Historic Rights of Way in the Howardian Hills National Landscape have been put back on track thanks to a project to renew many of the area’s much loved finger posts.
The Howardian Hills National Landscape boasts nearly 200 miles of footpaths and bridleways. Many of them date back hundreds, or even thousands of years. Now 60 new signs have been installed to help walkers, horse riders and cyclists find their way across the ancient terrain. It is part of a joint effort by the Howardian Hills National Landscape and North Yorkshire Council’s Countryside Access Service.
These paths have been trodden by people going between villages, churches and farms for centuries. They remain a treasured feature of the English countryside. However, a survey carried out by the Howardian Hills volunteers revealed many of the old signs were in a poor state of repair. In some cases they had simply vanished altogether.
The signs have been crafted locally from English oak, engraved with route information and the Howardian Hills’ new logo.
Councillor Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for public rights of way, said: “It’s great to see us working in partnership with the Howardian Hills team and the fantastic volunteers who have made this happen. This enables additional information to be included on roadside signposts, which aids the public in identifying routes whilst promoting the National Landscape.”