'Trees for climate change' > former Chief Scientist of Met Office Julia Slingo > Thursday 23rd May

It's Tree Week next week:
Sidmouth Arboretum

And on Thursday evening, Julia Slingo, a patron of the Arboretum, will be giving an illustrated talk to the general public:

‘Trees for climate change’

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Music Room, Sidholme Hotel, Elysian Fields, 
Sidmouth, EX10 8UJ

Trees for climate change - Illustrated talk by Julia Slingo - Vision Group for Sidmouth

Dame Julia Slingo served as Chief Scientist of the UK Met Office from 2009 to 2016:
Julia Slingo | Royal Society

And has given all manner of speeches:

The Evolution of Climate Science: A Personal View from Julia Slingo | World Meteorological Organization

Including at NASA back in January:

NASA Climate Change

Published 09.05.2019

Dame Julia Slingo served as Chief Scientist of the U.K. Met Office from 2009 to 2016 when she retired. Throughout her research career she has developed and used complex weather and climate models to understand the climate system and to predict its evolution. Her special interests are in tropical weather and climate variability, understanding their influence on the global climate system and their role in monthly to decadal climate prediction. 

Climate change will be one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century; how we respond will determine our future prosperity, health and well-being and the sustainability of Earth’s natural environment. However, these responses must be underpinned by the best possible climate science to ensure that we make wise decisions on how to build resilience to weather and climate extremes, and adapt to and mitigate climate change. 

In this talk, Dame Julia Slingo will discuss the history of our understanding of how the climate system works, how this understanding has been embedded in the development of climate models, and how we use these models now to guide our actions to deliver a safe and sustainable future. 

Originally presented January 11, 2019, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

Climate Science and its Fundamental Role in 21st Century Challenges - YouTube

It was ten years ago in the run-up to Copenhagen that she released a statement, together with the UK's leading scientific organisations involving most of the UK scientists working on climate change:
Full text: Climate science statement | Environment | The Guardian
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Café Scientifique @ Sidmouth Tree Week >>> a talk on "Trees for Multiple Purposes" > Tuesday 21st May

It's Tree Week next week:
Sidmouth Arboretum

Much of the time will be spent walking through some arboreal delights - and much of the time will be spent talking climate change:
What are the effects of global warming in the UK? - Woodland Trust

The Science Fest's Café Scientifique will be hosting a talk on what a good thing trees are - starting with the climate:

Cafe Scientifique: Sidmouth Tree Week: Trees for Multiple Benefits

Tuesday 21st May 2019 3:00 PM –to 4:30 PM

Location/Venue: Kennaway House Coburg Road EX10 8NG

Trees for Multiple Benefits with Bob Chard, Member of the Royal Forestry Society

VISION FOR A FOREST NATION

So now it is accepted as true. Climate change is for real and a very urgent emergency problem. The Government is going into panic mode about what to do. We have to give them some credit for their vision. UK is the first nation in the world to adopt necessary climate action targets which are both adequate and credible. Also in some respects including forestry policy the UK Government is quite well prepared for fast acceleration in new directions. We will commit to a very large increase in tree planting targets to double the woodland area. 

However achieving tree planting number targets is the easy part; what is of more  concern to me is the more difficult part. Will we plant the right trees and will they be planted in the right places?  Will public money be spent wisely and will it be managed in the best possible way? To be sure many people in all walks of life will want to be part of the action but in the past we have made mistakes with forestry policy and we need to learn from that and not simply throw money at achieving targets. 

I would like to share my knowledge and experience with you and suggest some trees which we can all plant and nurture, as well as my own project which is designed to grow unusual trees as substitutes for current unsustainable imports of tropical hardwood timbers; much of which is being illegally felled, is uncertified and imported from the other side of the planet with a large carbon footprint, at ever increasing cost.  We have to do better.

Everyone welcome. This is a free event so please buy a drink to keep it so

Cafe Scientifique: Sidmouth Tree Week: Trees for Multiple Benefits | Sidmouth Science Festival

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Ash dieback in Devon

Trees are seen as increasingly important in the fight against climate change:
Futures Forum: Climate change and deforestation
Futures Forum: Planting billions of trees to address the climate and natural environment crises together

The Forestry Commission celebrates a hundred  years:
Futures Forum: Forestry Commission: centenary event "Evolving the Forest": Wednesday 19th - Friday 21st June at Dartington Hall

And the Sidmouth Arboretum will be bringing a week of events:
Futures Forum: Tree Week > 20th - 25th May

We need to look after our trees:
Ash dieback | Devon Wildlife Trust
Ash dieback | Environment - devon.gov.uk
East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Ash trees need your help

As reported by Devon Live - with good news: 
Tree planting scheme to replace trees lost through Ash dieback - Devon Live 

And not so good news:

Tree disease will cost Devon £30million a year as county worst hit

"The consequences of tree diseases for people really haven't been fully appreciated before now."

