Rights of way – progress

Update Feb 2025: Since this material was prepared the decision to close railway crossings at Yarnton Lane and Sandy Lane in Yarnton has been reversed after local objections.

This material is from section 9 of the Annual Report for 2023.

Lost Ways

Lost Ways are rights of way that, for one reason or another, were not recorded and shown on when the Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way was drawn up for the first time. The January 2026 deadline for documentary claims is being extended to 2031. A team of volunteers under the leadership of Jack Cornish at Ramblers central office has checked the whole of England identifying most possible Lost Paths on old maps. This information has been produced on an interactive map covering England and Wales.

Those with access to Ramblers Assemble may be interested to inspect the map of Lost Ways. This can be done by following the steps listed below.

1. Open up the webpage ramblers.org.uk. Go to Home Page.
2. Scroll down to the Volunteer page.
3. Log in to Assemble.
4. Find the Links on the left and select Don’t Lose Your Way.
5. Next webpage click on to ‘Map of lost paths’
6. You will be asked to log in to Assemble again. Do so, and close the Instructions window that appears.
7. If you are a first-time user you will need to provide yourself with a password for future access (probably at step 3) and sign in using your email address.

The Inter-active map then appears. The map comes up showing a random location. In the top-right corner you can type in a place name or post-code and the map will automatically move to that location. Existing rights of way are shown in green and potential lost paths in blue, red or yellow. Those shown in black are non-starters. A choice of base maps is given. The most useful to use is the OS map but the most fascinating is the historic 6 inch to the mile survey undertaken around 1900. Note that many blue lines end at OS grid lines owing to the method of survey, and the continuation should be claimed to the nearest existing right of way.

A successful claim on documentary evidence needs more than just OS maps, which carry a disclaimer that they do not necessarily show rights of way. Better evidence can be found in Inclosure Awards, which prescribe rights of way including roads, and in Tithe Awards and railway plans where maps may be marked Public Footpath and the books of reference may show the Surveyor of Highways (or similar title) as the owner. These can be found in the County Record Office (for Oxfordshire south of the Thames these are mostly in the Berkshire Record Office). Other evidence can be found in the National Archives. These documents can show other possible Lost Ways.

The Don’t Lose Your Way six-inch map can also be used to find the historic route of a path. The Bartholomew map shows roads (some private) for cyclists but has a different scale from the OS map and lacks the precision of the OS.

General

The number of outstanding claims is now 36, with 20 additional anomalies under investigation. At the time of writing, 13 modification orders have been made, with seven receiving objections, three confirmed, one confirmed and awaiting advertisement and two still in progress. Four claims have been refused; one appeal has been successful and OCC has been instructed to make a modification order. Eleven further orders have been confirmed during the year. Of the 38 diversion cases,19 have had orders made but only four of these have been referred to Planning Inspectorate of the ten for which there have been objections.Obstructions are being cleared slowly. The stiles in Tiddington which required me to bring my knees up to touch my nose to get over have now been replaced, and the intervening section has been cleared of fallen trees and is now passable without needing limbo practice. There is now a rolling programme of bridge work, and there is now a new bridge on the d’Arcy Dalton Way on Salford FP6 as scheduled.Network Rail are proposing to close the level crossings at Tackley, Sandy Lane and Yarnton Lane, with Tackley BR2 effectively diverted west of the railway, bridleway access provided at or near Sandy Lane (there seems to be no provision for a road bridge the plans state “may be controlled vehicular access” at the bridge to be provided north of Sandy Lane) and a pedestrian bridge at Yarnton Lane near the Turnpike.A huge solar farm is proposed which would cover the whole area between Botley (where the slope faces north), Woodstock and Long Hanborough; numerous bodies are objecting to this.

Cherwell

The Local Plan includes 4,400 houses north of Oxford in areas which have been flooded. Planning applications have been made for these on various sites, notably along Banbury Road between the Park and Ride and the city boundary; these include extra access to Cutteslowe Park.There are proposals for major development at Upper Heyford which could result in joining up the Avesditch bridleway and routing Somerton FP13 along the outside instead of it being bisected by the security fence; a dedication in 2022 has resulted in the southern section of Upper Heyford BR1 being joined to the rest along the air base perimeter. There are objections to the proposal at Wardington to take FP4 between the trees and the view instead of climbing over buildings with the view blocked by the trees. The diversion of Cropredy FPs 1 and 7, to bring FP7 back down to ground level instead of climbing at least 30 feet up a motorway pillar, has been confirmed.A plan to divert Noke BR10 and create a connection opposite Woodeaton FP7 and a connection to BR8 (see also the South Oxfordshire report), eliminating the masochists’ paradise of walking along the B4027 where most drivers seem to interpret the 50mph sign as the minimum, now has only one objector. A proposal to divert the paths in Wroxton Quarry away from their near-vertical cliff faces (one of which looks distinctly unstable) would add a mile to the east-west paths; this appears to have been abandoned, leaving the paths in limbo. There are objections to diversions at Tadmarton BR12 in Lower Tadmarton to put the bridleway on the line which is in use, and to the upgrading of Finmere FP18 to bridleway, connecting this to the bridleway on the Bucks side of the boundary. Orders to divert Ardley FP4 and Barford FP22 onto walked lines have been made.Diversions at Middleton Stoney FP8 to move the path out of the busy farmyard and create a link to FP5, and Banbury FP47/49 in the new developments have been confirmed. Modification orders to put Weston-on-the-Green FP27 onto its historic line through the existing alleyway, to add the track to the railway underbridge on Cropredy FP16, to extend Fringford FP2 to the road opposite the church, and to add Deddington FP24 in Hempton and Yarnton FP23/24 in the grounds of Yarnton Manor have been confirmed.

