Rights of way in the United Kingdom
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In the United Kingdom, rights of way are paths on which the public have a legally-protected right-of-way. The law differs in each of the constituent countries of the kingdom.
Contents |
England and Wales
Footpaths
Image:JohnBunyanTrailFootpath.jpg A footpath is path on which the public have a legally-protected right-of-way on foot.
Footpaths are shown as dotted green lines on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, or dotted pink lines on 1:50,000 maps.
The Ordnance Survey maps cannot be treated as the definitive description of rights-of-way and they often taken some years to be updated with changes.
Local Authorities (usually County or Unitary Authorities) are required to maintain the definitive map of all rights of way in their areas and these can be inspected at Council Offices.
A footpath is sometimes waymarked using a yellow arrow on a metal or plastic disc or by yellow paint dots on posts and trees.
According to the Bedfordshire website[1], it is a civil wrong to ride a bicycle or a horse on a footpath, and action could be taken by the landowner for trespass or nuisance by the user.
The site also mentions that walkers may:
- Take a pram, pushchair or wheelchair, where possible.
- Take a dog as long as on a lead or under close control.
- Admire the view, stop for a rest, have a small picnic on the verge
- Take a short alternative route to get round an obstruction
Permitted path
A permitted path, or permissive path, is a footpath which is not a right-of-way. It will usually be on privately owned land.
Bridleways
Image:NY0612 bridleway.jpg Image:SP2546 cyclistsBridleway.jpg A bridleway is a way over which the public have the following, but no other, rights of way:
- a right of way on foot and
- a right of way on horseback or leading a horse,
- with or without a right to drive animals of any description along the way.
Cycles are permitted on bridleways, although there is no requirement for the bridleway to be usable by cyclists.
Bridleways are shown as long green dashes on Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, or long pink dashes on 1:50,000 maps. They are shown as dashed orange lines on the 1:25,000 maps where there is no statutory right of way but where the landowner permits use as a bridleway.
A bridleway is sometimes waymarked using a blue arrow on a metal or plastic disc or by blue paint dots on posts and trees.
Byways open to all traffic
Image:P5100417.JPG Image:P50904161.jpg A byway open to all traffic, or BOAT, is a highway over which the public have a right-of-way for vehicular and all other kinds of traffic but which is used by the public mainly for the purpose for which footpaths and bridleways are used. (United Kingdom Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, section 15(9)(c), as amended by Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Act 1991, Schedule 1).
A byway open to all traffic is sometimes waymarked using a red arrow on a metal or plastic disc or by red paint dots on gateposts or trees.
- See also Byway (road).
Roads used as public paths
Image:SU7338 RUPP.jpg
A road used as public path is a type of right-of-way.
"Right to roam"
Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 the public also has a right to walk away from rights of way on designated "access land". This right is in addtion to rights of way, and does not extend to horseriders or cyclists. Access land may be closed for up to 28 days per year, whereas rights of way must remain open at all times, except in exceptional circumstances with special permission of the local authoritry.
Scotland
In Scotland a right of way is defined as any defined route over which the public has been able to pass unhindered for at least 20 years. The route must link two "public places", such as villages, churches or roads. Unlike in England and Wales there is no obligation on Scottish local authorities to signpost or mark a right of way. However the charity Scotways, formed in 1845 to protect rights of ways, records and signs the routes.
There is no legal distinction between footpaths and bridleways in Scotland, though it is generally accepted that they may follow rights of way with suitable surfaces.
The Land Reform Act (Scotland) 2003 established a general presumption of access to all land in Scotland, making the existence of rights of way less important in terms of access to land in Scotland.
References
- The Countryside Act 1968
- Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
- Rights of Way Act 1990
- United Kingdom Horses (Protective Headgear for Young Riders) Act 1990
- Scotways - The Scottish Rights of Way Society
External links
- a Bedfordshire County Council webpage explaining rights of way
- Commercial internet based database of bridleways in the UK
- Photographs of some RUPPs at the British Geograph project
- Photographs of some Byways at the British Geograph project
- Photographs of some UK bridleways at the British Geograph project