In England and Wales we have over 140,000 miles of public rights of way, such as footpaths and bridleways.
They form one of our most valuable rural resources, developed in some cases over thousands of years, and are open to everyone, so long as you’re walking.
However, head off-road by bike or on a horse and you’ll soon find yourself limited in where you can ride by a confusing array of archaic laws which block off close to 80 per cent of the network.
There is a legal right to cycle on bridleways and byways, but these make up only 22% of the rights of way network in England and Wales and are often fragmented, making it difficult to put together a route avoiding busy roads.
It’s time our rights of way were based on suitability, not historic designation as footpath or bridleway.
In England and Wales we have over 140,000 miles of public rights of way, such as footpaths and bridleways.
They form one of our most valuable rural resources, developed in some cases over thousands of years, and are open to everyone, so long as you’re walking.
However, head off-road by bike or on a horse and you’ll soon find yourself limited in where you can ride by a confusing array of archaic laws which block off close to 80 per cent of the network.
There is a legal right to cycle on bridleways and byways, but these make up only 22% of the rights of way network in England and Wales and are often fragmented, making it difficult to put together a route avoiding busy roads.
It’s time our rights of way were based on suitability, not historic designation as footpath or bridleway.
Over the past few years Cycling UK has created six long-distance off-road trails, piecing together bridleways, byways, forest tracks, cycle paths and quiet roads into enticing routes which will inspire you to explore the countryside.
These trails showcase the benefits that connected off-road routes can bring, not only to the people who ride them, but also to rural tourism businesses. But they aren't perfect. We wanted to use the routes to highlight the gaps in the network: such as the ancient highway which has been travelled for millennia, but now isn't fully recorded as a right of way, or the mile-long stretch of asphalt track which leads to a spectacular glacial valley, but which we couldn't include because it's classed as a footpath.
Over the past few years Cycling UK has created six long-distance off-road trails, piecing together bridleways, byways, forest tracks, cycle paths and quiet roads into enticing routes which will inspire you to explore the countryside.
These trails showcase the benefits that connected off-road routes can bring, not only to the people who ride them, but also to rural tourism businesses. But they aren't perfect. We wanted to use the routes to highlight the gaps in the network: such as the ancient highway which has been travelled for millennia, but now isn't fully recorded as a right of way, or the mile-long stretch of asphalt track which leads to a spectacular glacial valley, but which we couldn't include because it's classed as a footpath.