Oxford City

In 2023 Oxford being a city of waterways suffered from flooded paths, but, at the same time, some of its many bridges received attention. The major footbridge near the ‘Fishes’ on Oxford FP16 (Monks Causeway), which had become rather warped, was thoroughly refurbished with failed wooden parts and its decking replaced. A dangerous hole in a stone bridge on the Thames Path near Godstow was rapidly repaired and the University Parks cycle track was temporarily closed with much consternation about the need for a temporary diversion via Rainbow Bridge to enable the repair of two bridges on its course.

In the same area the University has applied for a diversion of Old Marston FP10 away from a section of riverbank eroded by grazing cattle as part of a scheme to protect the flood meadows. More controversial was the proposed diversion of part of Blackbird Leys FP2, which would obscure the continuity of a footpath link from Cowley to the rural path network off Grenoble Road by forcing walkers to make a dogleg along Knights Road – we have therefore objected. The proposed deletion from the Definitive Map of Oxford FP153 has been dropped as, while the path was never formally dedicated as a public highway, it has existed on the ground for several years. A new footpath was also created at Old Marston to provide a link through the allotments to the recreation ground and obstructions to Oxford FP57 through the Barton West development from Old Headington towards Elsfield were removed although users still have to run the gauntlet of A40 traffic and part is prone to overgrowth.

Various long-standing path problems around the Churchill Hospital, the Kassam Stadium etc. remain to be resolved quite apart from difficulties in crossing the ring road to access the rural path network and various anomalous cul-de-sac paths at the present or former city boundary.

South Oxfordshire

The condition of public rights of way in South Oxfordshire varies considerably depending on their location and how user-friendly the landowners are. Generally those in the Chilterns, where the South Chilterns Path Maintenance Volunteers are active in clearing and improving the paths, are in good condition although, even there, there are certain bad areas whereas elsewhere the good areas are interspersed with some real blackspots and one problem is that walkers avoid the blackspots and don’t report their problems so that the County Council has less incentive to tackle them.

This year a highlight has been the addition of five public rights of way to the Definitive Map: Henley-on-Thames FP35 / Rotherfield Greys FP36, a path out of Henley into Lambridge Wood leading to a whole network of existing paths; Clifton Hampden FP24 leading from the A415 to Clifton Lock; Clifton Hampden FP25, which walkers have used instead of FP15 but is now shown in addition to FP15 as its extinguishment has been withdrawn; South Stoke FP11 , a village path and Checkendon FP40, a woodland path which would save walkers using a narrow lane with blind bends but is currently impassably obstructed with fences. Unfortunately, however, the landowner has appealed against this last one to the High Court so that we cannot secure its opening until this procedural appeal has been resolved.

In addition, a further three modification orders have been made, which would add four rights of way to the Map: Henley-on-Thames FP33, a path out of Henley towards Marsh Lock; Ipsden BR31, a bridleway linking two country roads and two woodland bridleways in Checkendon and Rotherfield Peppard, while a creation order is proposed to create a new bridleway out of Chinnor leading towards the Ridgeway and Crowell Hill.

Unopposed diversion orders have been confirmed for Dorchester FP13, Tetsworth FP65/Lewknor FP1 and Waterstock FP6, all involving the provision of new gates for ease of access, but a diversion package for the Bix and Nettlebed area to legalise paths which have been off-line for decades has met with objections as has a proposal to divert Noke BR10/Woodeaton BR11 and simultaneously create new footpath and bridleway links which would provide direct crossings of the fast B4027 eliminating the need to walk along it rounding blind bends.

Currently, the diversion order for Ewelme FP32/Berrick Salome FP2, to which we did not object but others did, is being decided by the written representations procedure, a local hearing is pending into the proposed diversion of Goring Heath FP27, to which we objected as it is inconvenient being 50% longer than the existing route and a public inquiry is also pending into the Didcot road scheme where we objected to the proposed extinguishment of Appleford BR3 and diversion of Clifton Hampden FP6 along a roadside footway.

Finally, sadly, after a public inquiry, Network Rail got its way and obtained the extinguishment of the Culham FP1 level-crossing although a perfectly feasible diversion route existed passing under the River Thames railway bridge which would have been of a similar length to the extinguished path whereas the ‘alternative route’ with which walkers have been left is a quarter mile longer. It would have helped if OCC had sought to represent the interests of local walkers but for whatever reason they chose not to.

Vale of White Horse

Work on the steps at Bayworth Quarry (Sunningwell FP8) is now complete and the path is now open at last after many years; thanks are due to Sunningwell Parish Council for their persistence in this case. Marcham BR17 is now open, having been closed for over ten years, with work on the bridge complete. A proposal to divert Wantage FP4 out of the menage has received objections, but has yet to be referred to the Planning Inspectorate despite the order having been made in 2021. The order to divert Great Coxwell FP6 along a National Trust boardwalk, avoiding a swamp, has been made.

West Oxfordshire

The claim to upgrade the footpath in Dean Wood near Charlbury has been confirmed subject to a section in Dean Wood being a restricted byway (non-motorised vehicles only) rather than byway open to all traffic. The order to divert the path in front of Coldron Mill near Spelsbury to the north has been made; we have objected as there is no proposal to divert the north-south path which is mostly in the lake. Diversions at Buckland (along the edge of the garden) and Bourton (at the school) have been confirmed. A new byway has been created at Bridewell Farm near Wilcote in return for downgrading the Old Burford Road to bridleway. Idbury FP15 behind the manor has been rerouted through the existing gate, where the original creation order should have put it in the first place. The claim for the old bridleway from Burford to Westwell has also been confirmed.We have objected to proposals at Fifield FP4, where it is proposed to route the path onto the road down a bank, and Ramsden FP2 where the proposed diversion is onto an Inclosure Award footpath.

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