We are fortunate in Tibenham to have a large number of official footpaths – Public Rights of Way. They provide an amenity for residents and visitors alike to enjoy, and provide access to the wonderful countryside we are privileged to be surrounded by.

Information

There is plenty of information on the Norfolk County Council’s website – just search “Public Rights of Way” on their home page. You can find out about rights of way in your area, including an interactive map, and read about the regulations governing the use of footpaths and landowners’ responsibilities. You can also see a definition of the different types of PRoW (Public Right of Way) and how they can be used. If you spot a problem with a footpath that is blocked or obstructed, or has missing or incorrect signs, you can report it via the website.

Horses and Vehicles

Unfortunately, of all the different types of PRoW, Tibenham has only footpaths. This means that there are no routes that a horse can be ridden along or even lead along apart from the public roads, unless a horse owner obtains permission from a landowner to ride on private land (as long as this doesn’t interfere with a footpath). This also applies to cycles and any kind of motorised vehicle. Infringements could lead to prosecution for trespass and/or criminal damage.

Dogs

Dogs are allowed on footpaths, though a landowner can insist that they are kept on leads – this doesn’t normally happen, but it could, especially if there is livestock nearby. However, dog owners are obliged to clean up after their dogs. Excrement is unpleasant, and also toxic and full of microbes, many of which are harmful to humans. Bag it and deposit the bag in one of the bins we have provided, or take it home for your own black bin.

Footpath Maintenance

The County Council are theoretically responsible for maintaining the surface of the footpaths, including bridges, though in practice, if we want work done we have to do it voluntarily ourselves. If it is on private land, as most of them are, the landowner is responsible for any gates, stiles etc, and also for making sure crops or other vegetation do not impede “all the Queen’s lieges” in their enjoyment of the footpath. This also entails making good any disturbance of the surface caused by, for example, ploughing. If landowners play their part, it is reasonable to expect that footpath users will in turn respect the fact that they are being allowed to use private land, and will not stray from the designated right of way, will be careful not to damage any structures, and will remove litter and dog poo.

Recent Improvements

The Parish Council’s aim is to make the most of our valuable footpaths, and to make at least some of them accessible for all members of the community and visitors to the parish. In the last twelve months (from autumn 2017 to autumn 2018) improvements have been made to two of the most popular and regularly used footpaths:

Slough Lane

Slough Lane (Tibenham FP 29) runs eastwards from Pristow Green Lane, opposite Courtyard Barn, towards Channonz Wood. Over time, parts of this very pretty walk had become overgrown, and in places the wild roses and brambles had made the path difficult and unpleasant to use. Last autumn, a small group of residents decided to do something about it, rolled up their sleeves, and spent part of a weekend improving access with strimmers and chainsaws. The walk is now much easier, and more pleasant.

Soon after that, Norfolk Ramblers offered to help us to replace the footbridge which crosses the drainage ditch at the top of Slough Lane, and links up with Narrow Lane, providing a pleasant circular walk. The original 3-ligger footbridge had started to decay, and was becoming potentially dangerous. They not only organised the materials for the new bridge, but they also hauled the materials all the way up Slough Lane and installed our new bridge for us. Peter James, who coordinated the project, reckons that at 67 he was the youngest of the workers by some margin.

Before:            After:  

 

Tibenham Boardwalk

Place names often tell us a lot about the nature of a place – and Slough Lane is no exception. The word “slough” (which in these parts is made to rhyme with “glow” but elsewhere rhymes with “cow”) is an Old English word, and describes a boggy area impassable to horses and vehicles, and that sums up what the Pristow Green end of Slough Lane was like for several months every year, once the wet weather had set in in the autumn. It was so bad most winters that it was impassable to walkers and dogs too. It was becoming increasingly frustrating to have one of our best paths out of action for so much of the time. We investigated various options including rather expensive and possibly futile engineering projects to improve drainage, but in the end we decided on a more cost effective (and effective) project to build a boardwalk to enable people to use the footpath in all weathers. With a boardwalk, walkers might still need to wear their wellies, but they are not likely to lose them in the mud or stumble over the bits of rubble that have been deposited over the years by people trying to improve the surfac

 

We have been fortunate enough to have had financial support from Bev Spratt, our County Councillor, and from Charles Easton, our District Councillor, who have both contributed to the cost of the boardwalk, and also to have won an award in the 2017 Aviva Community Fund, so the final cost to Tibenham Council Tax payers will be minimal.

At the end of October 2018, a group of volunteers, guided by the expertise of Pater James of Norfolk Ramblers, installed a boardwalk. At the time of writing, we are just waiting for a few finishing touches – a short ramp at each end of the boardwalk to allow access for pushchairs or wheelchairs, and the addition of wire netting to create a non-slip surface.

Norfolk County Council refused to accept responsibility for the maintenance of our boardwalk, though they did grant us permission to install it at our own expense, and on condition that we did not ask for their help to maintain it in the future. The Parish Council will ensure that there are regular safety inspections, and that any necessary repairs or replacements are carried out – though we anticipate that no repairs will be necessary for a good number of years

Narrow Lane

Inspired by the improvements made to Slough Lane, last autumn we also had a look at the other well-used footpath in the Street/Pristow Green/airfield area, Narrow Lane (Tibenham FP 30), which starts opposite the Greyhound PH and runs eastwards towards Tibenham Airfield. The upper part of the footpath is bordered by a narrow strip of mainly oak trees, and this is not as prone to overgrowth as Slough Lane. However, the first stretch, as you walk away from the Greyhound, had narrowed where brambles and nettles had encroached on the path, so everyone walking this path ended up treading on the same 12-inch wide strip, which naturally became slick with mud as soon as it rained. A band of local volunteers spent a warm autumn Saturday widening the footpath by cutting back the shrubbery so it is now much easier to navigate whatever the weather.

Narrow Lane and Slough Lane together form a horseshoe, and you can enjoy a circular route if you  don’t mind a short stretch of road walking to join up the two ends.