Bridleway coverage

[Deleted member 23692]

Disabled users can place an obligation of trail maintenance on councils though under the accsess for all guidelines. The council is currently looking at flattening some good routes in the peaks.

Which council? There are 11 authorities with an interest within the boundaries on the PDNP, as well as the PDNPA itself. When I worked for the PDNPA a few years ago Access for All was an internal policy. The only thing that comes close to being across the country is NE's (and formerly CoAgs) guidance document "By All Reasonable Means", but it is not a legal directive. However the DDA and Equality Act do place an onus on the service provider, which an entirety separate discussion to this. Any access improvements need to be realistic and consider location and demand, all highway authorities have a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP) which is very good way to get access improvement suggestions on the radar.

and the same thing that Peak MTB etc is also working towards. Reinstating historic bridleways and upgrading some footpaths to bridleways.

There is no way a bridleway can be created due to historical use only, for the reasons I stated above. The claim needs to be supported by historic equine use. Cycle use alone gets you a restricted byway, which means usage everything up to and including non-mechanically propelled vehicles. Working with byway and bridleway societies is a far better route to get changes made, as most are already well into researching and preparing claims in advance of the 2026 deadline.

A great organisation who I've had the pleasure of spending the day with a couple of occasions. It's very interesting to get to know 1st hand how they can and want to use thecountryside and just how capable those Trampers are

 

[ColinJ]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-HkyQvez9o&feature=youtu.be
Not much looking at what wheelchairs they are using. They look pretty nifty.

http://disabledramblers.co.uk/access-issues/report-on-chapel-gate-repairs/

Super!

 

[Psycolist]

From a purely personal viewpoint, I got into off roading about 18 months ago. In that time I have not once had a "get off my land" incident. I try to use marked footpaths, bridleways and rights of way, but these often lead to options where there is no clear signage showing where to go at a junction of fields, paths etc. At such points I will re visit the area and try all options, sometimes ending at a dead end, sometimes leading into areas never visited before, and sometimes just being a field boundary and ending up back where you started. I have met dog walkers, horse riders, ramblers, runners, farmers, workmen, land owners and fishermen. Not once have I been denied access or been asked to leave. I try to stick to clearly used routes and not trespass across fence lines, although a locked gate with a path/track going through it wont stop me. I have visited wind farms, solar farms, fisheries and farms all around my home area, even a navigation beacon used by aircraft, and anyone encountered has always been polite and helpful, with no question raised as to my right to be there. Maybe I have been lucky, but I think if you stick to trodden paths, there should be no problem, regardless of what any map has to say.

 

[mrbikerboy73]

Thanks for putting that link, iwantanewbike, it's really helpful. Helps planning various thoughts of mine.

+1 on that. Cheers @iwantanewbike, great website!

 

[NorthernDave]

Agreed, great post. Looking around where I live (Leeds) it only seems to show the "definitive" bridleways though - there are a lot if non-definitive ones that should be open to use but it seems like pot luck establishing if they are. At least one has had "No Access" signs on it and the council seem reluctant to do anything about it despite the landowner previously admitting it as a "definitive" route on at least two occasions...