76% of rights of way in England now open
Countryside Agency Archive

Breadcrumbs

Three quarters of countryside is open - Dartmoor reopens - 13 July 2001

76% of rights of way throughout England are now open. Almost all of the South East is open, with blanket reopenings in Cornwall and Wiltshire this week. Dartmoor reopens fully tomorrow, Saturday 14th July, with the exception for veterinary reasons of a small number of clearly marked premises (further details on the Dartmoor National Park web site at www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk). A further section of the Pennine Way is expected to reopen shortly due to blanket reopening in Calderdale around Halifax.

Twelve English counties have their rights of way network fully open: 

Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire

East Sussex Essex

Hampshire Hertfordshire 

Norfolk Oxfordshire 

Suffolk Surrey 

West Sussex Wiltshire

with 99.9% of footpaths in Cornwall, Derbyshire and Kent open.

As a precautionary disease control measure, public access to farms which have had, or which are at risk of having, foot and mouth disease, is likely to be prohibited for some time, possibly for several months in the case of confirmed disease. For further details of legitimate footpath closures as a result, please contact the local highway authority or Tourist Information Centre. 

The following counties have more than 90% of paths now open are:

Cheshire Leicestershire 

Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire 

Shropshire Staffordshire 

Warwickshire

Further reopening is expected next week - for example in Dorset (currently 88%) which will move to fully open. The Countryside Agency is continuing to support local authorities in their efforts to reopen their rights of way networks. A further £300,000 grant has been awarded to Cumbria from the agency's Rights of Way Recovery Fund to support the county's efforts to revive its tourism industry and help walkers gain access to the high fells. 

The regional breakdown across all authorities is as follows: 

ENGLISH REGION Rights of Way Open 12.7.01 

South East 99.9%

Eastern England 98%

East Midlands 80%

West Midlands 79%

South West 77%

North East 56%

Yorkshire & Humberside 49%

North West 46%

National Parks

The Broads are now fully open, and the whole of Dartmoor from 14 July. 75% of paths and all Forestry Commission land in the Northumberland National Park has reopened. 90% of rights of way and all open access land in the Peak District remains open as and also the High Fells in the Lake District. Despite large areas of the other national parks remaining closed, there are still places to visit locally and many special attractions are being arranged where paths remain closed. 

 

NATIONAL PARKSTATUS

Broads

Fully open

Dartmoor

Park opens again from 14 July

Peak District

90% of rights of way (ROW) open

Northumberland

75% of ROW open

Exmoor

A third of ROW open

Lake District

17% ROW open, mostly in High Fells

North York Moors

All moorland and most ROW closed 

Yorkshire Dales

All open access land closed, 1% ROW open

Most of the paths and all campsites in the New Forest Heritage Area are now open.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)

These comprise some 15% of the English countryside and have equivalent landscape value to National Parks. AONBs are also reopening as highway authorities reopen their rights of way, and the following seven (mostly coastal) are fully open, with precautionary notices in some parts:

Suffolk Coast and Heaths Chichester Harbour

Isle of Wight Isles of Scilly

Norfolk Coast South Hampshire Coast

Surrey Hills 

National Trails

Of the ten national trails in England, five are now fully open :

  • Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path
  • Ridgeway (with one diversion)
  • South Downs Way
  • North Downs Way
  • Thames Path  

The South West Coast Path is 95% open - with the exception of a short stretch at Braunston Burrows in north Devon. 

The first section of the Pennine Way is open from Edale to the Blackstone Edge Reservoir (36.5 miles) and the section from Bellingham to the Scottish border. A further section across Calderdale near Halifax is expected to re-open shortly. Only small sections of the Wolds Way are open, 40% of Offa's Dyke Path is open mostly in North Wales and 53kms of the Cleveland Way.

The Cotswold Way (national trail under development) is fully open with one short diversion.

 

When out in the country enjoying the newly reopened footpaths and bridleways, please take special care to protect the countryside from foot and mouth disease by following this Code:

If you have handled cattle, sheep, goats or pigs in the last 7 days please stay off all other farmland. 

Do not go near, and never touch, handle or feed livestock :- if you come across them unexpectedly, move away slowly; if necessary retrace your route. 

Keep dogs on short leads where there are livestock.
In addition to this, in infected areas you will be asked not to take dogs on land where there are cattle. 

Do not leave any waste food or litter. 

Stay on the path and leave all gates as you find them. 

Use disinfectant where provided. 

Start your walk or ride with clean equipment, footwear and clothing.