It is not a legal obligation for land owners to keep the footpaths maintained and clearly marked, they do not own them. It is up to the highways agencie or another organisation designated by the Highways agency such as a local council to do that. Landowners may not block or damage the path as per the 1980's Highways Act or put up false notices as per the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. They may temporary reroute a path for safety reasons and if they damage a path must repair it within two weeks. If they put up a fence they must put in a gate or stile so it can still be accessed which they must maintain. Permitted Footpaths which are where the land owner allows the public to enter their land must be maintained in a safe condition by the land owner unless the local council agrees to do that on thier behalf. Some parts of the Thames path is kept open with this agreement.
Another abused bit of history. Footpaths were for the locals to cut across fields before the days of motor cars and every one knew who was crossing and there was respect for all. Now they gave everyone the right to walk communism through the back door with people who litter and case the area for what they can steal.
They're legally protected paths, public right of way. It's not always out of the kindness of their hearts. Some of these paths are quite literally ancient.
Kindness or not, it is illegal to obstruct them/their use - hence many farmers spray crops off along the line of the path, after the crop has been sown/germinated. Joe Public then frequently doesn't stick to the path and makes a massive swathe through the crop. People also abuse them by using them for cycles, even motor-cycles. Footpaths are for people on foot. There are also bridleways, which can be used on foot or horseback - same basic rules apply. They can be moved if you apply and the Court agrees, but it is very, very far from simple or likely that one would be moved. On the other hand, in England, there is no right of access anywhere onto private property, with just a few exceptions. The major exception are the Open Access Areas in the National Parks, where you are totaly free to roam, but only on foot for the main part (also abused). Scotland is free to explore as you like, but plenty of Scots dislike it as it has led to massive abuse of the countryside and widespread and extreme littering. Except for military establishments and the like, there really isn't a trespass law, as such, in the UK. If you do trespass and get caught, mostly you would be asked to leave but in extreme cases you can be sued in the civil Court for damages - to the crop, fences, game, whatever.
@@birdie1585 We have green lanes that offroad motorcycles can legally use (although joe public think they are doing it illegally even when they are not), but occasionally some people will ride on fields and lanes they are not supposed to too. Most bikers with road legal offroad bikes will ride only on road and legal to ride offroad lanes, from one lane to another between roads where necessary. I only ride on the road myself.
@@HalfdeadRider I am unsure of your point. Where did I say or imply otherwise? The problem with green lanes is that offroaders frequently think that they should trash the sites. I could point you in the direction of one that I know well, but haven't visited since before covid. That was a very rough unmade road over moorland, something like 15 feet or so wide, with 3-6 feet on each side that was rough grass, running up to a stock-proof fence each side. It had been like that for many, many years. 4-5 years ago, offroaders destroyed everything between the fences, with ruts up to 2, perhaps 3 feet deep.It looked like it had been bombed time after time. Some was down to four wheels, a lot was down to two wheels. I have sat and watched motorcyclists leave the lane to tackle piles of rocks and undergrowth, presumably "as a challenge". Presumably the Parks Authority, distributed huge rocks and logs on each side along the length of the lane to try to stop the destruction. Quite a lot spoil things for everyone.
They have to keep and maintain them by law, when Madonna bought a big property the first thing she tried to do was remove the footpaths. She got put in her place pretty quickly.
Madonna also tried to shut down Compton Abbas airfield, a pre WWII site, as it was a couple of miles from her pile and she didn’t want anyone overflying. She was politely told where she could stick her objections.
In contrast some farmers find it useful to have these paths because people travelling by or through the farm lands are an extra set of eyes to deter crime or spot problems with livestock to report to the farmer etc.
I used to work in a legal service dealing with debts accrued by landowners when the council had to go in and clear a public right of way. I remember reading one where the landowner had built big garages across the path. Well after many warnings the council drove bulldozers straight through them reinstated the path and sent him the bill 🤣
We have until 2026 to make sure every forgotten footpath is remapped, or else we lose public right of way to them. Some have been lost by loss of records, some lost due to overgrowth and some due to land owners directing people away from them... Trying to get this out to as many people as possible. Please look up "how to save a footpath UK" on google
this guy does some great content, he has been here in the UK for a while, couple months ago, his family was belessed with twins, using the NHS, he now has 6 children, he talks real tho, about living in UK race and all that, well worth going to his channel and watching
@@ohthechitchat For non-emergency care he could have gone private, some people do have babies in private hospitals or at home using private midwives and doctors etc.
Nothing beats crossing a footpath through the middle of a barley field in the height of Summer on a beautiful sunny day. Wild flowers everywhere. Small birds darting around. Barley moving in the breeze. On your way to/back to the local village pub.
Yes it does i.e. crossing rough pasture untouched by chemicals (and frankly, I've never seen an arable field of monocrops with wild flowers everywhere) that really does have wild flowers everywhere and at the moment is awash with butterflies, especially Peacocks. If I walk from my house, as I did this morning, I pass through such a field, un-grazed, just wild, that leads to a small woodland, which emerges to more rough pasture (grazed), that then goes onto cultured arable fields and it is amazing how the wildlife drops off as soon as you hit the monoculture fields.
How far do the paths go ? The entire length of the country ! It’s a massive interconnected network of thousands of miles covering the entire UK. They are in EVERY village, town, city, county, farmland, national parks, moorland, forestry, along the coast, across mountain ranges……everywhere. You cannot drive more than a few miles in any direction without seeing a footpath sign.
National parks, mountains, moors etc often are not crossed by footpaths in this way, because it's 'open access' meaning that you can go anywhere, unlike normal footpaths through private land, where you have to stick to the path. Of course national parks, mountains, moors still have paths, but that's for ease of access & safety more than anything else.
