PRoW FAQs for England & Wales
What are Local Access Forums ? What is the best way to overtake a horse and rider ? What trails can I ride on ? What are the standard colours for waymark discs ? What are "white roads" and can you cycle on them ? Eh ? Suddenly a bridleway changes to a footpath How can new cycle routes be created in the countryside ? How can a public footpath which runs through land owned by the local council be upgraded for use by cyclists ? If a local route has been used by cyclists for 20 years without any comment from the landowner, what status can cyclists claim for this route ? If you feel that a local footpath should really have a higher status which could allow cycle use, what historic records can you use to support a claim ? What are the minimum path widths in fields which have been cultivated for crops ? What can you do if your bridlepath is blocked by a barbed wire fence ? When should you complain to the Local Authority about illegal ploughing ? You find a bridleway has been wrecked by tractor ruts. Who should you complain to ? Which cattle may graze fields which are crossed by rights of way ? Whose responsibility is it to keep PRoW clear of vegetation ? Should the game shooters wait until you have passed before they fire over your bridleway or bridleway ? What can you do if you encounter a "Private No Entry" sign on your bridleway ? What should you do if your bridleway is blocked by a crop ? What should you do if your bridleway route takes you through a farmyard protected by a growling dog with bared teeth ?
What are Local Access Forums ? These are a requirement of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act and have been set up to advise Local Authorities on Open Access and Rights of Way Improvement Plans. They involve users, landowners and other interested persons, but members are specifically requested not to represent “organisations”.
They will have up to 22 members and it is very much in our interests to have cyclists represented on these forums. Contact your PRoW office and find out about attending the next meeting where you can chat to the cycling represntative - or better still see if you can get onto the forum itself.
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What is the best way to overtake a horse and rider ? The British Horse Society recommend the "hail a horse" technique which means that you should shout "Hello" or "Passing" and await acknowledgement before slowly overtaking.
If the horse is approaching it is best to dismount and get off the trail. If the trail is narrow then ensure that the bike is between you and the horse!
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What trails can I ride on ? You have the right to ride on the following public rights of way:
Ordnance Survey Depiction
Bridleways - - - - - - - -
Byways Open to All Traffic + + + + +
Restricted Byways (Previously "Roads used as Public Paths") - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - .
You may also ride on the following:
'Routes with other public access' - the Ordnance Survey term for 'white roads' or 'green lanes'
Unsurfaced Roads
Forestry Commission stone tracks
Some unsurfaced Forestry Commission tracks
Forestry Commission mountain bike trails
Cyclepaths and cycletracks
Some Canal Towpaths
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What are the standard colours for waymark discs ? Blue = Bridlepath
Yellow = Footpath
Red = Byway open to all traffic
No colour : Restricted byways
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What are "white roads" and can you cycle on them ? "White roads" are the tracks and lanes coloured white rather than yellow on Ordnance Survey maps.
They are also called green lanes because they often have grass, and you may also hear them mentioned as UUCR's - Unsurfaced Unclassified Roads.
Some of these routes are private tracks, and we have no right to use them. Others are roads which can be found on the highways maps at your local Highway Authority.
However, although all Highway Authorities agree that we can cycle on "yellow" roads, some will not confirm that their "white roads" are legal for cyclists.
Fortunately, many of these roads are now shown by Ordnance Survey as "Other routes with public access" which at least means they are publicly owned. IMBA's view is that you can cycle on these unless the Highway Authority provides evidence that only walkers can use them.
There is one other confusing factor. Some of these roads are "dual purpose" - they can be roads AND footpaths at the same time, and may be shown as footpaths only. Again you have to check your Highway Authority map to identify any such "footpaths" which may legally be cycled.
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Eh ? Suddenly a bridleway changes to a footpath You are planning a bridleway route from an Ordnance Survey map, and find that one bridleway becomes a footpath after a stream. What can you do ?
Firstly, check the status of the route with the PRoW department. This is probably listed as an anomaly - usually at parish boundary, typically where two parishes surveyed the path and came to different conclusions as to its status.
The PRoW department may have evidence to show that it is all bridleway - in which case you may ride it until it is proved otherwise.
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How can new cycle routes be created in the countryside ? By permission of the landowner
By a legal dedication by the landowner
By proving that cyclists have used the route for 20 hassle free years.
