I READ the conflicting letters of Trevor Lawson and Cllr Bill Chapple (Free Press, May 25) with some interest, as just two days earlier, tired of lack of facts about footpaths, I set out to see for myself.

I arrived at Princes Risborough Station and I followed one of my favourite routes: Out along the Wycombe Road, then turn left into the Ridgeway having first noted a total lack of any signs indicating closure or otherwise of that path. Then 500 yards along the Ridgeway, again carefully searching for warning signs and seeing none, even at the gate, I turned right, down the footpath to the Pyrtle Spring.

There, I found two happy blondes enjoying the sunshine and scenery, but again no notices at all.

We were then joined by a lady who had followed the same route as me.

She, too, had seen nothing, although when discussing the apparent conspiracy by the authorities to keep us all uninformed, she said that on the Ridgeway, the official footpath sign to the Pyrtle had vanished!

From the Pyrtle, I headed for the stile on the Brimmers Road Wardrobes footpath, surprised that on the way, there was no sign of a footpath.

But as near my home near Denham, path restrictions had just been lifted, I assumed the same here too early for the path to be re-established.

How wrong I was, for on turning left up to Brimmers Road from the stile, I was met by the back of gaudy posters informing me by implication that I was trespassing on foot-and-mouth territory and could be fined £5,000!

I turned right, then, and soon found another lot of placards barring the way uphill to the Chiltern tops, so I turned round and went back to Risborough on Brimmers Road but soon to be greeted, when crossing the Ridgeway further along, with a sign saying it was open, but all footpaths on either side were closed. The sign, unsurprisingly, was lying in the dirt. (I did see one cow. We exchanged "moos".)

I have been country walking in Europe, Australasia and southern Africa, also.

I hope the authorities here won't be too offended if I say that a situation in which you are encouraged to walk in one direction, but if you do the same mile in the opposite direction makes you a law-breaker, reminds me of the saying about those who "can't even arrange a booze-up in a brewery".

Or should we blame intelligent vandals for it all?

Or maybe Martians?

I vote for Sod's Law!

John Clarke

Middle Road

Denham