WALTER FLEET, of Mount Boone Lane, Dartmouth, writes:

As a boy in Dartmouth I often played in the woods at Dyers Hill, as did many others, usually finishing up on the flat area at the bottom for a picnic or to kick a ball around.

Mothers with young children would take them there to play while they sat on one of the seats enjoying the view over the river and beyond. How sad it was to see this area so thickly populated with saplings both planted and self seeded, that it was no longer usable. If you were to push through the nettles and undergrowth to get to a seat you would be wasting your time as the view was blocked by the hedge which was some eight feet high.

Last Autumn I wrote to the National Trust asking for the flat to be returned to the condition it was in when they were given the land by South Hams Council in 1974 after they acquired it from Dartmouth Borough Council.

I was very pleased to read in the Chronicle that the proposed Jubilee footpath is to include Dyers Hill in its route. The seats and open area just inside the entrance will be a very convenient place for walkers and others to rest a while.

Following a meeting with the National Trust they agreed to restore part of this area to make it usable again and cut back the hedge. Work is currently in progress.

Despite the fact that there is a dog waste bin within feet of the entrance to Dyers Hill many dog owners do not use it.

Given the neglected state of the area this was to some extent understandable, but with the anticipated increase in the number of walkers and people just wanting to enjoy the views may we hope the bin will in future be the preferred option for such waste?

With the high number of holiday lets in Dartmouth I would hope that agents have as part of their information to customers, a notice drawing there attention to the bylaws.