The Cotswold Way Association is pleased to welcome Stroud & District Athletics Club and Emersons Green Running Club as affiliate members. Many thanks for your support.
Shop at Waitrose to support the CWA …
The CWA is pleased to announce that we are one of the community groups supported by Waitrose in Cheltenham. If you shop there this month don’t forget to ask for your green disc and put it in the CWA bin so that we can get a generous donation from Waitrose. We hope that Waitrose in Chipping Sodbury will operate a similar scheme in the next few months.
More improvements to more muddy gates…
Just before Christmas, a small team of Cotswold Wardens used the successful model adopted in Broadway to improve the drainage of three muddy and flooded kissing gates on the Cotswold Way near Old Sodbury. The locations are shown here
Improving muddy kissing gates.
Kissing gates undoubtedly improve access on the Cotswold Way but their constant use often makes them wet and muddy so the CWA has embarked on a trial project to improve the surface around a few kissing gates. The first project has been completed on a gate where the trail crosses West End Lane, SW of Broadway using eco plastic grid, geo-textile and gravel. The location is point A as shown here.
Another CWA Project to improve the Cotswold Way
The Cotswold Way Association has recently funded a much needed handrail along the steep steps at Bunkers Bank, near Haresfield Beacon. The installation was carried out by a work party from Central District of the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens. No more will you have to risk twisted ankle or a wet backside to get down this section of the trail.
Comments on the A417 proposals by the CWA
UPDATE As a result of the discussions on the A417 the attached further submission has been made to Gloucestershire CC and other relevant bodies. See additional comments August 2018 by clicking here
The Cotswold Way Association has recently submitted their concerns about how the hugely popular Cotswold Way National Trail will be severely impacted by both of the proposed A417 route options as they pass through one of the most important parts of the Cotswold escarpment.
Please click here to see the full reply.
Handrail on the slippery slope above Weston – another CWA project
Those of you who have walked on the Cotswold Way in wet weather as it climbs above the recreation ground in Weston will probably remember the difficulty in standing upright on the slippery path. There are reports of walkers finishing up on their backsides and one even ended up with a broken leg. This should now be a thing of the past as CWA has just completed a path improvement project which involved the installation of a 45 metre long handrail. The work was carried out by Cotswold Voluntary Wardens – Avon District with funding for materials provided by the Cotswold Way Association. The CWA was set up to implement just this kind of improvement project and further projects are planned for other sections of the trail.
What a start
Our first project in July 2016 consisted of replacing a stile with a friendly kissing gate above Hailes near Winchcombe. After a long climb up the track from Hailes Abbey towards Farmcote one did not relish climbing over a reasonably high stile.
Who are the Cotswold Way volunteer wardens?
Each month volunteer Cotswold Way Wardens walk the whole length of the Cotswold Way checking upon the condition of the trail. If you see a Cotswold Way warden wearing a green fleece please say hello and more importantly tell them if you have come across any problems.
More good news!
The Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust supports environmental conservation projects in the UK. The Cotswold Way Association is pleased the Trust have chosen to support the work of the association. In the UK, the Charitable Trust support the Ramblers and other smaller outdoors charities. The Trust also offers direct financial support to walking groups in order to aid sustainable tourism ethos.
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