The roads of Savernake Forest may be private but they are still classed as Public Highways. So all the rules that pertain to every other road in Marlborough or elsewhere apply to Grand Avenue and the other forest roads as well. Wiltshire Police confirmed this to Marlborough.news.
Many assume that as they are private, owned by Savernake Estate anything goes. But not so.
Recently a driver on Grand Avenue saw a new(ish) estate car being driven very erratically towards their car. Erratically? Even more so than normal as swerving to avoid the many potholes is the norm. But in this case, noticeably worse. After nearly hitting the driver’s car the other managed to stop. The driver then checked to see if the other driver was OK or suffering some medical emergency, but to their surprise the car was being driven by a child, maybe seven or eight years old, with an adult in the front passenger seat and siblings in the back.
The driver remonstrated with the passenger adult who appeared to believe that the rules of the highway didn’t apply in Grand Avenue, or any of the other forest roads for that matter.
How could a young child even reach the controls or be able to see where they were going? Maybe, as it was an upmarket large German estate car it was fitted with the optional extra ‘Baby Driver’ seat? Or just a normal concrete block? Probably neither which is why the car seemed to have a mind of its own and it’s erratic progress was due to that rather than attempts to evade the many potholes.
Police Inspector Simon Garrett of the local Marlborough Neighbourhood Team told Marlborough.news: “Drivers using the roads within Savernake Forest must hold either a full or provisional driving licence. In essence, you therefore need to be 17 years old to drive a car there. In both cases you also need to be insured and the car you’re driving needs to have a current MOT and road tax”.
When asked, The Marquess of Ailesbury, owner of Savernake Forest replied that whilst Grand Avenue and all other roads within the forest were ‘his’ (i.e. Savernake Estate) there is free public access (nearly not so – see earlier story). And for drivers and all users of the Savernake Forest roads, in spite of the beautiful and enchanting surroundings the same rules apply as if driving along George Lane (not that George Lane isn’t equally beautiful and enchanting).
He added that there was one difference, and that every year there is a single day closure – the first working day in the New Year. This year it is the Thursday – 2nd January.
Why close for one day, every year? Actually not a whole day – 24 hours. It’s from first light to last light and is to ‘protect’ the status of the forest and its roads roads from legal technicality. If the (private) roads are open continuously for 365 days in any year then anyone could claim ‘right of way’ across these roads which would represent a marked and significant change to their status and that of the forest. This single day road closure happens in all (private) estates across the country, not just unique to Savernake. In practice, on every estate, it works out to be the same day every year.
The Marquess of Ailesbury told Marlborough.news: “Since forever we have always shut the Forest to all vehicles (except Emergency vehicles, obviously) on the first working day of the year, which this time will be Thursday January 2nd. Vehicles must physically prevented from entering the Forest during daylight hours, because if an Estate owner allows the Public to enter unhindered for 365 consecutive days a Public Right of Way can start to be created, which an Estate owner would not want as his reward for allowing the Public in, for free, the whole time.”
So Thursday 2 Jan is probably the quietest day of the year in Savernake Forest. Perfect for dog walking, or hiking around to marvel at the many famous named oaks. But no cars allowed in.