About East Berkshire Ramblers:

 

Have you ever climbed the tree-covered slopes of Ashley Hill on a sharp winter’s morning; strolled through the meadows from Maidenhead to the centuries old village of Cookham; viewed the grandeur of Windsor Castle from the Copper Horse; explored the beech woods around Winter Hill in Spring or Autumn or gazed down on the winding Thames from the slopes above Cock Marsh?

If so, you have followed in the footsteps of past and present members of East Berkshire Ramblers, the local Ramblers’ Association Group. Formed in Maidenhead in 1970 to restore, protect and improve the 1,200 rights-of-way in the eastern half of Berkshire.

When the Group was formed the local paths were badly maintained. The initial focus of the Group  -  co-ordinated by Margaret Bowdery, the Group’s Footpath Secretary, now our President  -  was to organise monthly working parties of up to 30 or so members. They started to open up scores of paths which had been impassable for years. Slowly the old pathways were reclaimed, footbridges renewed, stiles repaired and signposts put up. This work continues with a programme to remove stiles where they are no longer necessary or to replace stiles with more user-friendly modern gates or simple barriers.

Over the years a team of Path Wardens has been built up to regularly check all the paths in each Parish, and to carry out some seasonal tasks, such as clearing nettles and brambles, way-marking and reporting where problems have arisen.

Since our formation in 1970 we have achieved a great deal:

• over 50 miles of paths cleared of obstruction,
• more than 700 signposts erected or repaired,
• 220 stiles and 86 footbridges built or repaired,
• persuaded local landowners to provide many miles of Permitted Paths,
• won several prizes for conservation work,
• carried out projects, such as tree-planting, scrub clearance, etc., for the National Trust,
• contributed to the Royal Borough’s Path Improvement Plan under the CROW Act,
• donated £5,375 towards building Temple Bridge over the River Thames,
• given over 20 kissing gates to local farmers/landowners,
• successfully negotiated a safe crossing of the A404 at Bisham, including payment towards the considerable legal costs involved,
• negotiated the reopening of the towpath under Cookham Bridge after 45 years of obstruction,
• negotiated a riverside route of the Thames Path opposite the Thames Hotel in Maidenhead and contributed £10,000 towards the cost of its construction,
• devised the 18 miles Maidenhead Boundary Walk (now an annual charity event),
• published and distributed Parish Footpath Maps, covering seven villages around Maidenhead and a very popular Windsor Great Park Map,
• produced, published and distributed and updated eight walks books in the much-acclaimed Rambling for Pleasure series,
• attended a variety of local Shows to bring the benefits of membership of the Ramblers’ Association to the general public,
• organised and led some thousands of walks of varying lengths for our members,
• provided a range of social events for our members.

 

In one form or another the work and activities described above are ongoing and remain key objectives of the Group.