On the trail

Last updated: 22 January 2006

The weather is not a reason to stay off the parish trail. It is a reason to go as you find it, which is the ordinary condition of a forest walk, and which is part of the walking. The main Green Man Trail remains open in the sense advertised on the home page. That does not mean every marker is standing, and it does not include the eastern loop.

After rain, allow for the burn. In winter, begin the loop before 15.00 if you take it at all; the board presently prefers the main line for a first visit. In snow the rides are indistinct, and they are handsome. In still, low cloud the eastern continuation is better left for a clearer day. Ice on a stile is slow going, not a closure. There is no warden. Take litter back to the hall bins.

Boots in winter, and after rain at any season. Waterproofs, because this is a forest and the rides hold the weather as well as the sound. A flask, because there is no shop. A look at the board before you leave the green, and at the sky. The last weather entry is not a forecast. The list under what to bring is the ordinary kit of a day here.

Path notices for the present season are under conditions and path closures. The committee last walked the eastern loop on 11 October 2005. Two waymarkers were missing after the second stile. That remains the present advice. The main trail is the walk we recommend.