Falkirk Area Riders Access Group

NEWSLETTER Summer 2010

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - The Annual General Meeting was held on 26 th May. Ellie McMillan was re-elected as Chairman and Sheila Hall was re-elected as Secretary/Treasurer.

MEMBERSHIP FOR THE YEAR 2010/2011 - The subscription for the forthcoming year is still £5.00. For those who did not re-join at the AGM, sust send a cheque payable to FARAG to Sheila Hall; your details are already on file. If you know of anyone who would like to join please ask them to get in touch with Sheila . We hope everyone will re-join. We have made some progress during the last year but there is still a long way to go to get better riding facilities and progress is slow. The £5 membership is very good value for livery yard owners as they are listed on our web site and when someone searches for “livery yards Falkirk ” our site appears.

REPORT ON THE AGM - Ellie reported on the completion of the Drum Wood project and the Slamannan Railway Line project. Both are already being well used by horse riders. Other items raised at the meeting are as follows.

1. BURNSIDE COMMUNITY WOODLAND - This track, from California to Standrigg Road , has been completed by Central Scotland Forest Trust. It does not seem to be much used by horses at the moment but if everyone can pass the word around that it is now available no doubt more riders will use it.
2. LINK BETWEEN SLAMANNAN AND LIMERIGG - This is almost impossible for horses at present because of the very steep slope between the Lodge Farm Woodlands and the Forestry Commission land. However, we will keep trying to get the Forestry Commission to carry out some work on their side. This may take some time as they seem reluctant to do anything.
3. LOCHDRUM PROJECT - This is with Central Scotland Forest Trust and awaiting funding. This also may take some time but it should happen eventually.
4. DENNY/CARRON VALLEY - The best prospect for action here appears to be the “Communities Along The Carron” . They seem to be keen on paths and tracks and may also be able to access the funds for improvements.
5. RIDE OUTS - We approached the British Horse Society about possible ride outs as required under the terms of our insurance with them. However, their risk assessment and health and safety requirements appear to be designed with competitions in mind, rather than quiet hack outs so we abandoned the idea of organised outings at present. Our option now is just to get together in small groups and go out as groups of friends as FARAG cannot organise official outings.
6. PROPOSAL FOR NEW TRACK AND CAR PARK - Callendar Estate is exploring the possibility of a new track along Greenrigg Strip, down the old road to Seafield, across the Slamannan Road and round the south of Falkirk towards the Helix. They are also considering a car park at the beginning of this track for visitors to the area. As you know, there is no provision for horsebox and trailer parking anywhere other than Muiravonside so this would enable riders from further afield to access the excellent path network in this area. It was agreed at the AGM that FARAG would join other organisations in supporting Callendar Estate's bid for funding for this proposal. We will let members know in due course if funding can be secured for this project.

FALKIRK COUNCIL CORE PATHS PLAN - The Council's Core Paths Plan was formally adopted on 4 th May and will soon be available on Falkirk Council's website at www.falkirk.gov.uk/corepaths . There were a small number of objections to the plan and a public inquiry was held during November and December 2009. The plan which will appear on the website has two modifications from the original draft.

FALKIRK COUNCIL'S LEAFLET ON PATHS AROUND THE FALKIRK WHEEL AND SOUTH FALKIRK - The Council will shortly publish this leaflet. It does not however show which tracks are not suitable for horses because of kissing gates or bridges. We are going to try to put maps on the FARAG website which show routes which are suitable for horses. It would be helpful if members could send maps showing the tracks in their own area which are good for horses. You can either e-mail a map to Sheila or draw one on paper and post it and we can transfer it on to the website. Maps can be accessed at www.gmap-pedometer.com and you can draw the routes which are suitable (if you are into technology). You may still have to print out the map and post it. There may be copyright issues about transferring maps directly to our web site so we will have to work round this problem. Mapping is an ongoing project and may take a little time.

HORSEWATCH SCOTLAND – There have been thefts of tack and vehicles in Fife and Angus . Everyone needs to be security conscious about their yards and vehicles. Horsewatch Scotland sends information about these incidents by e-mail to members. Horsewatch Scotland is free of join and a non-profit organisation. Contact www.horsewatchscotland.info .

COUNCIL ACCESS DEPARTMENT - as of 21 st June 2010 Mandy Brown will be temporarily vacating her Outdoor Access Officer seat and joining Falkirk Council's Transport Planning Unit, where she will be helping out with the Take the Right Route project in Larbert and Stenhousemuir.  She will be coming back to the outdoor access team next April, but until then, any enquiries relating to outdoor access, countryside paths, core paths planning, etc should be directed as follows:

Any specific issues relating to paths / core paths / rights of way and access rights – contact Falkirk Council's ranger service: Lesley Sweeney or Fiona Wishart.