Neil Shaw

Head Of Digital, Live And Trending For PlymouthLive, DevonLive And CornwallLive
06:42, 7 MAY 2019

An invasive fungal disease killing ash trees will cost the British economy nearly £15 billion in total, a study has warned, and Devon will be the worst hit county in the country. Ash dieback which is lethal to European ash trees, originated in Asia and is thought to have been brought to the UK on imported ash trees some years before it was first identified in Britain in 2012.

Now experts have calculated a multi-billion pound bill for the disease, with the costs expected will be more than £7 billion in the next 10 years alone. The biggest cost will be from the loss of benefits that woods and trees provide, such as clean air and water and storing carbon dioxide, the study published in the journal Current Biology found. Clean-up costs, such as felling dangerous trees on roadsides, railway lines and in towns and cities, will cost some £4.8 billion, researchers from the University of Oxford, Fera Science, Sylva Foundation and the Woodland Trust said.

Much of that burden will fall on local authorities, with an estimate the worst hit, Devon County Council, could face total annual costs from roadside ash trees of more than £30 million, vastly higher than the average council tree budget. There will also be costs of replanting, research and loss of profits to the forestry sector. The total bill is estimated to come in at £14.8 billion over 100 years, with half of those costs, £7.6 billion, falling within a decade.

The researchers also issued a stark warning that there are 47 other tree pests and diseases that risk costing £1 billion or more if they become established in Britain.

They have called for a nationwide replanting scheme could reduce the overall cost of ash dieback by £2.5 billion by ensuring that lost benefits are replaced.

A greater focus on and investment in biosecurity and sourcing of safe plant material is needed to keep new diseases out, they warn. And far tighter controls on imports of all live plants for planting should be introduced, as this is the largest pathway through which tree diseases come into the country, they urged.

The cost of dealing with ash dieback, which is expected to kill 95% to 99% of native ash trees, dwarfs the annual value of the import and export trade in live plants to and from Britain which totalled around £300 million in 2017.

Dr Louise Hill, from the University of Oxford and lead author of the study, said the number of invasive tree pests and diseases were increasingly rapidly, mostly through human activities such as plant trade and climate change.

"Nobody has estimated the total cost of a tree disease before, and we were quite shocked at the magnitude of the cost to society. We estimate the total may be £15 billion - that's a third more than the reported cost of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001. The consequences of tree diseases for people really haven't been fully appreciated before now."

Dr Nick Atkinson, senior conservation advisor for the Woodland Trust and co-author of the paper, said: "When ash dieback first entered the country, no one could have fully predicted the devastating impact it would have on our native habitats. To see how this has also affected our economy speaks volumes for how important tree health is, and that it needs to be taken very seriously."

To avoid further economic and environmental impacts, more needed to be invested in plant biosecurity measures, including better detection, interception and prevention of pests and diseases entering the UK, he urged. He added: "We need to learn from past mistakes and make sure our countryside avoids yet another blow."

A spokeswoman for the Environment Department said: "Since ash dieback was identified in 2012, we have invested more than £6 million in ash dieback research and £4.5 million to strengthen border security. We currently have some of the strongest import controls in Europe."

She said the Government was funding research to make ash trees resistant to the disease, supporting replanting with other tree species, and helping local authorities manage the disease. "We will continue to do everything we can to protect our trees from pests and diseases, as set out in the Tree Health Resilience Strategy published last year."

Tree disease will cost Devon £30million a year as county worst hit - Devon Live
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Tree Week > 20th - 25th May

The Sidmouth Arboretum will be celebrating its annual Tree Week next month:
Sidmouth Arboretum

Check the VGS calendar for more details:
Events for May 2019 – Vision Group for Sidmouth

The Residents' Magazine has a full spread on the upcoming events - with photos from the Arboretum:

Chance to celebrate the trees in Sidmouth

PUBLISHED: 07:00 27 April 2019

Andrew Coley

Sameer with guests, reading the information from the QR code at Sidholme.

This month Diana East, president of Sidmouth Arboretum, invites us to meet some of the trees in hotel gardens. All are easily found on their free Tree Trail leaflet.

