A slow survey of footpaths: where they go, where they stop going, and whether anyone has fixed the stile yet.
Each segment is walked at least twice — once in summer, once when the ground is
against you. Distances are measured on foot and rounded down, because the
difference never mattered to anyone carrying a pack.
Segments
Mill lane to the upper weir3.4 km
Flat, gravel, passable all year. Two gates, both hung properly.
waymarked
Upper weir to the beech ridge6.1 km
Climbs steadily. The last kilometre is clay and becomes unpleasant after rain.
waymarked
Beech ridge to the old quarry4.8 km
Markers stop at the ridge. Keep the fence on your left and you will not go wrong.
markers missing
Quarry loop2.2 km
Short, and the only part worth doing twice in one day.
waymarked
Quarry to the river crossing5.5 km
The footbridge has been out since the spring. The ford is fine in low water and not otherwise.
bridge out
On measuring
Paces, counted, with a check against known distances twice a year. It disagrees
with mapping software by two or three percent, and the disagreement is consistent,
which is all one can ask of a method.