Why Rights of Way Matter on British Hills

Walkers in England and Wales are lucky. We have a vast network of paths and tracks that cross private land, and the law says we may use them. But that permission comes with conditions, and understanding them keeps you on the right side of farmers, landowners and the occasional gamekeeper. Get it wrong and you may find yourself politely but firmly redirected, or worse, facing a locked gate and a long detour.

The system is not complicated once you know the categories. What matters is recognising which type of path you are on, what you are allowed to do on it, and where your rights stop.

Public Footpaths, Bridleways and Byways

On an Ordnance Survey map you will see paths shown in green dashes for footpaths, green dashes with plus signs for bridleways, and green crosses for byways. Each has different rules.

• Public footpath — on foot only. No cycling, no horse riding, no motor vehicles. Pushchairs and dogs are generally fine, though dogs must be under close control and on a lead around livestock.
• Public bridleway — on foot, on horseback, or on a bicycle. Cyclists must give way to walkers and riders, and horses always have priority.
• Restricted byway — walkers, riders, cyclists and horse-drawn vehicles, plus motor vehicles that already have a right to use it. You are unlikely to meet many.
• Byway open to all traffic — rarer still, and usually only of interest to trail riders and 4x4 drivers.

Rights of way are highways in law. They exist on the ground whether or not they are signposted, and a landowner cannot simply close one because it is inconvenient. But they can be temporarily diverted or closed for farming operations, and you should respect diversion signs when they appear.

Stiles, Gates and Obstructions

Stiles and gates on a right of way are the landowner's responsibility to maintain. If a stile is broken, a gate is chained shut or a path is blocked by a fence, that is technically an obstruction, and you are entitled to report it to the local highway authority. In practice, most walkers simply find a safe way around.

A few rules of etiquette make the whole system work better:

• Always leave gates as you find them — open if open, closed if closed. If a sign asks you to close it, close it.
• Use the stile, not the fence beside it. Climbing over a fence damages it and can let livestock out.
• Cross fields by the line of the path, not diagonally across crops. Trampling a growing crop is a real financial loss.
• Keep dogs on a lead or close at heel near livestock, and always on a lead between 1 March and 31 July when ground-nesting birds are breeding.

Open Access Land and the Right to Roam

Open access land is different altogether. Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, certain areas of mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land are open for walking without any formal path. You will find these marked on modern OS maps with a pale orange wash and a symbol showing an open gate with a walker.

On access land you may walk, climb, run and picnic freely. You may not camp, light fires, take a dog onto grouse moor between 1 April and 31 July, or drive any vehicle. Some access land has restrictions during shooting or lambing, and these are usually signposted at access points or listed by the national park authority.

Access land often abuts rights of way, so you can step off the path onto the moor and pick your own line across the hillside. This is a genuine freedom, but it comes with responsibility: navigation, erosion avoidance, and leaving no trace.

Farmland, Livestock and the Countryside Code

Most of the friction walkers encounter happens on farmland. Crops, livestock and machinery mean the path may not be obvious, particularly in late summer when maize or oilseed rape reaches head height. If the path is invisible, follow its line as best you can using the map, and rejoin it at the far side.

Never approach cattle with calves. Walk calmly and quietly around the edge of the field, and if you have a dog, keep it close. Bullocks are curious rather than aggressive, but cows with young can be defensive. If you feel threatened, let the dog off the lead so you can both move away quickly — a loose dog can outrun cattle, but a dog on a lead cannot.

Close any gate you open, do not feed livestock, and take all litter home. Farmers tolerate walkers enormously well given the disruption we can cause; a friendly hello costs nothing and buys a great deal of goodwill.

Where to Check Before You Go

Local highway authorities publish definitive maps of rights of way, and most national park websites list any current closures or diversions. Ordnance Survey Explorer maps at 1:25,000 scale are the walker's friend here, showing path types, access land and permissive paths clearly.

If a path is blocked or a sign is missing, report it. The system only works when walkers and landowners both uphold it, and every correctly reported obstruction makes the network a little better for the next person over the stile.