsall.

The public subway is between Jct 3 and 4 of the M5, in Worcestershire County Council.  The northern section is in Dudley MBC, the historic capital of the Black Country.  The eastern section comes under Birmingham City Council.  Find it on the Ordnance Survey Explorer maps 219, 220.  Most of the green corridor is in Worcestershire.  One, first section, of 600 metres is already open and much walked.  All other sections are private and would need negotiating with landowners to become permissive paths, as I have done with the first section.  However, the professionals now need to takeover, please.

PLEASE, COULD ALL OF YOU REPLY, - even positively?  And, with some pleasure, too at doing something so popular! 

Best wishes

Tim

Walking and working in our Golden Green Triangle

Thanks, Stuart for your last email.  All very helpful.  This is copied to Roy Burgess who is mentioned here and who also needs to know what is going on.  He founded the Halesowen Abbey Trust in 1986 and has been active in public service ever since.  Now, more in Leasowes Walled Garden, in Leasowes Park, that is as good as any NT garden.  It is included in the annual competition, 'Halesowen in Bloom'.

To keep you in the picture, I have on Monday submitted a request to WCC via their official online website form, for the rough 'path' from Bromsgrove Road to Illey Brook/Illey Mill to be made a right of way.  Reference no 717548.  More immediately, I would like their staff to cut a path through the long grass of the roadside verge at the Bromsgrove Road end.  My very rough path starts at the brambles where I have cut a narrow path through.  I will continue to keep the brambles, thistles and nettles back at that short section on the verge below (south) where the long grass is.  I have done it for my own use, primarily but I also think that the more walkers can keep off that very busy country lane the better.  It is also an extension to our wonderful network of public paths that 'end' at Illey Mill.  Roy also has his many walk leaflets that also use Illey Lane for access from Halesowen.  Walkers may discover, in due course, that there is an alternative to walking on tarmac and risking an accident.

Last Saturday, I had a wonderful walk from home to the new Longbridge High Street on mostly public paths.  The only exception was when I tried the railway line and found, from Dowery Dell, south to the M5 and beyond, that it was still possible, mud free and gave some great views to either side.  It actually became the Princess Diana Way SE of the M5 in Frankley but you must know that!  Many, including children, have illegally walked the railway line ever since it was first opened, I understand.  In the 20th century, trespassers were risking a 40 shillings fine.  I walked parts of it in the 1970s, even before I moved to Halesowen in 1976.  Some were shouted at by train drivers, Roy told me.  Now, the fine for trespassing on the railways is £1,000!

While I was in Dowery Dell below the dismantled viaduct, I cleared two or three branches that completely blocked the public right of way above the wooden steps on the Frankley, south side, of the brook.  It was Roy and friends who built the steps, he told me, very many years ago.  Was it in the 1980s, Roy?  It was done with the knowledge and help of WCC.  My Saturday walk took four hours but I came back by three buses after an evening meal in the High Street 'Beefeater'.

Stuart, if I get the permission of Bernard Williams, would you want to use your strimmer to cut my grass slashed path even shorter, please?  I know, it is not strictly necessary, so don't worry.  The right of way is much more important.  I'll use my slasher, again in a week or twos time.  My contact with Bernard is via Mark at the cricket ground on 07799 332544.  Mark was OK about my slashing a path through the open woodland and speaks with Bernard Williams.  You are always welcome to ring Mark yourself, of course, for confirmation.

There is one badly leaning concrete post on the cul de sac path that I want to dig out and reposition vertically.  I am using my mountain bike to get to the path from home.  The concrete posts are so important in showing the old cart track and how very wide it was, originally.  All part of our very important heritage in caring for the past to benefit the future.  If the posts get removed, any future landowner/farmer may well encroach onto the ancient farm track to get a bigger field.  My preference is one half of the cart track for walkers and the other half of impenetrable brambles to ensure Jenny's caravans are less obvious.  We must keep Jenny pleased with what we are doing and walking the path herself!  I want Mark and Bernard to take a look, too sometime.  Mark said he would.

All the best