Routes Blocked, Details of impassable bridlepaths

[xena_wales]

Anyone who knows of any routes that are blocked / impassable should add the details below.

This will allow:
a) Riders to plan alternative routes
Us to get a list of routes that need work!

[Karen Burch]

I am meeting Kevin Thomas from the Access Dept tomorrow (Sat) to walk a route that Sarah Burgess has been trying to get sorted for a few years! The situation now is that one land owner is abusive and doesnt want riders on his land. I am told that the actual route is impassable because of a rock face! However they want to re route it to the benefit of the land owner and the users. Obviously if they force the landowner by way of a court order then any riders using it are likely to get bothered. His approach is to convince him to seek legal advice which will indicate he has little say in the matter. I can t tell you exactly where it is because I havent been there yet but if Sarah looks at the forum perhaps she will explain the history and her frustration!

[Karen Burch]

Forestry Commission are keen to get involved in the re routing of this route. The woodland here is open access so feel free to ride it. The new route will take some time but will bridge the small stream (that can be crossed now) and will open up some new paths in the wood.

[Karen Burch]

The byway that runs from Gelli Wastad in Llandybie appears to have been built over. It runs off the road up to Llandyfan from the Red Lion Pub. It is being reported and has been surveyed. It isnt much of a route on its own but would have been a link in a circuit for an off road route.

[Karen Burch]

The bridleway from Rhydcymerau heading south into the forestry is impassable for the first few hundred yards. However if you enter the forestry from the minor road by the telephone boxthe bridleway off on the left is open. Once in the forestry the other route is open to the riverArfon Gorlech where is disappears. This section of bridleway is impassable because of the gradient and I am applying for it to be re routed onto the forestry track that follows the contours until it reaches the unsurfaced highway that is not tarmaced and is soft under foot into Abergorlech or back towards Lldiad Nenog.

[Karen Burch]

The byway from Abergorlech to Edwinsford is not open becuase it has been wrongly recorded at the Edwinsford end. There is no way out on horse back. If anyone has any history on this path or knows someone who does please get in touch. We will be researching this route to try and get it routed correctly through the Edwinsford estate.

[highlandpony]

The cross-mountain route that runs from the road near Brondai shooting club, and finishes up near Trap - it is marked as an access road but has been lost over the years. There are locked gates and stiles blocking the way, and then it seems to disappear altogether.

I walked this one a while ago but pregnancy put an end to my activities - I am just about ready for action again, if there's any more you'd like me to do now.

[Karen Burch]

We are looking at that route still and Paul Yorke walked it and took some pics. If I think of any ill give you a call. If you look at the map there is a bridleway not too far from that route on the way to Gwynfr. We havent looked at that for some time so if you are able to take any pics we can post on the forum that would be good.

[Karen Burch]

The Sunny Bank Byway from Rhydcymerau to Llansawel has a padlocked gate at Rhydcymerau. We are trying to get it unlocked but if anyone has ridden it can you contact us here as we need to show its been used by the public because the owner is saying its been incorrectly recorded and is not a byway on his land. This is partially true apparrently and the official route runs though a woodded area but if we can show it has been open to the public for sometime we may be able to get it open again.

[highlandpony]

Hi Karen, do you want to let me know the exact location of the bridleway at Gwynfe? I'd be happy to walk it and take photos - presume you want photos of gates, stiles etc that are blocking the path?

[Karen Burch]

I am always after upto date picks of problems on routes so i can tell the council what the issues are. A photo speqaks a thousand words

[silver_snaffles]

My mem to carms riders is going off tomorrow and at the weekend I'll be going off to take some pics of a byway that is impassable, shall I post them here with the OS or send them by post? x

[xena_wales]

Ooh, definitely have some pics here if we can, that'd be great!! Just imagine if we managed to get report of all the bridleways in the county up here for people to see!

I'm not sure if the council need paper copies - they do have internet, they could probably just print a copy!

[Fjord Fan]

There is a bridleway from behind the church in Pen-y-Bont that is completely impassable. It was obviously used at one time for people to get to church. I have ridden the bridleway from the other end and it's completely overgrown from the bottom of the valley. There is another bridleway which comes off this one and finishes at farm called Maesteilo which is also impassable. I doubt if it would be practical or possible to get this second bridleway opened as it's not used because the ground is far too boggy but I do kinow people who have ridden it in the past.

There are actually a lot of unused/unusable bridleways in this part of the county which could do with some attention from the bridleways group/county council but the vast majority of them are on arable land and the farmers have to use the land as well as the riders.