Making the Foss Walk More Usable

RFS Waymarking and Maintenance 

The society has for many years traversed the Foss Walk, both in sections and in its entirety over a couple of days. Two facets have become ever more apparent recently; the lack of clear signage and poor maintenance: both leading to the walk becoming less and less used, particularly above Strensall.

North Yorkshire County Council have been very helpful indeed, visiting us in York to discuss our role giving us advice. The Society has signed an agreement with them giving us the go-ahead to start waymarking and providing us with the necessary insurance. They have also given us permission to clear overgrown paths.

NYCC have supplied us with a fair number of waymarkers which incorporate a window via which we can display the name “Foss Walk” and our Frog. They have also given us the necessary instructions and advice on how and where they can be displayed.

Bob Jowett is concocting a plan that will see us covering the path from Walbutt’s upstream as far as Easingwold, allowing work to start on fixing the waymarkers in early spring, before the vegetation grows up and obstructs our passage.

In addition, Bill Twist will be organising workgroups which will be going out from time to time, later on in the year, to clear the vegetation away and keep as much as possible of the path open for easy use.

Our hope is that by making the path easier to find and to get through, its use will increase and much of it will become “self-clearing”.

We have many walkers in the society; indeed, our walks are the main reason why lots of our members tell us they joined. So, here is an early ‘call-to-arms’! We are going to need help both to mark and to maintain the path in all its ‘glory’.