Plumpton – A Muddy Survey

There is nothing Monday Group members like more than a fine day when it has been raining hard most days for several weeks. Even Wellington boots won’t save you.

We visited two sites on each side of Plumpton Racecourse, and both muddy.

• On the West side we found a 15 year old Mk16 stile with a partially-broken tread: to be repaired/replaced. Plus a walk across a quagmire to see a Mk26 stile that was in fine shape.
• On the East side a group of stiles where two footpaths PLU22 and 23 crossed horse’s fields. These were even worse quagmires and the only work we found was a Mk26 with a horse-chewed top-bar and a bad case of poor waymarking (fortunately Chris spotted the route out of the field in time)
• at the South end of PLU 22 there was a fine bridge which was getting covered in mud and leafmould that really needs a clean.

These jobs will be done in time but we have recommended that we wait for a period of serious drought before returning (one of us had washer full of mud to cope with on return home)