This is Lathkill Dale. More photos from today's walk to follow. I first snapped this sign in 2008. It caught my eye because it looked dilapidated and the penny toll (perhaps one old penny, 1d) on one day of the year is amusing.
Since then, the sign has been replaced with a much more modern sign and the toll updated a bit to 20p
That doesn't seem to have gone down so well because it was quite quickly replaced with a more sympathetic sign, and with the original wording. The toll now seems to have gone back to a more reasonable 1p.
The law that makes this sign and the toll necessary (I wonder whether it's actually collected? I've not yet visited on a Maundy Thursday) is that this path is a concessionary path. It's not a public right of way, but the public are allowed to walk this dale. In time it would be possible for someone to put in a claim for this path to be made a public right of way on the grounds that it's been open to the public for a continuous period of time. Closing or imposing a toll on a nominated day of the year avoids this.
3 comments:
Not sure whether Ruth had mentioned this but we saw a similar Toll (No Public Right of Way) sign when we visited Darley Park in Derby.
There was even a quaint octagonal toll booth complete with chimney, but it didn't look like it was manned very often.
She sent me a picture of it. I think the reason for that one may be different - the booth suggest that collecting the money is the reason.
There's a similar situation to this one near you - the airport walk. It's concessionary and they officially close it one day per year to prevent it becoming a right of way.
Today 16 April is Easter Thursday. But being 2020 there will be no one about. Easter Thursday is the Thursday after Easter. Maundy Thursday is of course before Easter.
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