The UK's Mystery Footpaths.... (That you CAN'T walk on!). 

When I was Rights of Way officer for Wrexham County Borough Council in the late 90's we served notices on landowners in conjunction with Ramblers for obstructions. I attended court in a case where a farmer had threatened the use of a shotgun. We visited his land with police, erected signposts, removed obstructions etc. Very satisfying job. BTW the LA keeps the Definitive Maps of PROW which members of the public are entitled to access. Philip Jones.

I've been living in Germany for 30 years, coming back to Britain, I was absolutely shocked how many public footpaths are blocked by landowners deliberately. I was always told they were Queens (Kings) right of way and it was illegal to block access to the public.

Considering so little of the UK is accessible it's important we protect as many rights of way as possible. Great video

Classic example from near Stafford some years ago - a footpath running between two different parishes. One parish - clear as a bell, well waymarked. The moment you hit the parish boundary it disappeared; buried under impenetrable nettle and briar growth. Guess which Parish council was in the landowner's pockets?

It brings to mind the time I was walking across Blubberhouses Moor, camera in hand along a permissive route after the official public footpath had come to a stop in the middle of the Moor. Moor that was also open access land. I was followed by a gentleman toting a shotgun with his dog. He eventually caught me up and asked me what I thought I was doing walking across his land. Intimidation was his game to start with. I then politely explained that I was on a permitted route on open access land. He didn't like it when I explained the legal position and showed him the OS Map. I then received a lecture about protection of grouse chick's and nests. I found it hilarious seeing as it was two weeks past the 12th August and shooting season was well underway. In the end he gave up and walked off chuntering under his breath.

Fascinating video, Paul and Rebecca, having lived in Trowbridge and now Swindon, I know the paths you referred to near Devizes quite well. It's a sad fact that some farmers (not all) seem to have little respect for footpaths that have been in place for hundreds of years. Quite a few times I have come across footpaths across farmers' fields that have been plowed out, diverted or even blocked. We all need to work together and preserve what we have.

I went on a walk with some friends last month and was following the footpaths on Open-street-map. My friends wanted to avoid a path that went through a field of cows, I saw that there was another that passed by a farmhouse. The farmer came out to tell us that we were on Private land, despite it being the way through to a crossroads on the public footpath. Thankfully having watched your videos I knew how to report this to the local council who confirmed that it was a public footpath. I don't know how many of these landowners are ignorant of the rights of way laws or doing it maliciously.

Some years ago I rambled across the UK (and Scotland, I did go there) and I'm really jealous of your public footpath system. I found it amazing to be able to walk straight across fields on paths only marked on the OS map by a dotted line and a signpost and stile here and there. That is very rare here in the Netherlands. Last year I found a century old walking guide from the 1920's for a multi day walk. I had planned to walk it to see how the world had changed but found just by comparing the maps in the guide to modern ones that it was impossible. It turns out very few of the old footpaths survived, most have disappeared completely without a trace even here in this rural province. And a major part of the quiet lanes of those days have become busy tarmac roads (though often with a separate bicycle lane).

In the eighties I use to be part of the TRF and trying to sort out what was a road and what was a footpath or bridleway. Yet we would be on a road marked on the right maps it would end and be a footpath for about 100yards the start back up as a road or rupp/boat. As you said was it the landowners this time trying to stop wheel traffic. Plus some stopped paths for walkers so they could use them for rural sports.

These videos are a lot better than most TV series.

There are several such dead-end footpaths/bridleways in my area Notts/Lincs. As you mentioned the original recording is probably at fault but in many cases the problem is caused by the construction of (now abandoned RAF bases. The paths start, stop at the former perimeter fence and resume on the other side leaving a gap of up to 2km. At some stage a bridleway ran up the driveway of my house, across a field and then through a ford. My family moved here in 1962 and the bridleway was blocked before then. I have no objection to it being reopened except the field is now my neighbour's garden and the ford is, following flood prevention work, about a metre deep. It could be an expensive reopening!

What an interesting video. I have never seen anything like this before. I'm an Englishman now living in Canada since 1980. I love the British Countryside. now I'm going to subscribe.

Well done! I think this is one of the most important videos you've ever made!

Great Video, still makes me think about that private road in Salt, Staffordshire that says Private Road, but you look on Bing and just check Ramblers that it a footpath.