Any other enquiries about outdoor access – contact Angus Duncan, Outdoor Access Team Leader.

Two and a half cheers for the Slamannan railway track!

For many years FARAG urged the restoration of a stretch of the old Slamannan Railway line as a pathway to link the hamlet of Binniehill with the Lodge Farm Woodlands. Work was finally undertaken in spring 2010.

Before / After

This path is now a great amenity for local walkers, as well as enabling horses from the south-east Slamannan area to avoid a bad stretch of the Biniehill to Longriggend road.

Sadly horse access from south-west Slamannan is blocked by kissing gates on the public right of way between Southfield Road and the new track, and these obstacles force horses from this side of the village on to busy roads for two miles instead of a quarter mile directly across the Culloch valley. Thirty years ago the land to the east of the Culloch here was not even fenced into separate fields, let alone kissing-gated, so more campaigning is required just to recover former access that is now being denied. Unfortunately not all change is progress!

March 2010 News Letter

As you all know, things have been pretty quiet this winter with the weather making riding impossible for much of the time. However, Spring is coming and we should all be able to get out and about again. News of the projects is as follows:

DRUM WOOD - Work at Drum Wood and Greenrig Farm is nearly finished. There is a bit more whin dusting to be done and the last of the gates to be installed. The tracks are great. There are a lot of gates (all self closers at the side of the big farm gates) so you might need to make sure your horse is good at opening gates or there will be a lot of mounting and dismounting. Callendar Estate has asked riders to take note of the ground conditions while the tracks settle down. If any areas look as if they are soft try to avoid them until the drier weather. Work on Howierig will commence when the claims submitted for the work already done have been paid.

SLAMANNAN RAILWAY LINE – The Council has appointed a contractor to drain and upgrade the railway line. Work is supposed to be completed by the end of March!!. No work can be carried out in the Lodge Farm Woods as the owners and agent are based in Ireland and are difficult to communicate with. However the grass tracks are good in the drier weather.

LIMERIGG WOODS - We are still working on trying to get the connection between Slamannan and Limerigg opened up. We are hoping that the Forestry Commission will carry out some work on the very steep slope on the Limerigg side of the river but have had no luck so far. We will keep pushing for this as it would make Limerigg more accessible for riders.

ALL OTHER PROJECTS - There has been no progress on any other projects over the winter.

MAINTENANCE OF PATHS - As a result of all the work which has taken place on the paths at Roughcastle, Drum Wood and the south Falkirk area in general, meetings have been taking place to discuss the future maintenance and development of the path network generally. Although the tracks are now being built to a much higher specification and should withstand a lot of horse use, they will require maintenance. To this end, there is currently a proposal to set up a Community Based Development Trust consisting of all interested groups and individuals who use the network. The Trust will promote outdoor recreation opportunities in the Falkirk area. We are supporting this proposal and will keep members informed of progress and how they can join when the Trust is formed.

HORSEWATCH SCOTLAND – All the regional Horsewatch groups and all eight of the Scottish Police constabularies have joined forces with horse riders to create one new national scheme called Horsewatch Scotland. The scheme works in two ways, by offering members advice on crime prevention measures and by alerts whereby any crime or suspected crime is cascaded out to all members so that they can be on the lookout. Horsewatch Scotland is free of join and a non-profit organisation. Contact www.horsewatchscotland.info.

FALKIRK COUNCIL’S OUTDOOR ACCESS STRATEGY 2005 – 2010 - The current Outdoor Access Strategy is in its final year of delivery with a new strategy required by 2011. The Council are holding Strategy Review days in March and FARAG will be represented to make sure that the case for horse riders is put forward. We do not know how much the Council will be able to achieve in the next few years with spending being limited but we will let members know what the ambitions are in due course.

DISCOUNT ON HORSE AND RIDER SUPPLIES - A reminder that a discount of 10% is available to FARAG members at Glentore Tack Store at Netherton of Glentore Farm on the B803 between Slamannan and Greengairs. This is a very valuable discount. If you are buying your horse an expensive new rug you will save more than the annual cost of FARAG membership!! Opening hours Wednesday to Sunday 10.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Telephone number 01236 830223.

EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANAEMIA OUTBREAK - You may have heard of this outbreak of “Swamp Fever” in the UK in January. It is a highly contagious and untreatable disease of horses, donkeys and mules spread by insects. Affected horses remain infectious carriers for life and must be put down or permanently quarantined to prevent transmission to other horses. The disease was found in two horses imported from Romania. Fortunately a disease spread by insects has been detected during one of the coldest winters on record and on this occasion has not been a cause for concern. However, it should serve as a warning to anyone thinking of importing horses that all necessary health tests should be carried out.

