It’s official: Rossendale’s the top area for walking in England and Wales

A major new report by Britain’s national walking charity, the Ramblers, has revealed that Rossendale has been ranked the best in the country for having the longest length of public rights of way (paths) within 800 metres of people’s homes.

The report, written by the New Economics Foundation, calculated that Rossendale ranked first above areas such as Malvern Hills, Calderdale, High Peak, Burnley, and Pendle, meaning that Rossendale residents have the best access to paths within a 10 minute walk of their home.

The Halo in Haslingden

Lake at Lee Quarry, Bacup

To those who walk every week with Rossendale Ramblers and other walking groups, the pre-eminence of Rossendale as a walking area is self-evident.

If you were in any doubt, then one look at the tired but happy faces of the 500 or so walkers who tackled the Rossendale Rotary-organised Round the Hills Walk (pictured below) in glorious sunshine on September 3^rdthis year would confirm it.

Jack Cornish, Head of Paths for the Ramblers, said:

“Availability of paths close to people’s homes has a massive impact on health outcomes, with those from more deprived areas or underserved groups missing out.”

Alyson Barnes, Council Leader, said:

“We are very lucky in Rossendale to be surrounded by such great countryside and the fact that we can take advantage of it so easily by having so many pathways easily accessible is a real bonus.

“We have a number of excellent walking routes around the borough of varying difficulty, you can see the walking board routes at various points, so there should be something to suit most abilities.

“Plus, it’s free, and there’s not many things we can say that about these days. I’d encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy our beautiful Valley.”

Rossendale Ramblers – the local face of the Ramblers charity nationally – organise around 150 walks every year.

The group is very sociable, both during and outside of these walks, plus they are working hard to improve the local footpath network, given the squeeze on local authority budgets.

With funding from Rossendale Rotary and other local organisations and individuals, the group’s very active team of volunteers clear vegetation on paths, repair stiles, and replace stiles with gates to improve accessibility.

They even check out the Round the Hills route for safety, and repair any stiles that are failing.

The Rossendale Ramblers are committed to looking after their walking routes, even stepping in to repair stiles where needed

David Clegg, chair of Rossendale Ramblers, added:

“The increasing number of our green signs dotted around Rossendale, saying ‘Improved for you by Rossendale Ramblers’ show our commitment to improving access for all walkers.”

The full report can be viewed and downloaded here.

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