Walked on a path in South Yorkshire last year which involved crossing the ECML railway on the OS map. The crossing had a push button intercom with instructions to press for permission to cross. When pressed the guy on the intercom wanted to know why we needed to cross, even asking why we were on the path! Was begrudgingly allowed to cross eventually

Living in the area where much of your video was shot in SW Wiltshire, the blocking of RoW is a major problem. However, by causing a fuss with Wiltshire Council they have done a fair amount to get the landowner and tenant farmers to clear the obstructions so that they are once again usable. I must point out that not all landowners are a problem and many actively keep their footpaths open and well maintained. You can report issues in Wiltshire on "My Wilts" and they will take action - at some stage!

A public footpath ends at the corner of my garden, here in rural Scotland, but does not lead across it, nor does it connect onto any other footpaths nearby. The reason for its existence is - it was designed to give children living in the few houses here a shortcut across farmland to the school some miles away.

I had a few problems with OS maps vs on the ground reality walking in England this year. I studied abroad in Scotland and it was so nice that they have right to roam there so you didn't really have to worry about trespassing. Of course even in England and Wales it's so much better than what we have in the U.S.!

Thank you for high lighting a problem with rights of way. There are probably more dead-end footpaths than you imagine.

Well done guys for making your noise, THANK YOU, ❤❤ 👍👍

The most memorable footpath to nowhere I found was one that was marked as continuing on the map, but in reality just led into the bottom of a lake with no way round.

These old rights of way are vital in our modern world, people need to exercise, be stimulated etc...great video for bringing these issues to notice 👍👍

Yes, my first "first like"! I love this film - maps and mysteries! There's a few of these paths and bridleways that "just stop" near where I live in Northants. I've often wondered how this could happen, so thanks for your suggestions!!

Interesting video. Back in the day, people didn't use these paths simply to have a nice walk - they'd surely have served a purpose, and led to somewhere. We have a path near to where I live, that takes you across some heathland, before stopping abruptly at the point where it once crossed a now disused railway line (littered with private property and "end of footpath" signs). You can see the path continue onwards for another mile or more towards somewhere useful (and find its route marked as FP on old OS maps), but you can't walk it, because the land owner decided many years back, to claim it as private property. Rights of way people at the council seem largely uninterested, as its been this way for so long.

That was fascinating. Living close to Kinder Scout, scene of the Mass Trespass, it seems that in some respects we are heading back to those days by stealth.

The situation is worse with byways. Wiltshire has an extensive network of byways but several of them just end or suddenly are downgraded for no apparent reason. And don't get me started with CRoW - we lost a load of byways in 2006 when we thought we still had time to ensure their survival.

A very useful video, well explained. I was riding my pushbike on "white roads" yesterday here in North Wales. It's interesting, on the OS map they were shown as white roads but with green dots, which the map defines as "other routes with public access". One of them is even marked as a cycle route, although confusingly the signage on the ground was the green arrow for footpath, nothing more. I've tonight had a look on the Conwy County Definitive map, and there is no trace of them at all. In fairness though, the Definitive Map says that it records Footpaths, Bridleways and Byways (Restricted and BOATs), so I guess these white roads fall into that gap. I was funnily enough tonight already looking at other local areas on the OS map with a view to more bicycle rides. I tend to take the view that if it starts out as a Byway or Bridleway but then becomes a white road, then you could probably infer a right of access. Not always so easy though when it goes through a farmyard before it hits the public tarmac road.

Good video Paul and Rebecca. Thanks for showing the absurdity of some rights of way in England and Wales. Don't even get me started on the illegal obstructions :{

I've explored the lanes and byways of the East of England by walking cycling and in my land rover. When offroad I was always considerate to other users (although that was not always given back) and never drove on a track if it was damaged or was in a condition where driving on it would damage the surface. Obstruction by farmers was always a pain in the butt. I once drove 5km down a narrow green only to find concrete blocks has been dropped at the end. There was no way I could turn around without damaging the farmer's crop and reversing was too dangerous. Worse still only about 200m up we could see the main road and the byway continued unobstructed. In the end, we winched one of the blocks out of the way which allowed access for horse and foot traffic as well.

I used to live near a few; mapped in the 1950's, they used Railway bridges to cross rivers, and with the bridges removed in the 1960's, the paths go no-where.

Love the way you get an idea and just run with it. Keep it up both!

