Footpaths

[ianfitz]

One of the footpaths I'll ride is part of the Pennine Way - it's either stone setts or covered in flagstones for that section - it's usually evenings when I'm on it and I rarely see anyone. If I do it's often a fell runner out for a run.

We've also got a few of the bridleways that become footpaths at the parish boundary - what would be the best one to ride has a very antagonistic farmer at the far end and it goes past his house

We found that on the howgills BW. As it passes through a farm it turns to (or is signed as ) a FP through one small field and the yard. This would rule out horse based access, which strikes me as odd.

[Sarah]

Just admit I mostly avoid it. Stopped riding with local mtb club cos they were taking groups n beginners on FP in the Lakes. Just think its bad karma to upset people.

I am far more concerned about sustainability and erosion of paths. My local fell, Longridge, has been really badly messed up in just last 8 years since I have been back here. When questioning bikers on these paths they tend to not care or just be abusive. Very sad to see such unnecessary damage.

[Bearbonesnorm]

There's a lot of BW within Snowdonia National Park that are only signed as footpath - the cynical side of me thinks there might be a sinister motive, the less cynical side, thinks they've no BW signs

[RIP]

Just Sarah and myself not keen then, good, I always like to be a minority . Erosion is an issue, and bad karma. But again, seems a bit hypocritical one advocating stealth bivi but less keen on stealth footpathing . Surely got to be a no-no in high profile areas - Lakes, Peaks etc - but interestingly a lot of footpaths in quiet areas are disappearing due to lack of use and a posse of bikepackers ploughing through may well help to keep them open.

[Bearbonesnorm]

No, I'm not a great fan either Reg but sometimes (as mentioned already) it's simply a designation which actually happens to be 'wrong'. As an example (or two) - I was out walking last weekend, I was on a lovely BW which ended at a gate. The next 30 yards were shown as FP, then it became BW once more. This was the same physical track, no difference from one side of the gate to the other.

Many of the tracks that cross the Rhinogs are FP, yet they are drove roads. Drovers often used horses, which in my mind kind of means they ought to be BW. Perhaps we need to remember that many of the paths were designated long before mountain bikes and at the time there probably wasn't a strong horse lobby either.

I think it's a subject where common (if only) sense is king

[ScotRoutes]

A footpath is erosion, erosion caused by thousands of footsteps. If erosion really is a problem then the blame rarely lies with cyclists.

[benconnolli]

I am not keen on the idea. How is us riding footpaths breaking that rule any different from lads on scooters ripping up our nice bridleway tracks? Yes we know how little damage we cause to paths, and our stench is merely natural, but to the rulebook rambler we are all lumped together as disturbers of the peace. I don't want to be in the situation when mummy says if you can't play off road nicely then you can't play at all. However illogical and unfair, dem da rules, and people use any excuse to have a go at cyclists, so I do not want to give them any. That said my standard mtb loop at uni was either 5km busy main road or one of those car width firm gravel footpaths half the distance, I only realised this technicality once graduating and planning a walk to York so yeah common sense and don't be a d!ck work better than rules and not crossing dotted lines.

[Chew]

However illogical and unfair, dem da rules, and people use any excuse to have a go at cyclists, so I do not want to give them any.

I’d just remind people of this

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... nniversary

[Bearlegged]

I would definitely think twice about using footpaths in the Lakes or Peaks at lunchtime on a blazing bank hol weekend...

Or indeed bridleways...

[whitestone]

However illogical and unfair, dem da rules, and people use any excuse to have a go at cyclists, so I do not want to give them any.

That reminds me of an incident during the 2016 BB200. I was in a small group of three or four nearing Knighton. Stu had helpfully sent us down in to the valley only for a mile later to head back up on to the ridge we had just been riding along. We turned off the road by a group of houses and started up the bridleway which followed a farm track, this http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=326550 ... &A=Y&Z=115 is the BW in question. A woman by the house stopped us.

"Where are you going?"

"Up here."

"You're not allowed up there."

"But it's a bridleway."

"Yes it is! And that means bicycles aren't allowed!"

We then spent a few minutes going over the various categories of ROWs.

[FLV]

it's stupid really. We can share.

As others have said, don't be a D1ck, respect other users, and don't ride anything you will damage when avoidable.

Personally I don't ride many peak footpaths on really nice days in normal tourist spots, but that's because they're really busy. This falls into the respect other users category for me and is purely a judgement call.

[Richard G]

That reminds me of an incident during the 2016 BB200. I was in a small group of three or four nearing Knighton. Stu had helpfully sent us down in to the valley only for a mile later to head back up on to the ridge we had just been riding along. We turned off the road by a group of houses and started up the bridleway which followed a farm track, this http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=326550 ... &A=Y&Z=115 is the BW in question. A woman by the house stopped us.

"Where are you going?"

"Up here."

"You're not allowed up there."

"But it's a bridleway."

"Yes it is! And that means bicycles aren't allowed!"

We then spent a few minutes going over the various categories of ROWs.

