Grant of £7,000, awarded in 2022. Total project cost £20,040
Located on the edge of Abingdon (population 40,000), this project created a durable weather-proof path, c.120m long and 1.5m wide, on the line of the existing rough/muddy path on the edge of Barton Fields. A new self-binding ‘hoggin’ surface was laid on a membrane and stone underlay, and edged in wood. Its completion has created a key link in the 5km ‘Thames Trail’ envisaged in The Radley Lakes Trust’s site ‘Masterplan’.
In addition to linking the Thames Path and the NCN5 cycle track, this new path provides a short walk just along the path or round Barton Fields, previously impractical for much of the year because of the mud and/or a longer walk for visitors to Barton Fields previously unaware of the adjacent attractions of the Thames and of the Radley Lakes area. In both cases the benefits are not just outdoor exercise, but health and well-being and appreciation of wildlife.
Andrew Ashton, chair The Radley Lakes Trust, told us “The feedback we have received following completion has been very positive. We were determined that the new path should have a feel consistent with the natural surroundings, but built to a good quality that enables walking all the year round except in severe flooding. We could not have afforded this except with the help of TOE’s grant and are very grateful to them not just for the funding but for their constructive interest in the project.”