Manchester & High Peak Ramblers' Association

The website for the Manchester Area Ra is being revised. A decision about the continued use of the manchester-ramblers.org.uk website will be made by the Executive Committee of the Area in the near future. More details of Manchester RA activities can be found at www.madwalkers.org.uk


General enquiries in the first instance to:
Terry Perkins, (Chairman)
34 Grangethorpe Drive,
Burnage, Manchester, M19 2LG.
Tel: 0161-225 2650

Email enquiries about this web site: info@madwalkers.org.uk

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 will give people greater freedom to explore open countryside. They will have a new right of access, on foot, to many areas of open country (mountain, moor, heath and downland), registered common land and dedicated land ('dedicated' for open access by a public or private landowner).

This access land will need to be clearly identified before new rights are made available. As a first step, the Government has asked the Countryside Agency to produce official maps showing all the open country and registered common land in England, so that everyone is clear where the new rights will apply. This is expected to take about four years (ending in 2004). The North West of England together with the South East are the first areas of England to be mapped.

A guide to the access rights that will be created by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 can be found on www.countryside.gov.uk .

Other News

The Manchester Area of the RA is made up of eight walking clubs, the largest of which is Manchester Area, with seven Groups serving Bolton, Bury, New Mills, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Wigan. Each club attempts to serve the interests of walkers in a number of ways

The Ramblers' Association (Manchester Area) is part of a nationwide organisation which seeks to protect the finest landscapes, the natural beauty of the countryside and the National Parks. The RA acts to preserve the public footpath network and seeks access to open countryside, woodlands, peaks and moorland. The RA seeks to prevent unsuitable developments in the countryside such as motorways, extensive quarrying and other green field developments.

The year 2005 finds the groups which comprise the Manchester Area RA all working away to support the aims and objectives of the Association. Each in their own way and in their own territory keeps a careful eye on their footpaths and their local councils to ensure that footpaths and local beauty spots are not desecrated in any way.

There are lots of examples where local authorities are asked to give planning permission for building and developments on land which is needed for recreational activities and this needs to be resisted. Many footpaths fall into neglect and disuse. Many are blocked by land or property owners who mistakenly believe that the use of rights of way which may have existed for hundreds of years can suddenly be denied by the construction of obstacles and barbed, electric and razor-wire fences. Each group keeps a vigilant watch in their own patch by having volunteer Footpath Officers who fight to protect endangered rights of way.

The Ramblers' Association has over 4,500 members in the Greater Manchester area. Many members subscribe for ideological reasons. The Ramblers' Association has acted for its' members by campaigning for people to have a legal freedom of access to mountain, moor, down and common land - subject to common sense restrictions. East Sussex County Council feared the economic consequences of a legal battle with multi-millionaire Nicholas Van Hooogstraten after the blockage of footpaths across his estate. RA fought and won the case.

Many members enjoy the walks and social activities organised by the Area and by the Groups. The wide ranging programmes of the groups cater for walkers of all abilities. Walks vary from 'Very Easy' through to 'Strenuous'. Some walks are organised to suit the car owner, others use public transport. Manchester Area has a fortnightly Coach Excursion for members offering six walks which picks-up in Stockport, Manchester and then Prestwich or Altrincham. In the alternating weeks the walks we use public transport. Membership is not required for participation in local walks but if you do come along on a couple of occasions and enjoy the walks you should remember that all activities are organised and led by volunteers and that all taking part, including the leaders feel it appropriate to show support for the Ramblers' Association by becoming members.

If you decide that you would like to come along for the first time please contact the Secretary of the group to check arrangements and wear clothing and footwear which is appropriate for a day in the countryside. Sandwiches and a flask are essential. If you are not sure about the distance you can cover in a day your first walk should be an 'Easy' or 'Moderate' grade walk of less than ten miles, a distance which is not quite so daunting when you realise that this mileage is spread over six or seven hours the so that the pace is not particularly difficult.

An aim of this site is the provision of information about all walks arranged by Groups in our area. We hope you will be attracted by our activities and look forward to seeing you on a walk in the near future.

Finally, a word of thanks must be offered to Martin Clark for the large amount of time he devoted to creating and designing this web site and also to Brian Coxon for his advice and photographs.