Tushingham, Shropshire Bridleway Help Please.

Maesfen

Maesfen

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We are in the process of trying to reinstate a bridleway so riders don’t need to ride along the A41.

Did you or your family and friends either ride or cycle around Bradley and Tushingham before 2002?
Did you ride, walk or cycle on the track from the Blue Bell Inn (opposite the turning to Tushingham Arena) down to Bradley Chapel or vice versa? The Bishop Bennett Way goes across the track by the farm where the track we are concerned with starts.

If so, we need YOU please to help us get the path reinstated as a bridleway after the landowner blocked the track and refused to let horses use it any longer.
Do you know anyone who might have moved away from the area that would have used this track; if so, please either pass this message on or send me their details so I can contact them.

The track had been used for at least three centuries by all forms of horse transport both for commerce and pleasure and is marked on maps and deeds as the public road to Agden/Tushingham.

We have evidence of its use by horses but need more to satisfy the public enquiry to be held.

Please contact as soon as possible, either myself (Pat Adams) on here or 01948 860394.

You can also contact the Cheshire West and Chester Public Rights of Way Officer, Adele Mayer by phone on 01606 271822 Or email - adele.mayer@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Thank you, I really hope you can help; this path has been closed to riders for far too long (the application has been with the council since 2006!) If the owner hadn't objected, we would have been back riding the track years ago; as it is, it has to go to the expense of a public enquiry which is why we need as much personal evidence that we can. Sadly, in the time it's taken, several very good witnesses have passed away which hasn't helped!
 
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Thank you TP; have replied.

The sad thing is this track was always used as a right of way from the 1700s, both landowners at the time acknowledged it as such and loved to see anyone who used it; then one farmer retired, the new people promised to leave the land as it was but then hunt followers on quads and m/bikes abused it and we were all except walkers, barred from using it again.
It was defined back in the 50's as a former 7 foot wide carriageway now used primarily for walking which led to it be given footpath status; if the previous landowners at the time had been notified of that they would have contested it but back then, communication wasn't ideal. Lots of bridleways were lost in this way and we only have another 10 years to be able to claim them back so if you know of any paths like this anywhere in the country, do please take steps to preserve them. We'll only have ourselves to blame if we lose them for good from inaction.
 
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May I wish you the best of luck with getting sufficient user evidence by getting anyone (cyclists and horse riders) that has used it at present or in the past to complete an evidence form.
Have you created evidence forms for people to complete?
You are quite correct that riders need to be made more aware that we only have 10 years to claim routes using historic evidence and after then they will be lost forever.

Each highway authority keeps a definitive map of public rights of way, which is the formal legal record of their existence. Routes not recorded on this map by a 2026 'cut-off date' introduced by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 could be extinguished.

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW 2000)
In 2000 the Government brought in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW 2000), the crux of which is that all unrecorded footpaths and bridleways in England that existed before 1949 but are not on the definitive map by 01 January 2026 will be extinguished.
This means that the unrecorded beautiful countryside routes that you currently ride on locally might be lost forever. Routes that have been ridden for hundreds of years will be lost for future generations and we want to save as many of these routes as possible.
There are probably hundreds of unrecorded rights of ways in every county in England and Wales.
If you wish to save them then you need to heck that the routes you are riding at present are recorded on the definitive map as of the correct status. Each County council holds a definitive map of all the public rights of way within the county. Simply check with your local definitive map officer.
If you need any help then contact your local BHS access officer who will be only to pleased to assist you.
 
Peter, thank you.

We have been all through the evidence forms with the original application but now the council ROW officer (who has been absolutely brilliant with her research) wants people to contact her direct in the quest for more personal use evidence hence the appeal on here and local FB pages plus notices in the local vets and feed stores.
We have now got to the stage where a consultant has been briefed prior to the public enquiry. We had a meeting here with some of the signatories going over their evidence with them both and although the 'proof' of use historically is very strong, they still need more personal evidence of its use as without that, she's not very hopeful which is very frustrating especially as some of the strongest evidence, while on record, would have been from those that have since died or are now incapable of being coherent (dementia). As the track was blocked in 2002, as you can imagine, it's hard finding people that have sufficiently good relevant memories to be included.

Incidentally, when I first started this application, I had joined the BHS for this reason (and admittedly, the insurance) but the then Access officer for our area could not have been more unhelpful.
 
Pat, Can I suggest you also post on the Cleveland Bay Open Forum FB page. We have an active group in the Midlands they may be able to help. Just seen your last post, I was a BHS Access Officer and took a petition all the way to the Scottish Parliament!!
 
Here is a map of the path in question which might help jog memories. Sorry it's a bit faint.

BWay.jpg
 
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