Finally, something has appeared - although you have to look deeply to find it. To save wear and tear, the relevant URL is

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/get-involved/pathwatch/the-state-of-our-paths-report.aspx

on which you will find links to the six-page summary report and the 21-page "full" report.

Contents are glossily-presented corporate generalisations - what you will NOT find are any details of where people found problems with paths. In other words, Ramblers have sucked the efforts of their 19000 volunteers into their corporate body and still show no signs of using this information to offer answers to the simple question "if I want to walk down this path will I find obstacles in my way?".

Frankly, I find the whole thing insulting.

I have now had a response from Ramblers - amid the corporate waffle it says "the results will be published later in the year".

We shall see...

Has anyone seen any more detailed feedback than the single page of generalised statistics on the Ramblers site? I've sent them a complaint/query that the effort put in by 14000 participants seems to have been sucked into a black hole.

As the Environment Officer, the NEC has asked me to co-ordinate the support by LDWA of the Ramblers' Big Pathwatch initiative. The Big Pathwatch aims to record the state of all our rights of way. The aim is to cover the whole country, grid square (1km x 1km) by grid square.

The LDWA is keen to support the initiative everywhere and especially in areas with Long Distance Paths running through them. I am looking to use the opportunity to ensure that all our members (and others) have effective access to as much of our fantastic national networks of footpaths as possible. How can you get involved in the Big Pathwatch?

1) Visit: www.ramblers.org.uk/BigPathwatch and download the free app onto a smart phone. Choose up to 10 grid squares at a time. Walk every path in the grid square and use the app to record what you find
2) If you don't have a smartphone, you can still print off a survey card, complete it and upload the results to the Ramblers' website.

Please let me know how you get on.

Christopher Hedley, Environment Officer