Inspections

What does the role of Footpath Inspector involve?

As a PNFS Footpath Inspector you ‘look after’ a particular parish, or sometimes several parishes (the location is agreed with you so it’s convenient). You check the condition of the public rights of way in the parish(es) at least once every couple of years and record what you find on the Society’s footpath inspection database (FID).

If there are problems, it is important to also report these to the local Highway Authority (HA) who should respond with a ‘fault reference number’. You will need to check on progress in resolving the fault through correspondence with the HA and by checking the footpath again. This is a good way to see real improvements in your local area.

You need to be able to read OS maps accurately and have access to a computer to record your inspections. We pair you up with a mentor who can help you in the early days of your role and we provide an initial online Teams training session to go through the basics before you start your inspections.

Time commitments are totally flexible to suit you. [Many of our inspectors use our Path Checker app to record their inspection findings, sending themselves an email from the app with all fault information and photos required for later reporting – see below].

You would need to be a member of the Society to volunteer for the Footpath Inspector role and you would be covered by our public liability insurance. Check out pnfs.org.uk/join

How do I apply and what happens next?

If you would like to apply to become a Footpath Inspector, please join the Society, and then email our Volunteer Team at volunteer@pnfs.org.uk

You can have informal chat with a team member, who will be happy to explain the role in more detail and answer any questions that you might have.

There is no obligation to sign up, but if you do wish to proceed, you will be joining a long line of volunteers who have helped keep Public Rights of Way accessible througout the PNFS catchment.

The first group inspection report should have been David Gosling’s but late publicity resulted in that inspection being postponed. David F, John E, Richard V and myself met up in Rocester as parking looked challenging in our primary location Marston Montgomery (MM). I had planned and circulated suggested routes so with little need for arm twisting we agreed to work in pairs to maximise paths inspected. The routes of three to four miles would all meet up for lunch at MM church. David offered to take one car to MM walking initially with Richard. John and myself were dropped off outside the village to follow our route. I was delighted to find that both parties arrived together at the church lychgate. It was also appreciated that two good seats were available.

Our morning walk found a fair number of issues and little use of most paths although closer to the village there were signs of regular use on some, dog walking we guessed. John and I had had a few serious issues and twice had to backtrack due to obstructions and in other locations we were forced to deviate from the definitive line. Some paths were signed from the roads with a mix of modern metal posts or old wooden posts but many were unsigned. There was also evidence of past improvements with overgrown stiles and faded waymarking. We concluded that there were very few visiting walkers perhaps caused by the close proximity of the Peak District or the lack of public transport and car parking. There is a good recorded network of paths which can offer good linear or circular walks mostly across pasture with some nice views. One answer would be to promote the area.

After lunch we mixed the groups. Richard and I had a most enjoyable walk back to Rocester with far less problems than we had encountered during the morning.

Photograph: Marston Mongomery FP2 the path is blocked by a wall but it needs diverting as it passes very close to the farm house.

Again both groups arrived back at the car park together for a quick transfer of information with both agreeing their afternoon walk had been better than the morning. A useful and enjoyable day’s inspecting. We still have to consolidate the fault reports and then I will make reports to Derbyshire and log on the FID which was down for the upgrade. Thanks to David, John and Richard for joining in on this first group inspection which we hope will become a regular event.

Both groups met at Butlers Arms a few minutes late. After a round of drinks, the men inspected a few more paths that were nearby.

We found Pleasington living up to its name with great countryside and views. Back to business, we covered 16 out of Pleasington's 20 PROWs and encountered a total of 12 faults over nearly 14 miles. All these were entered on PNFS's FID and fault reports sent to Blackburn with Darwen's PROW department. By the time this Signpost is published, I will have inspected the few remaining PROWs to complete Pleasington parish.

Thanks go to David Gosling for suggesting group inspections. As well as having the pleasure of socialising with other people, my inspection produced the desired result for PNFS. As members will be aware, there is a huge number of areas that have not been recorded by the society. I plan to hold another group inspection at the end of August or early September.