Where there’s a will...
THE deadline for registering forgotten rights of way by 2026 has been scrapped, leaving campaigners thrilled. Since 2000, a January 1, 2026, cut-off date has been in place for unmapped historic rights of way through private land that existed before 1949 to be reported, legally protected and added to official maps—after that date, the opportunity would have disappeared. Some of these are in regular use by horse riders and walkers, others are lost or overgrown. The rule applies to urban alleyways, as well as countryside paths, byways and bridleways.
‘Now, users can carry out their work without a Sword of Damocles hanging over them, and we can ensure that valuable ways are saved,’ enthuses Open Spaces Society general secretary Kate Ashbrook.
The Ramblers has 41,000 miles of potential missing rights of way in England in sight and in need of investigation—part of its Don’t Lose Your Way campaign. ‘This is a step in the right direction for the government towards making it a reality for more people [and future generations] to enjoy the benefits of walking and connecting with Nature,’ adds head of paths Jack Cornish.
A public right of way can, however, be a blight to landowners, particularly when they run through farmland with animals grazing and gates that need to be kept shut, or close to houses, which can increase the risk of burglary and lower a property’s value by as much as 25%. One foot path adjacent COUNTRY LIFE reader based in Essex reports that ‘not a day goes by without my finding discarded rubbish— recently, it was a bottle of wine. And walkers are always parking in front of my gates, blocking access. One got out of his car the other day and stripped off to don running clothes—something I’d rather not witness from my kitchen window’.
With this in mind, the Government will also introduce a ‘right to apply’ for landowners to divert or remove rights of way in specific circumstances—which the Open Spaces Society plans to contest.