Cedar of Lebanon at Sidholme

As you enter the Byes by the Toll House Bridge, you soon notice the mature trees surrounding Hunters Moon Hotel. On closer inspection, you can enjoy a well-maintained small orchard, a putting green and a magnificent, fast growing foxglove tree, which should be in flower soon.

The Fisher family have been planting trees in their grounds for many years. Julie remembers a conifer seed planted by her father and an oak for her brother's first birthday; so it is no surprise that Julie understands the importance of the gardens to their guests.

Foxglove flower.

“I love the old trees, they are so grounded”, Julie explains. “You feel relaxed just sitting close to them.”

Some of the trees would be classed as veteran, and take some looking after.

The redwood has recently had dead wood removed from its upper layers, the tree is healthy, we are told, though the branches on one side are affected by sea spray.

A massive holm oak has suffered the indignity of immense branches being removed for safety reasons.

Sidholme red rhododendron

Yet the contribution these statuesque trees make to the landscape is surely why guests return again and again.

Across the river and up the secluded Elysian Fields lane you arrive at Sidholme Hotel, sheltered by a magnificent Cedar of Lebanon, nearly 200 years old. Many trees around this fine building date from the mid 19th century plant hunting fashion.

The Arboretum has begun labelling the trees, which include QR codes providing varied details about each tree.

When I visited, standing by a katsura tree, operations manager Sameer Velayudhan was explaining the app for the QR codes. He doesn't begrudge the time and cost of maintaining and improving the grounds as he knows 'the trees create a tranquil environment, much appreciated by guests'.

Trees are a part of Sidholme heritage. There is much to do here, and an energetic volunteer group is working hard to restore the Lost Garden at Sidholme.

Down by The Esplanade, behind the Belmont Hotel, is a wooded goyle quite unlike the formal bedding often found in hotels.

In 2013, the Arboretum was offered a Wollemi pine – a rare pine rescued from extinction in its native Australia. With the help of the head gardener, we planted the pine on the steep sides of the goyle and it has taken to its new home very well.

This area has been much improved recently and we hope to visit it during our Tree Week celebrations from Monday, May 20 to Saturday, May 25.

Details on www.sidmoutharboretum.org.uk

For more features from East Devon Resident, click here.

Chance to celebrate the trees in Sidmouth | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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Forestry Commission: centenary event "Evolving the Forest": Wednesday 19th - Friday 21st June at Dartington Hall

The Forestry Commission is celebrating 100 years: 

In September 1919 the Forestry Commission was founded to restore the nation’s woods and forests following the First World War, and the passing of the Forestry Act.

We are now England’s largest landowner and look after over 1,500 forests. We deliver internationally renowned research in sustainable forestry and help other landowners make their woodlands more productive, better for wildlife, and prepared for the challenges of a changing climate.

Celebrating 100 years of forestry | Forestry Commission England

And there's a very interesting-looking seminar at Dartington Hall later on: 

Evolving The Forest

Wednesday 19 June - Friday 21 June 2019
Dartington Hall, Devon

Book now

This symposium will draw together a wide variety of voices to explore a heritage of woodland and forest and look to their future. In celebration of the Forestry Commission’s centenary it looks back at the last 100 years and looks forward to the next.

The event will draw on the wisdom of foresters, environmental managers, policy-makers, scientists and other experts; it will hear the voices of artists, designers, writers and philosophers; and learn from others around the world about their own cultural connections to trees, and the wood that produces some of the world’s most beautiful objects.

Forest Research's contrbutions include a presentation by Chris Reynolds on 'Alternative species for resilient forests' in which he will explain how Forest Research are reviewing and testing new tree species for forestry in the UK. This will include some early results from recent field trials.

Also, with Karen Price from from Westonbirt Arboretum, Liz O'Brien will be holding an interactive workshop on 'How to Hygge a Tree' in which they will be exploring techniques for using trees and woodland for positive wellbeing.

Evolving The Forest - Forest Research
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The Monterey Pine > the signature tree of the Sidmouth Arboretum

The Monterey is a real feature of Sidmouth:
Futures Forum: ‘Sidmouth’s Global Skyline’ > Café Scientifique talk >
Futures Forum: Monterey Pines in the Sid Valley
Futures Forum: A Celebration of the Sid Valley’s Trees >>> kick-starting National Tree Week >>>

The Herald's latest magazine will feature the tree in all its glory: 

Sidmouth Arboretum’s Tree of the Month - Monterey Pine 1102

PUBLISHED: 07:00 23 February 2019

Words Ed Dolphin

Serotinous cones that hang on to their seeds waiting for a bush fire. Picture: Ed Dolphin

Sidmouth Arboretum is highlighting some of the valley’s wonderful trees by picking a Tree of the Month throughout the year.

