Thornbury Wayfinders

Several different organisations, other than Running and Rambling Clubs, are represented on the Thornbury Wayfinders Steering Committee. Two of which come to mind because I came across them before I came to Thornbury.

The first is The Thornbury and District Museum, which is run by the Thornbury and District Heritage Trust. They put on occasional guided walks exploring the history of the Market Town, and are also responsible for the Thornbury Heritage Trail, which is well marked and there is a leaflet you can pick up at the museum. There is also a downloadable map.

Thornbury Roots is “A local history website in partnership with Thornbury and District Museum”. It is very useful if you want to design a walk based on the stories behind the facades.

The second is The Friends of Filnore Woods. I first came across Filnore woods when I was exploring the Jubilee Way, which celebrated the Jubilee of the Ramblers organisation, by joining the Cotswold Way at Old Sodbury to the Severn Way at Aust. The Jubilee Way runs through Filnore Woods, which is looked after by a Friends Group that looks after the paths that run through the site as well as keeping the woodland in good heart. Leaflets about the site can be picked up on site and a map of the site can be downloaded. The Friends and others have put on bat walks and foraging walks etc. in the woods.

Sustainable Thornbury came to my attention after I moved to Thornbury, where I discovered they were in the process of creating a Biodiversity Ring around the town. They have already produced a leaflet and waymarks are in the process of being produced as I write. Walks are planned on the whole and parts of the Biodiversity Ring.

Thornbury Town Council has supported the Thornbury Wayfinders initiative and has, in particular, supported the Biodiversity Ring where it crosses The Mundy Playing Fields by planting a hedge along the line of the path. The council also appoints a Footpath Warden to look after footpaths in the parish as well as a Tree Warden, who, in the past has led a series of tree walks.