WALKERS on the Cotswold Way will now be able to avoid a rat run thanks to the opening of a new path.

Since the Cotswold Way originally opened as a long distance walking route in the early 1970s, walkers have had to endure walking along part of Drakes Lane near Dursley.

Although a pleasant road when quiet, the lane is heavily used as a rat run, making life difficult and dangerous for walkers in the places where the verge is narrow or non-existent.

Part of the work to upgrade the Cotswold Way to a National Trail has included providing a new route for walkers that takes them away from Drakes Lane by directing them onto a new route via Chestal, Home Farm and Farfield up onto Cam Long Down.

Much improvement work has been done to these paths, including refurbishment of iron kissing gates through Home Farm and some drainage work, replacement of some of the stiles with kissing gates, stabilisation and restoration work of the footpath as it runs alongside the stream at Farfield and new signage throughout.

This work has been completed partly by contractors and partly by the Cotswold Voluntary Warden Service District Work Party under the supervision of the Cotswold Way works co-ordinator Peter Ibbotson.

Jo Ronald, a Cotswold Way national trail officer, said: "This is another step towards the completion of upgrading the Cotswold Way to National Trail standards.

"This route is a vast improvement on the original route and is much safer and more attractive for walkers. It has taken real partnership work to achieve these improvements and I would like to thank the Countryside Agency for funding all of the improvement work, the landowners for their co-operation, and Gloucestershire County Council Public Rights of Way team for their support. I would also like to thank the volunteers for all the hard work that they have put in."