Had something similar to a bridleway in Cardington, Shropshire last year. I presume it was needed ie tractor or cattle access, but a real shame all the same - several hundred yards of smooth blue hardcore instead of `natural' rocky track.
This has happened to one of my favourite trails recently. The sad thing is that it didn't really need doing. The council didn't give me a reason as to why they did it but they said it [u]wasn't[/u] to make things easier for less able people which is what I thought might be the case. I suspect they may have been under pressure from rambling groups or running groups that use the path.
The mistake they seem to be making in many places now is that they over do it. As long as the drainage is ok the path will stay intact, you don't have to ruin it's character by turning it into the M1.
