Footpath 14 Report

Footpath 14 runs along Rolling Pin Lane, then alongside Dereham Church of England Junior Academy and on to cross the A47. Before 2016, the section of path alongside the school fence had become very overgrown, and was unwalkable except (with difficulty) in the winter, when undergrowth died down somewhat. Following discussions with Highways staff at Norfolk County Council, the path was cleared in 2016, and since then, Dereham Walkers are Welcome has been keeping the growth down. The use of the path has clearly increased, helped by the County installing a fingerpost at the north end of the path.

Before NCC clearance:

After NCC clearance and new fingerpost:

Sadly, this section of path has always suffered from litter, whose nature and location seems clearly to indicate its source in the school grounds. We have three times cleared the litter, but have recently made contact with the school and been assured that they always encourage the children to take responsibility for their grounds and their immediate environment; we understand they are ordering more litter bins for the school grounds and considering the litter issue generally.

Litter everywhere and one of many bags collected:

In July, however, a larger problem emerged, as a tree growing across the path began increasingly to sag lower, held up only by the school fence. By August, one of the four branches sinking across the path was so low that you could get by only on hands and knees. This was decidedly not welcoming to walkers, so Tim Birt took his chainsaw out and spent a morning cutting it all back, with Ken Hawkins picking up the bits, to make a full way past once more.

One of a few fallen trees:

Path work

©2016-18 Dereham Walkers are Welcome