Footpath degradation of the Malvern Hills - Malvern Hills Conservators

Stephen Britnell
Footpath degradation of the Malvern Hills
Taking into account the 3 grades of the variables and general observations, the 100metre
subsection is then rated and noted onto an OS map of scale 1:10 000 using coloured lines,
red for 1, amber 2 and green for 3. Footpaths with a grade of 1 and 2 should be revisited
every year, as they are highly reactive, grade 3 footpaths can be revisited on a four yearly
basis.
3.2 Recreational variable
A major factor affecting footpath erosion is how popular and frequently used the paths
are. Horses are the most erosive, followed by mountain bikes, and finally walkers. Due to a
public access act passed in 1848, fencing or fines cannot restrict the movement of people on
the Malvern Hills. Also some routes are classed as bridle-ways, which gives the right of way
to horse riders and cyclists as well as walkers. This means that mountain bikes cannot be
banned from the Hills. To measure footpath popularity a simple frequency table was used.
Basically observe who uses the footpath in 1hour and record the count of walkers, mountain
bikers, and horse riders in that period.
3.3 Environmental variables
To complete the second objective of devising causal effects and thresholds of
footpath erosion, 5 footpaths were studied in more detail. At which slope angle, path angle
(angle of path alignment to slope), and soil structure were studied. The footpaths chosen are
located at Worcestershire beacon, End hill, St Ann’s knoll, British camp reservoir and Lady
Howard De Walden’s drive.
The Worcestershire beacon footpath was chosen because it is popular with walkers
and mountain bikers, showing evidence of gullying and braiding. The path angle remains
relatively constant, and therefore shows the effect that the change in slope angle and
recreational pressure has on erosion. The footpath at End hill is situated in a valley and is
rarely used by walkers. During rainfall the path becomes a watercourse. There is little change
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