I remember that. lol

[johnb]

Just Sarah and myself not keen then, good, I always like to be a minority . Erosion is an issue, and bad karma. But again, seems a bit hypocritical one advocating stealth bivi but less keen on stealth footpathing . Surely got to be a no-no in high profile areas - Lakes, Peaks etc - but interestingly a lot of footpaths in quiet areas are disappearing due to lack of use and a posse of bikepackers ploughing through may well help to keep them open.

How can a footpath be removed as a right away simple because it's not used a lot? For footpath to be diverted there has to be a legal process. A hearing (of sorts) has to take place. Notices have to go up on the footpath well in advance of the hearing. Closing footpath because it's little used? I doubt it?

[TheBrownDog]

There is actually a deadline of 1 January 2026, that will mean that footpaths and bridleways that are not recorded on a councils’ official Definitive Map of Rights of Way may no longer be rights of way. The local ramblers have been on a mission to make sure all the trails are mapped, especially the little alleys in the village.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -alleyways

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've been led to believe this is not the case as a bike is not a normal accompaniment to walking? You can carry it along one if you dismantle it to make it so you cant ride it, i.e. take a wheel out. The same person also advised that you can't lead a horse along a footpath either.

Sean, there was a ruling that while a bike isn't 'an aid to walking' pushing a bike is no different to walking down a path swinging 2 poles ... or something like that.

[whitestone]

One of my commuting routes is a case in point. I can either stick on the road and try to navigate a five exit roundabout (this is on one of the main trunk roads in the area) at rush hour or take the footpath that goes under the bridge to the side.

I'll invariably take the latter (slowly) and have never had any comments from any walkers apart from "Good morning!".

[Cheeky Monkey]

it's stupid really. We can share.

As others have said, don't be a D1ck, respect other users, and don't ride anything you will damage when avoidable.

Personally I don't ride many peak footpaths on really nice days in normal tourist spots, but that's because they're really busy. This falls into the respect other users category for me and is purely a judgement call.

That's about it, IMO.

I don't go for a "them's the rules" approach (in this respect) because it relies on the "rules" being right. They're not (in many cases). PROW designation was based on so much historical precedent, land-owner influence, petty local politics etc etc. Consequently, classification is utter bobbins and doesn't relate to need, suitability, viability, vulnerability or any other modern, 21st century criteria. Actually doing anything with PROW is a real struggle, tends to take a very special (and rare) type of person and occurs at the usual glacial speeds of local authorities. The people that do this deserve a grateful nod

I suspect Reg's point was FPs disappearing physically i.e. as an identifiable (visible or defined) lines in nature. I don't think he meant disappearing as in legal extinguishment.

I also sit on a LAF. So far it has been very dull and, so far as I can tell, ineffective. Suspect I'm going to give that up and try to get back to more digging.

[johnb]

There is actually a deadline of 1 January 2026, that will mean that footpaths and bridleways that are not recorded on a councils’ official Definitive Map of Rights of Way may no longer be rights of way. The local ramblers have been on a mission to make sure all the trails are mapped, especially the little alleys in the village.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -alleyways

I think what is happening is no new footpaths/rights of way can be created after 2026. All should already be defined. I could claim a new footpath as there is a few locations I know where the farmer doesn't bother you if you continue on a route after the footpath ends in the middle of nowhere. Although most farmers cover themselves with a sign saying no right of way but don't bother enforcing it.

[slarge]

"Not allowed" and "prohibited" are very different in law (probably). Cycling on footpaths, wild camping, and parking overnight in lay-bys may not be allowed, but unless there are signs up prohibiting them then we're good.

[MikeW]

I think I answered my own question today. I plotted a route which included footpaths and rode it today. I found that the majority of the footpaths didn't have a single person in them and so I had no problem. A few parts ran straight through farm yards, I was cautious here and pushed the bike rather than rode. One section gave me a dilemma when i found a track through a farm stating it was private land. I rerouted and added about a mile or so of road riding here instead.

[voodoo_simon]

Went for a walk last night up Moel Famau and a bicyclist was coming down. Told a woman to watch out (she had her back to him) and after he went past (well controlled and polite), she turned to me saying “I didn’t think bikes were allowed on this side of the hill?!”

To which I responded
“He’s not doing anyone any harm”

She didn’t respond to that

Did see a man with his son on a trails motorbike going up the same hill later in the evening. Very hypocritical of me but thought that was going to far on a footpath

[ericrobo]

Three of us riding in the Berwyns a few years ago, mate’s chain snapped, no tool, except a hammer (he had a wonky seat which he had to strike hard with the hammer every 10 minutes)

Agreed the two of us would carry on and meet later on along the, sort of, loop.

When we met he said he’d been ‘accosted’ by two rangers, who said bikes not allowed (he was free-wheeling along very nicely)

He said it was not a bicycle, it was a velocipede, and powered by pushing his feet along the ground !

They must have been nearing nervous breakdown point, thinking the hills are full of lunatics, cos they had also ‘accosted’ me and Robert earlier, and I feigned the collapse of my life if I got a prison sentence, and please don’t be heartless and get me locked up..

(nowt like a sense of humour )

Some footpaths are just lovely to ride on, as long as:
No mud, nor chance of making them muddy
No damage done
No people for miles around

More people = more problems... unfortunately