Understanding the Public Rights of Way Network

England and Wales are crisscrossed by more than 140,000 miles of public rights of way, a remarkable legacy that lets walkers, families and dogs explore everything from coastal clifftops to quiet corners of the Cotswolds. These paths fall into distinct categories, and knowing the difference helps you plan sensibly. Footpaths are for walking only. Bridleways welcome walkers, horse riders and cyclists. Restricted byways allow those plus horse-drawn vehicles, while byways open to all traffic can carry motor vehicles. Most family walks stick to footpaths and bridleways, but a glance at an Ordnance Survey map before you set out will tell you exactly what you are dealing with.

The network is not a single entity. Local highways authorities maintain it, landowners farm around it, and volunteers clear it. Understanding this shared responsibility is the first step towards walking well.

Reading the Waymarks Like a Local

Waymarking is your best friend in the field. Standard discs use yellow arrows for footpaths, blue for bridleways, and red for byways. You will also meet wooden fingerposts, some of them wonderfully weathered, pointing the way across a field or into a wood. A common mistake is to assume a path follows the most obvious line. It rarely does. The definitive line may cross a field diagonally, skirt a pond or pass through a gap you can barely see from the stile.

If a waymark seems to vanish, look for subtle clues: a worn strip in the grass, a gap in a hedge, a stile half-hidden by ivy, or a muddy patch where boots have churned the ground. Always carry a paper map or a charged device with offline maps, because signal in the British countryside is famously unreliable. If you do stray onto the wrong side of a hedge, simply retrace your steps to the last waymark rather than pressing on across private land. It is never worth the confrontation, and it does real harm to the goodwill that keeps the network open.

Gates, Stiles and Leaving Things as You Found Them

Every gate, stile and kissing gate exists to keep livestock where they belong. The golden rule is simple: leave gates as you find them. If it was closed, close it. If it was open, it was probably opened for a reason, perhaps to let stock move between fields, so leave it that way. Climbing over a gate rather than opening it is tempting but risks damaging the hinges, the wire or your own ankle.

• Lift latches fully before pushing, and never swing on a gate.
• Use stiles one at a time, and help children and dogs over safely.
• Do not let dogs squeeze under gates into fields with livestock.
• If a stile is broken, report it to the local authority rather than forcing a route around it.

Small courtesies add up. A gate left open beside a road can put sheep onto tarmac; a latch dropped carelessly can leave a field insecure for days.

Staying on the Path: Crops, Wildlife and Good Neighbours

It can feel pedantic to stay on a muddy strip when a wide, dry field beckons, but that strip is the legal path, and wandering off it has real consequences. Crops are a farmer's income. Walking through a wheat field flattens stems that will never recover, and cutting a new route across a meadow creates a visible scar that others will follow.

Wildlife is equally vulnerable. Ground-nesting birds such as skylarks and lapwings lay eggs in grass and crops, and a single wandering dog or pair of boots can destroy a clutch in seconds. During spring and early summer, keep dogs on a short lead near fields and heathland, and stick to the path even when it looks undisturbed.

Where a path crosses arable land, the landowner should reinstate it within a set period, so if the line is genuinely impassable, report it. Do not simply invent a detour.

Walking with Children and Dogs

Family adventures are the heart of all this. Children learn quickly when given jobs: one can be the waymark spotter, another the gate checker. Give them a simple map and let them lead a section, and the walk becomes an expedition rather than a trudge. Keep everyone clear about boundaries before you start, particularly near roads, rivers and livestock.

Dogs need the same clarity. Under the Countryside Code, keep dogs under effective control at all times and on a lead around livestock and near ground-nesting birds. If cattle approach, release the dog rather than risk being trampled, and never let a dog chase sheep or horses. Carry bags, take them home, and remember that a well-behaved dog is welcome on almost every right of way.

Planning Ahead and Giving Back

A little preparation turns a good walk into a great one. Check the weather, tell someone your route, pack water and a snack, and wear boots that can cope with clay and cow pats. Note where the nearest pub or café sits, because a hot drink at the end is part of the ritual.

Finally, consider giving something back. Many paths are kept open by volunteers who clear brambles, replace stiles and waymark routes. Joining a local path group, picking up a piece of litter or simply reporting a broken gate makes the network stronger for the next family that comes along. That is the quiet bargain of the British countryside: we all get to enjoy it, and we all help keep it open.