The fascination with this is fascinating!

I love you guys !

Some excellent points made there. However, on your "White Lanes" point and if I remember correctly from the old OS 50k map key. A pair of solid lines denotes a metalled road, that's one with tarmac on it! And the colour indicates either the class (M, A, B or Classified) or White a road width of less than 10 feet. The problem is we all use Google or SatNav nowadays which just copies the OS mapping base but doesn't elaborate with the key or what it all means!

I'm a mountain biker who lives in Wales and it's a massive frustration when out in the wilds. Thankfully the Welsh Assembly has been conducting a survey to see about having similar access laws to Scotland and the overwhelming response from all parties was to reform the system to make it much more representative of how the Rights of Way are used today. It's all on hold though thanks to the Pandemic but that means that nothing is being enforced with regards to who can use what (blockages and lack of maintenance are still being enforced though) so it's essentially turned into the Scottish system by default: anyone on foot, bicycle or horse can go on any obvious path (whether created by man or animal) but has to respect other users ie Don't Be A Dick. Works incredibly well as everyone just gets on with it. It's always strange when going to England and having to deal with the stupid rules you have, landowners blocking paths, ones that end abruptly and/or change designation randomly.

hello again Paul and Rebecca , another very interesting video , really well done and thank you guys 😊

I suspect the mapmakers to have looked at each other and say; ok let’s grab a pint and put some random lines on the map and see who we can confuse. 😄 Nice video guys! Interesting subject. 👍🏻

Glad you're pushing the ramblers support

I know you've been to Savernake Forest. There are 2 paths that just stop, to the south of the forest. One climbs up from Wolfhall bridge over the Kennet and Avon Canal and stops by the "Deer Park". The other is along the path of the Roman road (that does that weird loop around Tidcombe and meets another at the top of the forest: as it comes from Crotfton up towards Tottenham House, it just stops. I looked at the Ramblers old paths page, and when you look at the map from 100 years ago, other paths joined them. Very interesting stuff! :D

"bull in field" - is all the information I need to turn around.

I thought that the 2026 date was already formally removed, so thanks for making people aware that it hasn't

Fully aware of this issue. I've been with the Ramblers for years now, they're a great campaigning organisation and i would recommend people join.

Make content about this whenever you can. It;s important to keep those byways open.

I have a Swiss army knife with a great saw blade. Several landowners are deliberately letting brambles grow over stiles to prevent walkers. My friend Victorinox has been very helpful getting through these stiles and opening up to the public. It's a RIGHT of way, not a kind offer from whichever oligarch claims dominion of the land. There's a few which during some periods are blocked and diverted, these landowners are the good ones, those diversions are to offer access while livestock are grazing or the land is rendered unsafe by some weather events. That lane you're seen walking near Worton, I ride it frequently. It's usually clear and does follow the old map. I'm uncertain why it was blocked. I'm very local based in Steeple Ashton, barely a jump from Keevil. I often cycle to Devizes, beautiful trails in the area.

Really great idea for a video and a worthwhile campaign. Well done!

brilliant video

Slightly different spin on access. I work for a utility company and have easement and wayleaves to back me up when trying to get onto private land. Ideally we like to work with our landowners and give notice, but sometimes need immediate access, much to the annoyance of some of them. Old school farmers are fine, but when I've been denied entry to rural land owned by New Money Londoners, Russian Oligarchs, Middle East Royals etc, I normally find a way to sneak in somewhere else, much to their annoyance! Only had guns pulled on me twice,(Once by foreign owner and once US Military. Thought it would be ok to access a US ammo dump without asking!), but all good!!!

You are doing important work. Keep it up…

Very informative video. Coincidentally, something I have been researching locally. Thanks!

All roads lead to .................................Rebecca and Paul. Great video guys. All the best from Australia.

Fascinating video. Thank you for showing us this. Very interesting and informative.

Great content, analysis and insights - thank you both for a fascinating video. 01/01/2026 really isn't that far off.

Last month on a visit to the UK I encountered one of these "gaps" populated by an allegedly angry bull in a field. While walking through the field and chatting with the bull I was challenged by the landowner who informed me I was in danger of being charged by the bull. The bull promptly charged the land owner. He raised no further objections to me continuing through the field. I do wish I captured that on video.

Superb filming and commentaries Thanks for your time and efforts to produce your volgs Keep safe warm dry and virus free both

Interesting and very important. Thanks for raising this.

4:55 Probably most of the time they were easily 'mislead' by the land-owners!

So interesting to see as an American. We don't have rights of way like this leading through other people's property typically, but we have absolutely unending numbers of large nature reserves. Definitely different!

In rural Powys there are expansive quiet areas with lots of rights of way on the maps, but so little used that they can't easily be traced or followed on the ground. It makes planning walks and exploring the area on foot very difficult, even without the problem of dead ends and the status of OS "white lanes". These rights of way issues should be much higher up the agenda for all interested in access to the countryside.

Here in the USA we have a simple railway crossing rule when crossing at some undefined point. Look both ways and try not to get run over. No need to overcomplicate it.

I was walking up to Haytor from Bovey Tracey this Summer and was very angry to find a private landowner had cut off over half of the Templer Way. Reported it to the park authorities but never heard anything back. Certainly hoping they've gone and had some choice, stern words with the landowner.

I have looked into lost pathways before and have always wondered about roman roads that are shown as 'course of'. Are these to be recorded to allow them to open up again as footpaths, or is there something else stipulating why you cannot walk on these paths?

my sunday/monday is now complete ......another awesome video .....!!!!

Love the educational format! Would you be able to do a video on BOAT's (Byways Open to All Traffic) as the number of walkers that don't understand these is phenomenal? When we drive 4x4's down a BOAT a lot of walkers get angry when we have as much right of way as they do on that specific track. I think it would really help the 4x4 and walking cultures to mix in a more harmonious way.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, my mother's cousin used to get out and walk as many rights of way as possible, as the rules as my mother knew them were that if a right of way was not walked for a year, the farmer was permitted to fence it off.

Local councils are well advised not to "mess" with the ramblers association !!

Council rights of way officers aren't interested. I have submitted several routes that have historical evidence but they won't take any action at all. They don't want to pay for the court costs when the landowners say "it was only ever an occupation road".

Brilliant thank you🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

You two are so tame.

Mudflood. I've found filled in railway cuttings near where I live, no explanation anywhere...

Parish councils had to create the definitive map each to their own in 52'. A lot of the random ends to PROW were to do with land owners having a seat on the parish council and getting their way

Very clever editing and fun

There are thousands of these dead end public footpaths. I’ve been told by my local prow team that when the footpaths were recorded people asked the landowners if there was a path. Many said no so you get a dead end. Also, like you say, many footpaths end at parish or county boundaries - because different people did different parishes and counties and there was no coordination. I’ve even found public footpaths that are on the Ordnance survey maps and the definitive maps but are surrounded by fields with no public footpaths or public access and so are impossible to walk. It’s all a mess.

Near where we live there is an official fingerpost at the side of the road that points down a track and it reads "public bridleway, cul de sac." The track now just runs for a few hundred yards to a few big houses and stops, but the older ordnance survey map shows it continuing over the fields until it reaches the other road on the far side. When we were on holiday somewhere, we saw a nice new wooden fingerpost that indicated a public footpath running down an alley between two houses. We climbed the stile and followed it, only to find that after about 100 yards it stopped at a six foot high wooden fence! No gates led off it to service the houses it ran between, so it was completely useless!

At one time around where I am there used to be a local group called the footpath group who used to walk every path on the map so that they could claim they are still in use. If they were a bit overgrown they would chat with the appropriate folks to make them accessible. They would ensure there were no dead end rights of way.

This stuff is fascinating. All the history in Europe and the old roads etc is something I would love to walk on. Same things happen in the states with land owners illegally blocking roads and putting up signs on public right of ways. We do our best to drive them, map them, and turn it in to our states natural resources office.

really enjoyed this one; and straight onto that missing b'ways too.....

“Green Laning” using 4x4 vehicles has contributed to, and complicated, the situation. Most 4x4 enthusiasts are responsible but they become invisible once idiots churn a lane up, making it impassible. Landowners will be very slow to repair damage, potentially waiting until they have need of access before doing so. Accidentally blocking a repaired lane with stored kit, or forgetting to leave an access point when refencing where a little used path crosses a field boundary, is understandable; albeit wrong. Network Rail have no authority to chain and padlock a footpath gate. If they want to prevent unauthorised motor vehicle crossing use by casual users then a side gate should be provided: please get in touch with NR to advise them they have blocked a footpath. I’m guessing that the hope was that no one would notice.

There are two of these near us. The first is a dead-end footpath that ends alongside Dundas Covert (SP672618), south of Nobottle in Northamptonshire. The second is a byway that then turns into an 'other routes with public access' and then it stops completely, 400 m short of a road near Little Brington (SP651633), although judging by the, "Please keep your dog on a lead," signs on the gate at the far end, I'm not the only one who carries on down there. I met two horse riders looking very confused as all the official signs just disappear. Both of these are on Explorer 223.

@Paul and Rebecca ... Llanarmon D.C, in North Wales has a bridal way that heads of up a beautiful mountainside, and stops at a stile. Ok My horse can jump it, but can't proceed further on the footpath 🥲

Please do a video about WW2 concrete bunkers in the UK

Hi Paul & Rebecca, Here in New Zealand we have Paper roads, An unformed legal road (or 'paper road') is a legally-recognised road that is undeveloped or partly formed, but provides public access to a particular area but many maps do not show where they are.

Great to see you two getting political. The ROW network needs all the exposure and constructive action that it can get.

There's a couple of PFs near me that just stop abruptly where the council/parish boundaries are, either one council/parish has recorded/updated things correctly or one hasn't. The landscape has changed over the years due to mining, but one of the PFs I've never known to be a right of way in 40 years despite it always being on the os map, in the 80s you wouldn't have dared set foot in it due to colliery works, plus there was no signage/gap in fence at all. No they are landscaping the old tip and making it public accessible they have included the right of way running through it, but the footpath still doesn't actually go anywhere according to the maps. Fortunately they are planning on making an old railway line into a greenway which links up nicely with it.

In the fells of the Pennines and Lake District some paths lead up on to the moors then just stop. In these locations it is not a problem as the land is open access.

There is a Path quite near me (In Derbyshire) that crosses a very steep field that just stops halfway!!! Great Vid 🙂🤔🚂🚂🚂

as someone with a mild interest in green laning, the cow troughs that were blocking the pathway would have been placed by a farmer to prevent cars or horses from utilizing a public right of way as they don't the public near to their land or they see it as their land, this is potentially an illegal act as it is blocking public access, but it is never prosecuted.

We have that problem down here in Kent. A public bridleway with a locked gate across it, footpaths which get ploughed and a right of way though the garden of a large detached house, not that you can reach that end as they've also got a electric fence but _only_ across the footpath.

A "tendency to downgrade" is sadly an understatement. In the 1980s there were loads of Byways Open To All Traffic around Hampshire (they were called Roads Used As A Public Path back then). Now they are almost all bridleways or footpaths or simply don't exist at all. Very sad. Great video, as always.

There's a foot path north of Brighton, near Hassocks and Albourne, which supposedly goes up some small steps through what is now a 7 foot wooden fence, across six lanes of 70 mph traffic on the A23 and the central reservation, and up the other side of the A-road. Umm, no thanks.

Great video, don't know if it was just a glitch but your end screen video link was missing

Loving your videos. I love the idea if walking along lost railway lines, Roman roads etc. I have a possible suggestion. It's called the Hendon Factory platform in North London. It's a short lost railway spur and platform that used to service the Aircraft factory at Hendon. I don't know if it's Jeff that would do this but hopefully it's an idea worth investigating. Thanks for the videos!

Fascinating program on a problem that does not happen in Australia. In Oz land is either private or public.

Very helpful. Thank you.

The restricted byway example is particularly curious, as it looks to be only accessible from the footpath crossing it, so how is one to exercise one's right to traverse it by cycle, on horseback or in a horse-drawn carriage?

Great video.

Well in Hampshire there are landowners who pa over loudspeakers when people walk through marked footpaths ;to turnaround as its private property

Never forget the glorious Battle of Berkhamsted Common.

Landowners taking the piss and liabilities who would have thought

This was an incredibility interesting video the speculation on the route cause was thought provoking.

Thank you for the video……. Here in Suffolk there are lots of these vanishing bridleways which I ride along to discover that they have become footpaths Of course I find an alternative route !! The blocked route is something for the council to deal with firmly it is totally out of order by the farmer ! He can be ordered to remove the obstruction. As a land owner with footpath access I have to maintain a clear route for users . Keep up the good work.