Walkers' Britain [antikvár]

Introducing Long Distance Paths IN BRITAIN, a long distance path, known colloquially as an LDP, is usually defined as a route of at least 20 miles (32km) that has been given a disrinctivc name, and for which a guide exists. Sometimes shorter routes are also referred to as long distance paths, especially if they provide a link between two other long distance paths. The term 'wayfarer' is applied to a person who walks a long distance path, as in 'Pennine wayfarer'. It is likely that the Schwarzwaldvercin (Black Forest Association), formed in Gcmiany in 1864, was the first organisation to promote and develop long distance paths. The first was the 450-mile (280km) West Way from Pforzheim to Basle, opened in 1900, which was followed in 1903 by the 145-mile (233km) Middle Way (Pforzheim - Waldshut), and the 148-milc (238km) East Way (Pforzheim - Schaflhausen). Sweden established the Kungsleden in Lapland before World War 1, and James Paddock Taylor founded the Green Mountain Club and began to carve out the 265-mile (427km) Long Trail from Massachusetts to the Canadian border in 1910. In 1921 Benton MacKaye first proposed the establishment of the 2113-mile (3400km) Appalachian Trail down the eastern United States from Maine to Georgia which was completed in 1937. In England, Tom Stephenson first publicised the idea of establishing a long distance path along the watershed of northern England in an article in the Daily Herald in June 1935. This led to the formation of the Pennine Way Association, but long distance paths were not formally established until the implementation of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, which followed the publication of the Hobhouse Report. Scotland and Northern Ireland had to wait much longer for legislation. Long distance paths have been estabhshed in most European countries as well as in other developed nations. There arc now a number of European international long distance paths that criss-cross Western Europe, and it is likely that the political events of 1989 will ultimately lead to links with the long distance routes in eastern Europe. There are two kinds of long distance path in the United Kingdom: official routes and unofficial routes. There is no uniform legislation governing rights of way and long distance paths in the United Kingdom and each consdtuent country has its own distinctive laws. England and Wales have many more LDPs than Scodand and Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, official routes, now known as national trails, were first established under the provisions of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949. In England, the following national trails are the responsibiHty of the Countryside Commission: the Cleveland Way, the North Downs Way, the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path, the Pennine Way, the Ridgeway Path, the South Downs Way, the South West Coast Path, the Thames Path (this route still awaits official designation but is included here as it is walkable throughout its length), and the Wolds Way. I Wles, the Countryside Council for Wales, is responsible for OfFa's Dyke Path and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Unofficial routes may be devised by local authorides, rambling clubs or individuals (in England and Wales, the Countryside Commission and the Countryside Council for Wales now refer to them as 'regional routes'). This is a better term, although it has not gained wide currency, because all long distance paths created by local authorities are, in a sense, official routes in that they arc normally waymarked and maintained as part of the local authority's countryside management programme, and the guide to the route is unlikely to go out of print. Some long distance routes created by individuals, rambling clubs and other organisations are well established but there is a risk that if the route does not prove popular, the guidebook will go out of print and, in effect, that particular long distance path will no longer exist. In Scodand, provision for the crearion of long distance paths was included in the Countryside (Scodand) Act, 1967, which also established the Countryside Commission for Scodand (now Scottish Natural Heritage), the body responsible for the Southern Upland Way, the Speyside Way, and the West Highland Way. The concept of LDPs has not been received enthusiastically by many Scotdsh walkers, who fear that their existence may compromise the traditional freedom that exists in Scodand to roam in open country. The Ulster Way is the only official long distance path in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. It should be noted that a footpath guide is normally necessary to follow a long distance path because rights of way in this category are not plotted distincrively on Ordnance Survey maps, except those sections of national trails that appear on Outdoor Leisure maps. National trails and some other LDPs are named at points along their route on Ordnance Survey Landranger maps but not in a manner that enables the walker to follow the exact route. A number of organisations concern themselves with long distance paths. The Long Distance Paths Advisory Service (Administrator: Gerald Cole, The Barn, Holme Lyon, Burneside, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 6QX) maintains a register of routes in an attempt to record all long distance paths, and to prevent the duplication of routes which can result in erosion and other environmental damage. The register is kept on a computer database, and the routes arc recorded on Ordnance Survey Landranger maps. Anybody contemplating devising a long distance path may consult the register and will be advised of the proximity of any other routes, and whether the area is subjected to heavy use. Note that the register acts primarily as an advisory service for authors, publishers, local authorities etc.