Monterey Pine 1440, Lymebourne Park. Picture: Ed Dolphin

Monterey Pines (Pinus radiata) are a feature of the Sidmouth skyline.

The Arboretum has designated them as its Signature Tree and so our first Tree of the Month is the Monterey Pine which dominates the garden of Knowle, in Station Road, number 1102 in the Arboretum’s online database.

Native to the Monterey Peninsula in California, Pinus radiata was first described to European scientists in 1835 by the Irish botanist Dr Thomas Coulter from his exploration of the American west coast but his collection of specimens and seeds was lost.

In 1852, the renowned plant collector William Lobb sent a large consignment of Pinus radiata seeds from California to the Veitch nursery in Exeter, where they were germinated successfully.

Ed Dolphin with Monterey Pine 1282, a direct seedling from 1102. Picture; Ed Dolphin

Several hundred young trees were sold to gardens and estates all along the south coast where they thrived because they can tolerate salt in the atmosphere.

With a girth of 6.5m, the huge knarled monster in the Knowle may be from one of those seeds, an exotic specimen added to the collection of the enigmatic Thomas Fish Esq.

There are several young trees and shrubs growing in the large bark crevices of the Knowle tree’s major limbs. Sadly, this causes weakness and two of the large, twisted branches were torn from the tree in a recent storm, one break beside the roots of an epiphytic rhododendron.

The epiphytic rhodendron that weakend the large branch. Picture: Ed Dolphin

However, the main trunk is still sound and tree 1102 should be with us for many more years.

Unlike the unfortunate Californian houses, Monterey Pines are adapted to cope with the frequent brush fires of their home territory. They have very thick bark to protect the core of the tree and, unlike the cones of Scots Pine, the large cones of Monterey Pines remain closed, only opening after they have been through a fire.

The cones are sealed with a resin which protects the seeds in a fire but it melts and the cones open afterwards to release the seeds onto the ash enriched ground.

Of course, the trees in Sidmouth do not suffer from bush fires and so they retain their fist-sized cones for years.

The clusters of large cones, along with the needles which are in groups of three, make the mature Monterey Pines easy to identify.

Monterey Pines are now endangered in their original home, but they thrive in New Zealand, Spain and South Africa where they form extensive timber plantations.

There are several splendid Monterey Pines adorning our skyline but the largest are reaching the end of their lives or are under threat from developers.

Sidmouth Arboretum has planted several young trees, including two children of 1102, and we hope that one day they will make their dark green presence felt when future generations look up to the sky.

Ed Dolphin is treasurer of Sidmouth Arboretum, visit the Arboretum website by clicking here to find out more about the trees of Sidmouth.

To read more features from East Devon Resident, click on here.

Sidmouth Arboretum’s Tree of the Month - Monterey Pine 1102 | Sidmouth and Ottery breaking news and sport - Sidmouth Herald
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Sidmouth Arboretum AGM: a busy programme

The Arboretum has been very busy:
Sidmouth Arboretum News

And last week, they held their AGM:
Futures Forum: Sidmouth Arboretum AGM: Tuesday 15th January

The Herald reports: 

Arboretum reviews year and plans for the future at AGM

PUBLISHED: 10:00 19 January 2019

Sam Cooper

Sidmouth Arboretum planting an apricot tree in Blackmore Gardens. Picture: Sidmouth Arboretum

Ideas for the future of Sidmouth’s trees were discussed at a recent AGM.

Sidmouth Arboretum gathered at the Unitarian Church’s Leigh Browne Room for its annual AGM last Tuesday (January 15) where members reviewed the year’s work and shared ideas for the future.

The members of the public were invited to the meeting, where they were shown images of the many planting sessions that had taken place in 2018 such as at Knowle, in Blackmore Gardens and the Unitarian Church.

Graham Hutchinson gave a summary of the planting and maintenance programme and invited suggestions from the public for new planting sites for next winter. He said trees are such a long-term project but Sidmouth Arboretum is encouraging everyone to join one of 2019 walks and talks.

The planting continued into the new year as the arboretum volunteers planted more trees in Blackmore Gardens.

Armed with woolly hats to fend off the winter weather, Sharon Scott and Martin Jarvis from East Devon Parks and Gardens team got together with Graham to plant an apricot tree, on Friday, January 4.

