Safe path opens after villagers' 10-year campaign

Campaigners who have been calling for a safe footpath out of their village for a decade say they are excited to see it finally open.

Residents of Chideock in Dorset say the A35 which passes through their community is too dangerous for pedestrians wanting to walk the three miles to Bridport.

One of the campaigners, Will Grafton, described the busy stretch of road as "lethal" and said people who lived there were "prisoners".

After years of negotiations and perseverance - and a two year delay due to a gas pipe - the path has been completed.

Sadly, one of the campaigners who was the "big inspiration" behind the project died last summer.

Mr Grafton said: "Meash was the original founder of the group, he was the cornerstone of it and he worked the hardest on it.

"It's been built, kind-of, in memoriam for Meash."

The bridleway and cycle route has been built on private farmland with the support of the landowner and with funding and help from Dorset Council and Dorset National Landscape Partnership.

Mr Grafton said: "It's a real win for accessibility for this whole part of Dorset.

"We were nearly there about two years ago when we discovered the track of the path ran over a gas pipe.

"That held us up for 18 months. We finally got clearance in November-December time.

"It's turned into something much grander than I was expecting and it's now part of the Dorset path infrastructure."

The path allows walkers, cyclists, disability scooters and horse riders to reach the top of the hill at Quarr Lane which links to public footpaths and minor roads.

Campaigners hope a second phase, connecting Quarr Lane to Symondsbury and Bridport, can begin next year.

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