SWOAPG Members should already be aware that the landowner of the river-left bank of the Sychryd has denied permission for groups to enter his land – except for a few Providers with which he has entered individual agreements (as advised by us in Sychryd Gorge – river-left access update on 23 Apr 2023).
However, it seems that some Providers have been ignoring this and continuing to take groups onto his land without permission and he is now proposing to take legal action for ‘damage to the SSSI’.
While this trespass is not a direct breach of the NRW / SWOAPG Concordat (which only covers the NRW-owned land), it is a breach of the SWOAPG Environmental Charter which all gorge users have signed-up to, agreeing that “we will secure the agreement of landholders whenever we wish to extend activities into new sites or areas where existing permissions do not exist [and] we will respect the guidance of SWOAPG for vulnerable or sensitive sites where there are specific issues or problems.”
Please could all gorge-walking Providers therefore remind their leaders that they do not have permission to enter land on the river-left half of the Sychryd upstream of the high stone bridge (unless you’re one of those who have specific agreement from the landowner) – or to be prepared for further challenge if they continue to ignore this guidance. Thanks!