Sidmouth Arboretum hold AGM to review year and plan future | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald

And the Herald reports regularly on what the Arboretum is up to:
Stepping out around town with Sidmouth Arboretum | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
Tree trail path blocked after major storm hits | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
Celebration of Trees held by Sidmouth Arboretum | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
Sidmouth Arboretum tree labelling project begins in Sid Valley | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
Opportunities and threats for Sidmouth Arboretum | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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2012: a vision for Sidmouth as 'the greenest town in England'

The Arboretum's AGM is happening later today - giving a chance to see how greener the Sid Valley is becoming:
Futures Forum: Sidmouth Arboretum AGM: Tuesday 15th January

We do indeed seem to be getting there...

At the Vision Group's AGM some seven years ago, the VGS chair gave a personal vision for the town and valley:

VISION GROUP  AGM      

3 minute panel

By 2030 – we want Sidmouth to be the greenest town in England.   

You will see from the pic (circulated) of BELMONT HOTEL in 1817 – with thanks to Sidmouth Museum - that there were mature trees and shrubs close to the sea -

and woodland stretching up Glen Goyle and up to the hills.     I would like to see the Belmont replace their tidy rows of pansies with the lush foliage of a shrubbery which unlike the pansies can give us scented roses and the hum of busy insects.    

I would like to see the RIVIERA HOTEL replace their rather cold grey and very heavy containers with an idea used in New York, where the winters are very cold.    You need to make some large troughs of stout timber or metal and place them on wheels, plant them with bright colours and big foliage to give the sub tropical garden effect.    These should tolerate our variable summer climate and then when the weather turns - just trundle the containers to a more sheltered spot.

I would like to see the HAM CAR PARK remodelled along the lines of the pic. (circulated) with 30 trees.     So that we feel welcome when we go there and our visitors get a good feeling when they come into town by car  - the feeling you get from a cool and shady French square.   This would be an extremely expensive project but it would transform our feeling about the Eastern Town and perhaps a vast underground tank for rainwater storage could be incorporated into the groundworks.

I would like to see more tree planting in town,   There are several opportunities – for instance :  There is new café between Tesco and the Co-op – wouldn’t it be pleasant to have a few street trees offering shade and interest to the pavement area.   All the estate agents have their offices up there, so they know that tree lined pavements help property prices.   

We can improve the aspect of our own neighbourhood by planting more streets trees and shrubs on our side roads.    

Sidmouth in Bloom is encouraging community projects.

Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: Arboretum

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Sidmouth Arboretum AGM: Tuesday 15th January

Some interesting tree projects are emerging:
Futures Forum: The Sid Valley Ring > a new footpath around Sidmouth and its environs

These and others will be centre stage tomorrow night: 

Sidmouth Arboretum AGM 2019

TUESDAY 15 JANUARY 2019

5.30pm at Leigh Browne Room in UNITARIAN CHURCH opposite TESCO

All are welcome to Join us for drinks and nibbles.

The AGM offers an opportunity to review our work -

and share ideas for future events


TIPS FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Keep planting more trees! At time of writing the weather is still and dry. Do water plants in, unless frost is forecast in which case cover the soil with old carpet or sacking. Stake well against the March winds, which will follow no doubt.

Among shrubs in flower are the earlier flowering evergreen Camellia sasanqua, a favourite mine the scented shrubby honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima - which grows into a large shrub but is easily cut back after flowering; an ornamental flowering cherry Prunus x subhirtella is a good choice for smaller winter garden; and take courage to do the winter pruning of apples and pears. By now I should know what to do, but always refer back to the books or online.

Cut back hedges so that new growth will come from sides and middle, not just the top.

MORE PLANTING



Apricot Goldcot Maiden



Peace Garden Midland Hawthorn

Members of Sidmouth Arboretum and the EDDC Parks Improvement Team planted two more trees this morning, an Apricot in Blackmore Gardens and a Midland Hawthorn in the Peace Garden of the Dissenter's Chapel.


TREE WEEK 20-25 MAY 2019

Following the success of TREE WEEK in 2018 we have set the dates for 2019 – in May. The format will be the same with walks, talks and visits throughout the week and the trees will have more leaf and blossom at this time of year.


BLACKMORE FRUIT TREES



Graham digging for victory.



