Season's over for Ridgeway (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Season's over for Ridgeway

THE winter ban on vehicles using the ancient Ridgeway comes into force today.

Wiltshire County Council, which looks after the path, has decided to put the traffic regulation order in place to protect the Ridgeway so it can be enjoyed all year round by walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

The ban applies to motor vehicles between October 1 and April 30 every year but vehicles will still be able to use the Ridgeway between May and September.

Although the Ridgeway National Trail was designed to give walkers the chance to enjoy some of the finest landscapes in England, motor vehicles also have a legal right to use the trail, as it is legally designated as a by-way open to all traffic.

Richard Broadhead, Wiltshire County Council's rights of way manager, said: "Sections of the trail cannot cope with large numbers of vehicles

"This means the surface of the trail is being badly damaged during the winter months.

"We have decided to put this traffic regulation order in place to protect the trail when it is most vulnerable."

The trail starts at Overton Hill near Avebury in Wiltshire and leads northeast across the North Wessex Downs and the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire.