Footpaths

[MikeW]

I'm curious to hear people's experience of riding on footpaths? Or your feelings towards it. I'm keen on putting in more off road miles but having studied local OS maps it seems warrington is full of footpaths but not a lot of bridleways. Im sure there's off-road places to ride a bit further a field but I'm talking about specifically setting off from the house. Do you ride on footpaths during 'quiet' times? Ride them anytime? Or avoid completely?

[RIP]

'Avoid'. I feel it's a subcategory of Rule#1. 1g) probably . Then again, just ask the land 'owner's' permission then crack on.. Then again then again, if we're happy to civil trespass for all our bivis, could argue may as well do the same for our ride to get there...pavement biking is a different, crim, 'offence' of course...

[jam bo]

Ride them whenever I feel like it. Rarely challenged. If I am, standard response to ‘your not allowed to ride bikes here’ is ‘I know, silly isn’t it’.

[voodoo_simon]

Depends on the area and what the footpath gores through. Farming areas, then no.

Will use footpaths mid-week or evenings and will avoid busy areas at the weekends. Will also avoid certain areas after lots of rain too.

If in doubt, then I don’t use them.

Would certainly not use a footpath in the Peaks as I know this would upset the park/rangers etc etc and as I’d be a tourist there, then it’s not my place to spoil it for others.

Talking of the local area, I do use Helsby/Frodsham footpaths quite a bit, only had one complaint from a walker (ironically pointing out erosion from my bike but was pointing at four or five paths made by walkers when one would have sufficed )

Edit - I’ve used that line Jambo, the look on their faces

2nd edit - awaits for the Scots to respond with “what footpaths “

[MikeW]

I've not used many footpaths myself but ended up on one through a farm last week. Rode past the farmer on his tractor and I slowed to Ask if I was ok as I wouldn't want to look like I was taking the Mick. He didn't even give me a second glance so I just carried on eventually with no problem. Footpaths through farms are what I'm surrounded by really. They make up the bulk of where I would be considering riding looking at OS maps.

[Bearbonesnorm]

There's not a single right or wrong answer. It depends on many factors but always remember you're perfectly entitled to push your bike along a footpath.

[Chew]

Personally I don’t see any differentiation.

It’s more there is a time and a place to ride certain tracks. Certain times of the week there’s certain areas I’d avoid due to the being busy with other people.

Just ride it.
IIRC designation is based upon use, so the more these trails are ridden on the more things may open up over time.

(Awaits someone from Scotland to ask what a footpath is)

[MikeW]

Good advice, thanks guys. I would view a footpath in the peak district as more off limits due to walkers. Footpaths through countryside / farms are probably more of a land owner issue rather than upsetting the odd dog walker.

[ScotRoutes]

* points and laughs....*

On a serious tack, the questionable legality plus trying to interpret the various purple line patterns does put me off travelling to Englandandwales to ride.

[Ian]

In Scotland you can go where you like (except within 25m of private buildings, apparently), but certain routes seem much more attractive than others. Tracks that disappear down a well manicured drive to a house seem off putting to me but the main “public rights of way” seem to be marked as footpaths by name. E.g “Footpath to Newtyle” is a broad gravel track between fields and around woods. No one bats an eyelid, if you see anyone at all.

Which is maybe the point, and why it works in Scotland; fewer people, less conflict. Some of the more popular walking routes have bylaws restricting bikes, but people still do. As Chew says, pick your moments and you’ll probably be fine. If you get stopped, use Jambo’s line.

[Ian]

* points and laughs....*

On a serious tack, the questionable legality plus trying to interpret the various purple line patterns does put me off travelling to Englandandwales to ride.

FWIW, I find it much more difficult to assess a viable route off a map in Scotland without its red (not purple) dashed and dotted lines, than I do in Wales. Not least half the tracks on the ground round here aren’t on the flippin map to begin with...

[ScotRoutes]

In Scotland you can go where you like (except within 25m of private buildings, apparently), but certain routes seem much more attractive than others. Tracks that disappear down a well manicured drive to a house seem off putting to me but the main “public rights of way” seem to be marked as footpaths by name. E.g “Footpath to Newtyle” is a broad gravel track between fields and around woods. No one bats an eyelid, if you see anyone at all.

.

There's no 25m cut-off. When you think about it, there are lots of paths and tracks that go right past someones house.
The Rights of Way thing precedes the LR(S)A but is still important in maintaining certain tracks and preventing them from being built upon or diverted. I do some voluntary work with the Scottish Rights of Way Society (Scotways) helping out with this.

The population density issue comes up often but there's over 1/2 million folk just a walk or a short bus ride away from the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh and the same access laws apply there without any problems.

You're right about identifying what's rideable/not. Some of my work for the Scotways Heritage Paths website has me crossing fields and hillsides looking for any trace at all of paths and tracks marked on the OS maps. There's frequently nothing

[Bearlegged]

I ride in the Peak District, usually out of peak (ha!) times.
I ride paths, footpaths, bridleways, roads.
I always try to be friendly and considerate to all other people. This has included walkers, rangers, other cyclists, horse riders.
I've never found myself in any conflict with others.

[whitestone]

England and Wales may have the red dotted (footpath) and dashed (bridleway) lines but Scotland has the infamous black dashed line which can be anything from easy landrover track to non-existent sometimes on different parts of the same line on the map.

As for using: I'll ride one or two locally but they are better suited to riding than the bridleways a short distance away being stone or hardcore rather than mud.

[fatbikephil]

I ridden a few in the Dales but generally they turn out not to be worth it (stiles, steps, bogs...) as there are so many bridleways to choose from. I do get a bit frustrated when a 'footpath' is the marked ROW on a double track or you come a cross a nice big track with no ROW marking. It is nice knowing that you can follow the red dashed liens with impunity regardless of where the go.

As Ian says in Scotland the problem is that paths on the ground often don't match whats on the map and vice versa. But having to scope out whats there is part of the fun and a lot more routes are now signed. Even when it says 'footpath' you know you can ride it. Also most councils now publish there core paths plan as an interactive map and these cover many routes, even in the uplands

[Richard G]

I won't "descend" on footpaths, but I'll definitely use them to get from place to place.

[benp1]

My local off road loop involves footpaths, but at night there's no one on them so no one to upset, no harm done

[GregMay]

Apply the 'don't be a dick' rule, ride courteously, you'll rarely have issues.

FWIW, as a runner also, I often get MTBers pulling over to let me run past when they're travelling faster than me on narrow paths. I often chirp up with 'pity you slowed, it's a nice descent that' and smile :)

It's one big playground and mostly, people are happy to share it.

[Pickers]

Apply the 'don't be a dick' rule, ride courteously, you'll rarely have issues.

Very much this.

There's more than a few bridleways near home that just change to a footpath as you cross parish boundaries as well. I see these as fair game, within the boundaries of fair use.

[ianfitz]

remember you're perfectly entitled to push your bike along a footpath.

1869 carriage act amendment is clear on that if you ever need to cite it.

In England/Wales only the land owner or their appointed agent can ask you to ‘cease your trespassing’. It’s not the case that bikes aren’t allowed; just that cyclists don’t have right of access.

In general though rule 1 works. Being polite, a smile and not going too fast/close seems to do the trick.

The only time I’ve been shouted at was on curbar/frogatt path. It had been upgraded to a concessionary BW about two years before I met mr ranty. Must admit that I took great delight in letting him rant on before informing him of his wrongness.

[jameso]

Apply the 'don't be a dick' rule, ride courteously, you'll rarely have issues.

Very much this.

There's more than a few bridleways near home that just change to a footpath as you cross parish boundaries as well. I see these as fair game, within the boundaries of fair use.

All this. Plenty of BW-FP-BW lines on maps here, no logic to it and those linking paths tend to get used by the horse riders anyway. I tend to use paths based on suitability, need, location, sensitivity etc rather than designation.

[whitestone]

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

[Scud]

Here in North Norfolk, i often use footpaths and field boundaries to link up the bridleways, as above, just don' be a dick, if the path is muddy, don't chew it up. Don't use it if it has a lot of pedestrians etc. The only place i've ever been told off was right on the coast where all the Londoners and Surrey-ites have holiday homes, and that was by a man in red trousers.....

[DiscoStu]

There are footpaths and then there are footpaths...

I ride them all the time, there's one at the top of my street that I'll use at least weekly. I never have any issues. I would definitely think twice about using footpaths in the Lakes or Peaks at lunchtime on a blazing bank hol weekend....

Live and let live for me, the countryside is big enough for us all to enjoy.

[sean_iow]

always remember you're perfectly entitled to push your bike along a footpath.

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.

I use rule 1 as above. There are footpaths local to me which are wide gravel tracks and also there are bridleways which are narrow overgrown and impassable bogs. I use common sense.