The Woolbrook Pippin

Working with EDDC, Graham and Jon kicked off this year's planting schedule when they planted fruit trees in Blackmore Gardens today. Two local apple varieties, the Woolbrook Pippin and the Woolbrook Russet were planted against the wall by the health centre. The trees will be trained on the wall as they would have been in times gone by. The team also planted a Rowan and an Apricot will follow soon.


TREE LABELS






Giant redwood

As part of the Arboretum's remit to inform and engage the public, we are attaching labels to many publicly accessible trees in the valley. Each labels tells you the scientific and common name for the tree, but it also includes a QR code. A QR code is like a super barcode, it contains information about a link to the Arboretum website page for that particular tree. The code can be scanned with a smartphone app with data access and the link is made to the website with information about the particular tree and further links to wider information about the tree species from organisations such as the Woodland Trust, Forestry Commission and Royal Horticultural Society.

The first labels have been attached to trees in the Knowle. We will also be labelling trees in Blackmore Gardens, Sidholme and along the Arboretum's Tree Trails.


Maintaining the shrubbery by Waitrose



Graham and spindle berry



Martin with hand shears

Winter months allow for active maintenance of the woody plants we look after and for new planting.

The triangle of land across from Waitrose and the adjacent beech hedge with standards keeps us busy.


Ongoing

We are looking at how climate change will affect the trees that are being grown and the effects of Ash Dieback which are increasingly visible on young trees in the valley

We are working with the Town Council on the recent proposal to plant more fruit trees.

Sidmouth Arboretum
Sidmouth Arboretum - Home | Facebook
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The Sid Valley Ring > a new footpath around Sidmouth and its environs

A collaborative project is well under way to help locals and visitors enjoy the landscape of the Sid Valley - as reported in the Herald's monthly magazine:

Stepping out around Sidmouth

PUBLISHED: 07:00 05 January 2019

Words: Richard Eley

The River Sid. Picture: Ed Dolphin

A new walking route could soon be created around Sidmouth.

Salcombe Hill. Picture: Ed Dolphin

Plans for a new 13-mile signed footpath around the Sid Valley are moving forward.

The proposals is a joint venture, funded by the Sid Vale Association and Sidmouth Town Council, and supported by the Chamber of Commerce.

Whilst the internet has many suggested walking routes in and around Sidmouth, it is felt that an easy to follow, and definitive, signed walk will be much more accessible, and popular with both visitors and residents.

The intention is to make the walk, which is provisionally called the Sid Valley Ring, as attractive as possible to users, and to showcase all that is best about the town and its environs.

Core Hill. Picture: Carolyn Trussell.

The precise route is not yet established, but it is expected to be around 13 miles in length, and will visit Sidbury, Harcombe and Salcombe Regis, as well as Sidmouth itself.

A link via The Byes will allow the walk to be conducted in two sections, if 13 miles seems a bit daunting for some.

A preliminary survey has been conducted, and it is hoped to deliver the project within twelve months or so.

The signed walk is seen as a long term project that will improve Sidmouth’s tourism offer, and provide wider health and amenity benefits to the community.

A spokesman for the committee commented: “The parish of Sidmouth has a dense network of public footpaths, so designing the route is challenging, simply because there are so many options to choose from.

“As well as the superb scenery of our area, there will also be the opportunity to highlight many of our listed buildings, and specimen trees; and to acquaint locals and visitors alike with snippets of local history.’

Diana East, of the Sidmouth Arboretum, said: “Sidmouth Arboretum has for many years promoted walking through our Tree Trail leaflets. Our project of labelling selected trees, already begun in various town locations, will be extended to cover selected trees on our Tree Trails.

“The Ring project will enhance existing trails, including the East Devon Way , by making it easier to explore new places and find out more about the wonderful environment of the Sid valley.”

Walking is by far the most popular activity amongst visitors to the South West, according to figures from South West Tourism. Thirty-seven per cent of tourists to the region cite walking as the prime activity of their holiday, with beaches and shopping trailing well behind with 16 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.

In recent years, Sidmouth has signed up to the ‘Walkers Are Welcome’ organisation and has promoted the increasingly successful and well-supported Walking Festival every September.

These initiatives, together with the impressive work of the volunteer-based Parish Paths Partnership (P3), have gradually turned Sidmouth into a respected and popular walking destination.

It is hoped that the creation of the Sid Valley Ring will further encourage the enjoyment of our wonderful footpath network by both residents and holiday-makers.’

To read more features from East Devon Resident, click here.

Stepping out around town with Sidmouth Arboretum | Sidmouth and Ottery breaking news and sport - Sidmouth Herald
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