Welcome to Warwickshire County Council

About Rights of Way

Warwickshire’s network of over 1,700 miles of public paths provides access to the countryside for quiet recreation and enjoyment. Public footpaths are available on foot only. Click here for advice about dogs. Public bridleways can be used on foot, or riding or leading a horse, or with a bicycle. Bridleways make up approximately 20% of the path network. Click here for more information about horse riding and cycling. All motor vehicles are prohibited on footpaths and bridleways (it is a criminal offence to drive on them) unless you are the landowner, have the express consent of the landowner, or have a private vehicular access which runs along the footpath or bridleway. Restricted Byways - none in Warwickshire. Byways (Byways Open to All Traffic) are uncommon in Warwickshire, but the county does have a number of quiet and unsurfaced lanes. E Roads, Unclassified County Roads are quiet, generally unsurfaced lanes. Footpaths, Bridleways and Byways are recorded on a document called the Definitive Map. The map is available for inspection and can only be changed by means of a legal order. We have begun a project to digitise the map and make it available on this site. Unclassified County Roads are not shown on the Definitive Map. The best maps for taking out into the countryside are the Ordnance Survey Explorer Series which show footpaths, bridleways, byways and UCR’s. Click here to order your map. Warwickshire’s paths are maintained by the Countryside Access Team, including a Ranger team which carries out practical maintenance and improvement works, in partnership with farmers, landowners, parish councils and a host of volunteers and community groups. Find out how you can work with us. If you do come across a problem on a public right of way, including problems with gates, stiles and bridges, you can report the problem online. Permissive Paths A permissive path is a path which the public are allowed to use, with the intention that the path should not become a public right of way. Because it is not a public right of way, a permissive path is not, in general, subject to rights of way law. Permissive paths can be a useful supplement to the rights of way network. To ensure that the public do not acquire a right of way on a permissive path, the landowner can make a declaration under Section 31(6) of the Highways Act 1980. Please contact the Countryside Access Team on 01926 413427 or at paths@warwickshire.gov.uk for more information. Useful links Natural England The Ramblers' Association The British Horse Society CTC - Working for cycling Institute Of Public Rights Of Way Officers Land Access & Recreation Association (LARA) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) A Coventry Way The Macmillan Way Sustrans Naturenet