Recreation and Rights of Way in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Recreation and Rights of Way

The rich and diverse countryside in Yorkshire and the Humber includes an estimated 25,600km of public rights of way, four National Trails and a range of public open spaces in and around our towns and cities which provide recreational opportunities for all. Over a million hectares of access land became available in the region on 31 October 2005.

Local Access Fourms
Each highway authority has a Local Access Forum whose members include user groups, land owners and other interested parties including the local authority.   These forums were set up to advise authorities on the improvement of public access to land and water for the purposes of open-air recreation and enjoyment.    

There are currently Local Access Forums for these areas:

  • Barnsley
  • Doncaster
  • Hull and East Riding
  • Leeds
  • North Lincolnshire
  • Mid Lincolnshire (includes North East Lincolnshire)
  • North Yorkshire
  • North York Moors
  • Rotherham
  • Sheffield
  • Wakefield
  • West Yorkshire Pennine (Bradford, Calderdale & Kirklees)
  • Yorkshire Dales  

For information on your Local Access Forum, see our Local Access Forum pages.

Rights of Way Improvement Plans 
 Each highway authority must produce a Rights of Way Improvement Plan by November 2007. These are documents which look at the current state of rights of way and include an action plan which says how they are going to be improved and made more accessible.

Natural England is keen to support authorities in developing and carrying out these plans and is currently learning lessons from York, who are the first to complete theirs.

For more information contact helen.wilkin@naturalengland.org.uk