News
Popular path under threatA public footpath that was reopened in 2006/7 at a cost of £21,000 after being blocked for at least 20 years is in danger of becoming unusable again. Local campaigners are up in arms that scarce resources are being wasted and accuse Cornwall Council of “sinking the ship for want of a ha’porth of tar.”A problem in a boggy area of the path, Crantock 11, which runs for nearly a mile from the village’s Vosporth Hill to link with the South West Coast Path at Little Trevithick, has dissuaded people from using the rest of the path, so that parts of it have become overgrown with nettles almost 6ft high. No maintenance appears to have been done so far this summer.Local ramblers fought for years to get the path reopened to make possible a number of short or long circular walks that for the past two-and-a-half years have been a popular asset for both local residents and the Newquay area tourist industry.
The original solution for crossing the boggy area was a series of stepping stones but this did not work as the concrete blocks proved unstable in the mud. The council then decided to install a boardwalk at a further cost in excess of £13,500 but, unaccountably, did not extend it over the entire area prone to flooding. Ingress of cattle, which had hitherto not been in the area, added to the problem.
So now, a single troublesome area covering no more than 20m threatens not only about a mile of footpath but also deprives locals and visitors alike of a number of excellent circular walks.Cornwall Ramblers are calling on the council to solve the problem once and for all by extending the boardwalk to cover the rest of the boggy area. “We well understand that money is tight, but in this case the council has been penny wise and pound foolish and now risks nullifying all the good work it did to get the path opened in 2006. That would be an unforgivable waste of over £34,500” commented Graham Ronan, Chair of Cornwall Area Ramblers.