country paths

Deadline to register forgotten paths scrapped

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A very positive blow for those dedicated to the open countryside. This story tells us:

A deadline to register forgotten historical paths in England by 2026 is set to be scrapped by the government.

There was a cut-off to apply to record rights of way through private land which existed before 1949 but did not appear on official maps.

Campaigners said the change meant important and useful paths could be “protected for future generations”.

The government said it was introducing measures to “enhance the way rights of way are recorded and managed”.

Using historical evidence, people are able to apply for rights of way which have existed in the past to be added to official maps, giving them legal protection.

The 1 January 2026 deadline to apply to record paths was introduced in the Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000 by the then Labour government.

After that date, historical routes would no longer have been able to be added to official maps, meaning public rights of way would have been lost.

The Welsh government has previously repealed the cut-off date.

Right to roam? How Britain’s country paths are disappearing

This article tells us:  The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates once described walking as “man’s best medicine”. But, according to the most extensive survey ever conducted of the 140,000-mile network of public rights of way in England and Wales, almost a tenth of all footpaths are difficult or even impossible to access. Overall, a third of the network is deemed in need of improvement.

In total, the 3,250 volunteers who conducted the survey on behalf of the Ramblers recorded 59,000 problems. The results, published last month, found routes blocked by barbed wire and electric fences, broken stiles and dense undergrowth. About 20,000 signs were also reported missing.