THE weather was nice yesterday afternoon. Not too hot and not too cold. If fact, it was just right to go for a walk along the Rodwell Trail.

It is more than 40 years since I last walked along this old railway track and back then we weren’t supposed to use it as a footpath but it was the shortest route to walk home from town.

Yesterday there were quite a few people walking the trail. The tarmac surface makes it much easier to walk there than it was in the 60s and it is reasonably quiet.

Birdsong and bicycle bells are pretty much the dominant sounds now, except for when you approach one of the bridges (a skateboarder going over the metal Buxton Road footbridge was the noisiest thing that we heard).

Wildflowers are in bloom, as are some escapees from local gardens. The lilac smells beautiful as one walks past. I spotted some fennel growing in one place and this also smells nice (of aniseed) if you should brush against it as you pass The embankments and trackside are very overgrown now and huge trees are taking over in some places. In all probability this is good for the local wildlife and it gives some shade to overheated walkers.

At the Wyke Regis end there are some great views across Portland harbour. However, there were some aspects of the trail that I wasn’t all that keen on.

The overgrown tracksides are perhaps getting a bit too overgrown. Many of the good viewing opportunities are missed because of this.

At the Weymouth end (behind Asda) from the top of the embankment it would be nice to see more of Weymouth harbour and the rooftops leading towards it. At the other end from Old Castle Road onwards it would be nice to see more of Portland harbour and beyond.

I wouldn’t advocate a blanket chopping down of everything along the trail. People who live in the properties alongside the trail need their privacy and there is evidence that many small animals live there but some clearing would be beneficial to users of the trail, particularly in the areas that I have mentioned.

It would be nice if there was an occasional seat for the weary walkers to take a rest. I know that I could have done with one at times. It is unlikely that a standard seat would survive the mindless vandals that are everywhere these days but a big block of concrete with some hefty wooden slats nailed to it would suffice.

Rubbish is accumulating in places (isn’t it everywhere?). There are very few bins along the trail to put it in but it would probably not be all that easy to keep them emptied anyway.

Along almost the entire trail the faint aroma of dog mess pervades the air. It’s a good place, away from the streets, where locals are able to exercise their dogs but it would be much better if dog owners were to clean up after their animals.

I suppose that we should just accept that they are lazy and inconsiderate people, rather than get all hot and bothered about it.

We found the worst thing about the whole experience was the cyclists. The vast majority of them seem to be quite incapable of showing much consideration towards anyone who was walking.

Speed would appear to be a virtue and I’m sure that many of them don’t know how to use their brakes. On a couple of occasions we were lucky not to be run into and one woman was at pains to let walkers (and other cyclists) know that her brakes were not working properly.

In spite of our few negative observations, it was a pleasant walk which we will at some time revisit.

Andy Miller, Dorchester Road, Weymouth