Volunteers have cleared overgrown branches and weeds from the path at Rock Channel in Rye making it accessible again for walkers and cyclists.
On Saturday 3 January a team from Sussex Greenways used chainsaws and cutters to remove bushes from the route, which is part of the King Charles III Coastal path.
“This is part of a perfect circular route around Rye that more people should know about,” said Martin Summers from Rye Bay E-bikes and vice-chair of Sussex Greenways. “Legally, a public footpath should have 2.5 metre clearance and there are patches along here which are very overgrown making it feel a bit like a secret path. I’m sure people have been put off using it.”
He said the charity had to take action. “With local government cutbacks lots of things aren’t happening, including clearing this path. We’re all about promoting walking, wheeling and cycling routes, which is why we’re widening out the path to stop it being a hazard.”
“The roads are really busy, so places like this are good alternatives,” said Roy Abel, one of the volunteers. “There are some brilliant highways and byways that have been completely neglected, so we’re doing our bit. Another example of people in Rye making a difference.”
Image Credits: James Stewart , Martin Summers .
Well done all, I regularly cycle along that path, it will make it much safer!
What a lovely thing to do by volunteers. I used to bike through there but not since it got so overgrown. Thank you to the pro active team.
Thanks to all involved in clearing the path! It’s a very useful route and now it will be safer and more pleasant.
I walk my dog down there so I’m very glad it’s been chopped back. Great community effort .
Fantastic work. Well done in making wheeling in Rye more accessible.
So blessed to have such ‘Abel and willing’ volunteers that keep Rye the most amazing place to live!
Who gave them permission?
Who’s land is it?
There is an article on wanting to restore biodiversity.
What about the birds that roosted in the bushes and trees … especially in this very cold period .
It was lovely hearing them as I walked along there recently …
I liked walking along there as it was. It also gave protection to the allotment environment…
I was involved Judith and wrestled with the same issues as you raise even while being aware that this time of year is the least harmful as Nature will reset in the Spring. For me it comes down to the fact that, while human intervention always impacts on the Natural World, walking and wheeling does so less than almost anything else. So I believe that to facilitate these, as we did by clearing a small proportion of overgrowth, encourages forms of human activity that are truly sympathetic to the wider environment.
Hopefully more people will now be able to safely enjoy the path that you value so highly.
It’s a public footpath and for years it has been overgrown and neglected, it is shame East Sussex county Council,who are responsible for right of ways have ignored it for so long,and I’m surprised Rye town council haven’t got there stewards to address this overgrown problem, unfortunately some times drastic action has to be taken,to safeguard pedestrians and cyclists, and I’m sure the birds will relocate nearby.
Judith, it’s not bird nesting season and there is plenty of hedge left. 100% of people who walked past thanked us for making this route more accessible for everybody.
Give it three months and you’ll be lucky if you can see where the cutters have been, undergrowth benefits from a good haircut, some of the ground plants get to see a bit of daylight and thrive.
I thought that Sustrans were going to upgrade the path?
If you find that a Right of Way is overgrown or blocked you may report it on ESCC’s RoW map which is an excellent resource. All you have to do is open an account and follow the instructions. You will find a great deal of detail once you have expanded the map where you can highlight the exact spot where there’s a problem. The more people who report the same site, the more likely it will be to receive attention.
BTW. Sustrans is now known as the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust. Why use four words when just one was known to all!!?