Somerset horse-riders seen as “afterthought” as key Mendip Hills route blocked

Somerset horse-riders say they are being treated as “an after-thought” by transport planners after a key route through the Mendip Hills was blocked.

The popular Deerleap car park lies at the end of a bridleway running north of Westbury-sub-Mendip into the Mendip Hills national landscape (formerly area of outstanding natural beauty, or AONB).

Nicole Perold, who lives in Chewton Mendip, complained to Somerset Council that this bridleway was being regularly blocked by motorists using the car park, leaving people on horseback with “no simple and safe way” to continue their journey north of Wells.

The council said it would work with the Mendip Hills national landscape team to address the problem through new signs and an increased presence from local rangers.

Ms Perold raised the problem when the council’s executive committee met in Taunton on April 1.

She said: “The county’s horse-riders often feel they are overlooked – the council’s active travel plans tend to focus on the needs of cyclists and walkers, with the equine community, at best, a late afterthought.

“A particular concern they’ve raised with me is the car park at the top of Deerleap, near Priddy.

“The bridleway runs across the car park and is often completely blocked by parked cars. There is no simple and safe way to leave the bridleway at this

point.

“Although blocking a bridleway is an offence, it would be unfair to blame car owners for doing so here – there is no indication (bar one circular sign, about 5cm in diameter on a post some distance back from the car park) that there is a bridleway, let alone any reason for anyone to think it runs across the car park.

“What steps is the council able to take to improve signage so that visitors are aware of the existence of a bridleway and the importance of not blocking it with a parked car?

“Would the council be willing to physically restrict parking on the bridleway by, for example, placing posts in order to prevent it?

“What actions, once signage is in place, will it take to enforce parking restrictions and support its equestrian community?”

Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, personally apologised for the inconvenience to equestrians and said the council would work with the Mendip Hills national landscape team to address the issue.

Cllr Wilkins (who represents the Curry Rivel and Langport division) said: “As we approach the adoption of the latest local  transport plan, I can confirm that horse-riders are included in what we define as active travel – and we will always seek for route improvement and development to be inclusive where possible.

“In relation to the car park at Deerleap, I am actually very sorry to hear about the difficulties being encountered.

“The site is currently managed by the Mendip Hills National Landscape team, and they have confirmed that they already have some signs and posts in stock, which they intend to install very soon.

“Their installation will hopefully help to prevent any future problems with the bridleway being blocked by parked cars.

“The team’s rangers and volunteers are on site on a regular basis and will monitor the effectiveness of the new measures once they’ve been installed.”