Footpaths Team
Team Objectives
In the Village Action Plan Survey, 80% of respondents said they used the local footpaths, and 38% expressed some concerns about their condition and maintenance. The Footpaths Team's focus is on maintaining and improving local rights of way, including footpaths and bridleways.
Our main goals set out in the Action Plan are:
- To ensure footpaths and bridleways are maintained and/or improved, and kept clear and accessible.
- To explore the possibility of creating a footpath/bridleway from the village up to The Plough for which the Action Plan survey indicated some support.
We have been involved in a county-wide survey of local rights of way and in an improvement and maintenance programme, both conducted by East Sussex County Council. We are also monitoring and reporting to the county council any problems with rights of way, stiles, bridges etc.
We have been working with ESCC and the Parish Council to see what might be done to improve accessibility to people with disabilities and restricted mobility.
We are also currently working on a new set of leaflets of walks around Plumpton.
We work closely with the Parish Councillors with responsibility for rights of way.
Please contact Catherine Jackson, team leader for more information and if you would like to get involved in keeping our footpaths and bridleways open.
Team Updates
Plumpton Wildlife & Habitat Group newsletter
Have a look at the Plumpton Wildlife & Habitat Group newsletter, reporting on their activities over the past 12 months. Dormice, owls, bats, butterflies, wildflower meadows and much more. Visit their website at plumptonwildlifegroup.yolasite.com to learn more and to join the group. Just £5 per household per year.
Plumpton Wildlife & Habitat Group newsletter
Fully illustrated report of a survey conducted by PW&HG of Plumpton's wildlife habitats
NEW from Plumpton Wildlife & Habitat Group, the fully illustrated report of a survey conducted by PW&HG of Plumpton's wildlife habitats. Find out where the wild things grow. Learn about the lovely flora to be found in the parish. The booklet is available FREE from the village shop and station. But if you make a donation (we suggest £1.00), it will help cover the costs of the next survey.
Gateway to the Downs - Autumn Downland Walk
Sunday 23rd October 2011 ... » More
Walk Plumpton Week
27th March to 2nd April. The highlight of the week was on Sunday 27th March. Around 70 villagers and friends from Lewes participated in what turned out to be a lovely community event enjoyed in warm Spring sunshine to herald in the first day of British Summer Time... » More
New Online Footpaths Map
East Sussex County Council now has a new, definitive digital map on its website showing all the public footpaths, bridleways and rights of way across the county... » More
Buy a Bird Box and Get a Free Stile
These lovely bird boxes are made by Jim Edwards, a member of The Monday Group. The Monday Group is a band of local volunteers who meet every Monday morning to repair and replace stiles and footbridges and clear our footpaths and bridleways across Ditchling, Plumpton and East Chiltington... » More
Footpaths Notecards
The Footpath Team has chosen five local pictures that remind us of Spring and Summer as we go out and about on the wonderful footpaths around Plumpton.
They are now available from the shop in gift packs of 5 notecards at £3.75 per pack.
Footpaths leaflets
The team has been working on a set of 16 leaflets, based on the original Walks Around Plumpton booklet, showing some of the many lovely walks in and around the parish. We have obtained funding from Collabor8 and Natural England to produce the leaflets, which are now available, and are free to download from this website.
Read about the footpath leaflet launch event
Download the footpath leaflets
Footpaths maintenance
We are currently working on a system for logging and reporting footpaths and bridleway repairs and maintenance problems. Meantime, if you come across any unsafe stiles or other access and maintenance problems (blocked paths, ploughed up routes, missing finger posts, broken gates etc), please email us at footpaths@plumptonvap.co.uk and we will pass on the information to East Sussex County Council.
We have recently received very good news about Footpath 13a, which runs along the back of East View Fields and has been closed for nearly a year because of subsidence. East Sussex County Council has promised that the pathway will be repaired shortly. 
Photographic competition: Update - July 2009
Congratulations to Paul Nicholson, whose winter snowscape (shown right) won the Plumpton VAP Photographic Competition. The judge was Mick Waller, of Lewes Camera Club. Mick said he was extremely impressed by the quality of the entries and struggled to choose the winners. Highly commended runners up were Mick Dennett, Rosalie Sinclair and Carole Nicholson (download these photos ).
The winning entries were published in the Plumpton 2010 calendar. You can see all the photos entered for the competition here.
Many thanks for all those who took the time and trouble to send in their photographs.
Team Documents
Plumpton Village Hall Circular Walk via Plumpton College (April 2009)
This leaflet may be downloaded and printed for personal use. To reduce the environmental impact, it has been designed to be printed double sided on one piece of A4 paper, before folding into thirds with the map on the front
Poster from the VAP stand at the Plumpton Village Fair 3 July 2010
Team Member Contacts:
- Catherine Jackson, Team Leader - email: footpaths@plumptonvap.co.uk
- Annemarie Allen
- Mike Allen
- Penelope Bentley
- Jean Eagle
- Carole Nicholson