By using historical records to show that the route was once used freely by horses or horses and carts.
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How can a public footpath which runs through land owned by the local council be upgraded for use by cyclists ? There are three ways that this can be done:
The easiest, and most common is to informally adopt it as a cyclepath, but as the landowner they may also dedicate it as a bridleway if they are happy with equestrian use.
They may also use the Cycle Tracks Act. This is less commonly used as it is cumbersome and expensive to use.
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If a local route has been used by cyclists for 20 years without any comment from the landowner, what status can cyclists claim for this route ? The recent NERC Act facilitates claims as Restricted Byways. You will need to get lots of signed forms and present them to the Rights of Way Department with your claim.
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If you feel that a local footpath should really have a higher status which could allow cycle use, what historic records can you use to support a claim ? This can be a time consuming process, and may require some little time spent in the Local Records Office and County library.
The documents which may help include Inclosure awards, Tythe maps, Finance Act records and Canal and Railway Bill records.
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What are the minimum path widths in fields which have been cultivated for crops ? Cross field bridleway: 2.0m
Field edge bridleway: 3.0m
Any byway: 3.0m
These widths are defined in the 1990 Rights of Way Act, and only apply to paths in cultivated fields which have no width noted in the definitive statement.
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What can you do if your bridlepath is blocked by a barbed wire fence ? You are allowed to:
Climb over it
Find a way around it - although you should not stray onto a neighbours land.
In some circumstances it may be possible to cut it - but we do not recommend this.
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When should you complain to the Local Authority about illegal ploughing ? Only cross field bridlepaths (& footpaths) may be ploughed - and these must be reinstated within 14 days.
It is illegal to plough the following:
Bridlepaths which follow field edges,
byways,
Restricted Byways,
unsurfaced unclassified roads.
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You find a bridleway has been wrecked by tractor ruts. Who should you complain to ? The Local Authority Rights of Way Department can require a landowner to repair damage to their property - including Rights of Way.
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Which cattle may graze fields which are crossed by rights of way ? All cows are OK - although be wary of cows with calves
All beef bulls such as Herefords or Aberdeen Angus are OK as they are normally quite placid .
The law makes it illegal to have a dairy bull such as a Jersey, Guernsey or Fresian bull in a field with a right of way, because they can be very aggressive.
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Whose responsibility is it to keep PRoW clear of vegetation ? It is the responsibility of the landowner to clear overhanging vegetation such as hedges or trees.
The Local Authority , however, has the responsibility to maintain the surface by clearing vegetation and maintaining the drainage.
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Should the game shooters wait until you have passed before they fire over your bridleway or bridleway ? Yes - on bridleways they should, however it it is illegal to fire over a byway.
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What can you do if you encounter a "Private No Entry" sign on your bridleway ? First check your map and position to make sure that you are really on your bridleway.
If you are confident that you are OK then ignore it and ride on because the sign is illegal. If the farmer tries to stop you, be polite but firm. It is, of course possible that the bridleway has been legally extinguished or diverted, so ask a local resident or the farmer for their understanding of the situation.
If the situation does look unclear, it may be necessary to find another route.
Whatever the outcome, you should contact the Council Rights of Way Section when you return to report the sign.
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What should you do if your bridleway is blocked by a crop ? If you are sure that you are on the right route then you may ride through the crop on the line of the bridlepath.
This will be OK in crops such as cereals or peas, but may be impossible in potatoes, oilrape, field beans or maize. In these crops you may make your way around the field edge. Report the blockage to the Council Rights of Way Section when you return.
If the Council does not sort the problem, then follow the “Obstructions” procedure on the website.
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What should you do if your bridleway route takes you through a farmyard protected by a growling dog with bared teeth ? This can be all too common, but if you are brave - then continue while warding off any "nipping" opportunities! Otherwise, you can regard this as a "blockage" and a way around the farmyard.
It is worth reporting this to the police, who will react when they have a sufficient case load of complaints or injuries.
Oddly, if you did get badly bitten, you are only likely to successfully sue for damages if you can prove that the dog has chewed someone else previously and that the owner was aware of this!
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Last update: 31 Dec 2008 |
Forestry Commission Scotland's Ae Line Trail at 7Stanes