Rights of way rage to virtuous glow in a few easy steps
The footpath network we enjoy today is kept open largely because walkers report problems and make the effort to check that something is done.
Sometimes your walk will be plagued with a range of minor annoyances like rickety stiles or overhanging branches, occasionally it
can be brought to a grinding halt "Who put that quarry there ?". If you are leading a walk, you'll be doing your
bit if you report at least the one most annoying problem you encounter.
What is a footpath problem ?
Anything that interferes with your enjoyment of the right of way, such as
Stiles broken or strung with barbed wire
Locked gates
Path full of nettles or blocked by other vegetation
Misleading signs e.g. 'private land' or missing signs
Dangerous animals
Path ploughed up or planted over
dumped rubbish or rubble
There is more information on the
Basics of footpath law
factsheet produced by the Ramblers Association.
How do you report a problem ?
1. Collect the information
This may be easier on the recce than the actual walk when you might
not want to interrupt the flow. You will need to note:
grid reference, easier if some keen person has GPS on them, and a description of location
e.g. SP443178 stile approx 0.5km along path heading North from Old Woodstock towards Wootton
description of the problem. It isn't essential but it would be brilliant if you could
also get a digital photo both to send to the Highway Authority and for potential 'before and after' publicity.
2. Tell the highway authority or give the details to the group
The highway authority for Oxfordshire is Oxfordshire County Council:
F.A.O. Public Rights of Way Officer
Countryside Service
Oxfordshire County Council
Holton
Oxford
OX33 1QQ
Tel: 01865 810226
Fax: 01865 810207
email: countryside@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Click the map on the left to use the point & click map tool or they have the original online reporting form you can use.
Try to print out a copy of the form to keep so the problem can be followed up and send a copy of the details to the
as well.
They also have lovely online map to
make things even easier which you can use to simply point to where the path problems are located.
If your walk is outside Oxfordshire, you can find the highway authority responsible
in the list of local authorities in 'Walk Britain' or from the Ramblers Association website.
3. Copy the information to the Ramblers Association main office. You can use the
online report form
or post it.
4. What happens next? If you have the chance, check after a few weeks to see
if the problem has been resolved. If it has not been resolved after, say, three months,
write again to the highway authority. Please let the group
know the outcome, or if you'd like them to follow it up with the highway authority.
If you'd like further information or to discuss a footpath problem, please contact our group