9 th BHS Festival of the Horse: 19 – 31 May - With thirty events over 13 days there is something for everyone. Guided rides may be of interest to members. Details from www.bordersfestivalhorse.org.

ROYAL HIGHLAND SHOW - Dates this year are 24 th to 27 th June.

If any members have any issues they wish to raise either telephone or e-mail Sheila.

We are considering having ride outs this year as we should now have places to go and new off road tracks. Parking of trailers and horse boxes has been a problem but we will try to organise something when the weather improves.

November 2009

Scottish Access Conference

A very informative access conference was held on 14 November at Oatridge Agricultural College.

Jim Drysdale, Partner, Anderson Strathern, gave a summary of the various court cases since the Land Reform Act. The conclusion here is that it is better to arrive at a negotiated settlement than go to court. Also, because of the cases which have been lost, Councils may be more reluctant to incur the costs in future although they have a duty to enforce the Land Reform Act.

Anne Gray of the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association pointed out some of the concerns of landowners. Although, dogs topped the list of irresponsibility in the countryside, horse damage to land in wet weather is always a problem. Riders should always be considerate when taking access.

Kevin Lafferty of the Forestry Commission Scotland reminded us how much the Forestry Commission has changed in recent years. All responsible access takers are now welcome and indeed, encouraged, to enjoy Scotland’s forests. Riders were encouraged to make contact with their local Forestry Commission rangers if they found any access problems and to work together to improve things.

Simon Jacyna of the Moray Equestrian access Group described how their group went about getting major improvements carried out in their area. There are funds available through the Scottish Rural Development Programme for groups which can put forward a good project under this scheme.

Heather Clatworthy of the BHS described the mapping system which the BHS is working on with the aid of volunteers all over the country. This is an ambitious project to enable riding routes to be down loaded from the Internet. It will probably be a few years before a significant number of Scottish routes will be available on line.

Kevin Fairclough and Rona Gibb of the Paths for All Partnership showed everyone round the demonstration paths, bridges and gates laid out at Oatridge College. New materials and constructions are being tried out all the time to improve the surfaces for all path users . Paths for All are available to help with any construction problem.

Vyv Wood-Gee described the problems of the South of Scotland Countryside Trails project which has delivered 350 kilometres of riding tracks in the borders. It is an amazing achievement. In Central Scotland we think we have done well if we manage to get an extra 10 km. Getting 99% of landowners approached to agree to the project also seemed incredible. There are leaflets available showing all the routes and where you can stay if you want to take your horse on holiday with you!

Loanfoot wargames:
Advice from Airsoft

FARAG has been in dialogue with Airsoft, who have been kind enough to supply the following information for the assistance of riders.

Airsoft publish upcoming games on their website http://playersofwar.co.uk so anyone can look there for their operating dates. 

There is only about a 300m stretch of public path passing their current site, which is a small area to pass when using the trails in Loanfoot Wood.  This has a "no play" buffer zone between the path and playing area (so there will not be any players directly next to the track to startle anyone).   During games, there are at least 2 marshals present near the track to ensure public safety and to ensure no-one inadvertently enters their playing area. The weapons used in their games are not very powerful (or noisy), so there is no risk of injury to passers-by as long as they continue along the track and don't enter the playing area (forest).  

Most of their games are played within the woodland and out of view of anyone on the track.  It should be noted that they use their netted Safe Zone for breaks between games and during lunch, which will have large numbers of people in and around that area, as well as their car park during these times.

They only play twice a month and occasionally run an extra event.  The two days per month that they are in there, they don't prevent anyone from using the path (only their game play area within the forest is out of bounds).  A horse rider who knows their horse's behaviour can make the decision on whether or not to proceed past their area on their game days.

They do operate with all the necessary Health & Safety checks in place and provide an extensive safety brief to their players every game day to make them aware that horses and the public use the path, etc.

It should also be noted that once they obtain planning permission from the Council and move their Safe Zone and Car Park, there will be even less impact on the path in that area.  When they develop their new playing areas, they will be using the current area even less.

Summer 2009

DUNG GUIDANCE!! - In some areas this has become a big issue on multi user paths with complaints going to Councils and even in one case to an MSP. The British Horse Society has issued guidance for riders. If we ignore this we may find some MSP trying to bring in legislation on “horse fouling” as has happened with dogs. A copy of this guidance is on the responsible riding page. This may be useful to pass on to anyone who challenges you about responsible behaviour.