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The reopening of a “special” walking route in the Caerphilly County Borough countryside has been welcomed by supporters – but one campaigner has warned access to routes is hampered by council staff shortages.

Walkers were victorious in their efforts to recognise a public footpath in Cwmfelinfach as a public footpath, after telling a council committee they had used the route for years.

The contested path runs past the Ynys Hywel activity centre – which is now a children’s home – and at the committee meeting, the director of the care firm which owned the premises said there were “very vulnerable children living there”.

Earlier this year, the council judged the right of way to be legal, in a decision Ynysddu ward representative Janine Reed called a “success for the people of the lower Sirhowy Valley”.

“The Ynys Hywel path is a much loved path, and residents are so grateful it has now been made a legal right of way,” said Cllr Reed.

“Nearly 60 residents wrote witness statements – this is substantial and shows how much this path is cherished.”

Cllr Reed, an independent, also praised the work of Maggie Thomas, who is a correspondent for the Open Spaces Society and a member of the Ramblers Cymru rights of way committee – and who spoke at the council meeting in favour of securing access to the path.

Ms Thomas said she was “thrilled” the route had been recognised, and called it “important” because it caters to walkers who may be less mobile or don’t have special footwear.

She noted the work of Cllr Reed and the walkers who had supported the campaign, and added it was “always a huge relief when hard work has paid off”.

But 12 months on from the committee meeting on the Ynys Hywel case, Ms Thomas warned that council staffing shortages could make campaigning more difficult.

She called the council’s rights of way department “under-resourced” – adding that a dedicated rights of way officer “works very hard, but his work ethic cannot make up for the fact that he needs more staff”.

“In 2020 there was a rights of way officer, an access officer, a rights of way assistant officer, a rights of way warden and another officer who worked as a warden part-time and worked to produce an online interactive rights of way map,” said Ms Thomas.

“Now, there is a rights of way officer and a rights of way warden. Landowners can obstruct rights of way with impunity for a significant period of time because the rights of way officer cannot deal with all the problems.”

Ms Thomas warned that “rights of way are part of our heritage and when a right of way is lost, it’s gone forever”.

“It is a well-known fact that walking in the countryside is beneficial for physical and mental health,” she added. “Too many people think that they have to go to Pen y Fan, the Skirrid or the Wye Valley, but we have amazing walks on our doorstep in the lower Sirhowy and Ebbw valleys.”

A Caerphilly Council spokesperson said the authority was “aware of the pressures currently experienced by the rights of way team”.

“Resources must be balanced against a backdrop of severe financial pressures, which are affecting not only Caerphilly County Borough Council but all local authorities across Wales,” they added. “The council will soon be advertising a new position within the team to support the rights of way officer.”