Good on the Hereford Times for last week’s Time Out, detailing 13 wonderful Herefordshire walks to explore in autumn, with a link to Garth Lawson’s extensive catalogue on its website.

We are lucky to have 2,100 miles of tracks and paths, much of which could be better developed to encourage tourism, and of course opportunities for our own health and wellbeing.

And now excitingly, in a country-wide survey, the Ramblers has found 2,253 lost paths in Herefordshire!

This is more finds than all other counties in England and Wales, less two.

While some newly found paths might now serve little purpose, others could be adopted to provide viable footpaths both within and connecting parishes, access to especially beautiful places and importantly, options for alternative routes during floods and emergencies.

Where I live, the village is cut off during extreme wet weather.

Maps dated 1900 show an accessible ‘first class’ road by-passing the village on higher ground, and several tracks on permanently dry ground around the village available as emergency alternatives.

Councils might conduct their own surveys in light of the new finds, and identify opportunities.

Greener policies are imperative with outcomes reaching beyond 2050.

The 2020 Agricultural Bill, now in its amendment stage, already includes provisions to pay landowners for ‘public goods’.

Arranging to pay even greater subsidies to maintain the newly found and useful PROW would, if successful, boost opportunities relating to health and recreation, domestic tourism, investment and growth – for all.

Hugh Vernon
Eardisland