Some footpaths are Roman roads, known by their straightness from A to B. Others were set by monks crossing places with old slabs and sandstones underfoot.
England has 146,000km(91,000miles) of public footpaths, and Wales more than 26,000km(16,000miles) Landowners are obliged by law to keep these footpaths free of obstruction and will receive notifications and fines if the footpaths are not kept clear. I've received a few notifications myself when a path is becoming a bit overgrown..
@@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek A letter from the local council notifying that a homeowner is causing an obstruction of a pathway and unless resolved by the homeowner, council will take action. So in my case, my hedge may have grown too far into the pathway and unless I cut it back, the council will do what it feels necessary.
On a walk my american friend asked what that building was, when i said it was a farmhouse, he tried to shove through a hedge to get away as fast as he could, when i asked what he was doing he said he feared being shot, the idea was so alien to him that its perfectly ok to walk so close to a farm house within sight of the farmer, he now loves the walks i take him on without worry
No they don’t but will ask what are you doing etc because it’s considered trespassing, people here are usually friendly and polite, if your up to no good you still won’t get shot at, so no, you won’t get killed or injured y gunshot!
@glennlingard7851 I only say what he said to me, plus he said he feared being shot, that's not the same as saying american farmers shoot first at everyone, you can still fear shark attacks in areas where only one attack has happened in 10 years, plus it may be down to a farmer where he lived, where I am they is a old gamekeeper that had a bad reputation, for shooting people with rice from a air rifle and beatings if he caught you on game land (set aside for hunting) my friend was from Jersey not sure on that helps
Wind Turbines are for electricity generation and they are owned by Power comany's who have paid the land owner for the rights to put them there and maintain them.
Ohhh I've stumbled into the "pedantry and state-the-obvious" thread! By the way, cat burglers have nothing to do with cats, and butterflies aren't made out of butter....Also ladybirds are not birds, and some of them are male. Don't tell the MAGA crowd that! "Windmill" is common usage for "wind turbine", and as someone who studied electrical engineering at university, I'm perfectly fine with that.
@@welshgit he isnt overly familiar with them and keeps saying wind mill, he wants to learn more about them and he will find the specific correct information on the thing he wants if he searched the right name. Its called being helpful
This is England & Wales. There is no right to roam. There is a right to access the path. Stay on the path, don’t wander off it, don’t allow dogs to run off the path, keep them on a lead if necessary. Be respectful of property, crops and livestock. Close and gates behind you.
And in Scotland you have the right to roam until you come across the angry farmer with a shotgun that Scottish people can't even understand because his accent is too thick 😂
There are right to roam areas all over England and Wales, if you look at the OS Explorer maps the right to roam areas are shaded yellow, most of Snowdonia where I live is right to roam.
@@0x2A_ As long as you are on a path its generally fine but its still incredibly hard to find someone with a shotgun, even a farmer. Never met anyone with a weapon so far - an earful and probably aggressively attempt to force you off their land but that is about it
@@IXxJordanI quite often see farmers with guns where I live, there's quite a bit of hunting and clay pigeon shooting in my local fields, one farmer has one of those Olympic style air rifles and I see him in one of his fields practising with it quiet often, he rests the gun on his Landranger bonnet so as I approach (I'm a fell runner) I always check which direction he's shooting so I pass behind him.
Some windmills were used to pump water in the fens to drain them, something we learned from the Dutch and some came over from the Netherlands to set them up. We just don't have an alternative word for mill in this case, they also look like a windmill used for grinding cereals so it is as good a choice as any.
The wind Mills that you see are for generating electricity, the best place to see old wind Mills are norflck, used for pumping stations..and then we have water Mills for corn and wheat grinding for flour
If you get a chance look at a British Ordnance Survey Explorer map, all public footpaths and bridleway are marked as green dotted/dashed paths, now these paths are everywhere and you need to stick to the path, except for areas where the map is shaded yellow, in England and Wales right to roam areas are shaded yellow on the map, and within these areas you can leave the path and walk wherever you wish, I live in the Snowdonia national park in North Wales, which is a mountainous area with the highest mountains in England and Wales, and most of the park is shaded yellow so you can walk wherever you want to within those areas.
Hello. Many of our public footpaths were walkways that were short cuts to villages or to churches. All our public footpaths are public rights of way even if they cross private land. Being on private land is not a criminal offence (Government land an exception) but a civil offence. You cannot be arrested unless you commit an offence such as damage. Our government mapping agency, Ordnance Survey, provide for sale maps of all scales. The Landranger series at a scale of 2cm to the kilometre is the best for walking showing the public footpaths and if you can read them all the info you need for a good hike like steepness of hills (from contour lines). These can be bought from many bookshops or direct from OS online.
Rather than the Landranger 1:50,000 maps, the Explorer series 1:25,000 give much more information at a larger scale that is more suited to walking. Landranger maps are denoted in red covers and Explorer maps in yellow with the smaller local 1:25,000 in green covers. Care must be taken as the footpaths shown may not be fully up to date. Some may be extinguished and others diverted, and yet others redesignated. For certainty, the 'definitive maps' held at the County Council planning department will show the latest situation.
@@clivewilliams3661 You're going to be fine walking on a path if it's shown on an OS map, as long as it's a reasonably recent printing. As the parent comment points out, trespass is not a crime in England & Wales so the worst that can happen is the landowner will ask you to leave.
@@nbartlett6538 I would not trust the OS maps as being definitive because the land changes all the time and it takes a reasonable length of time for the OS to update them, usually two or more years. I have had the latest OS maps that I have found to be at least 5 years out of date, when compared with actual measured surveys. It would be embarrassing if you walked a path shown on the OS that has been relocated or extinguished since the map's latest compilation. The probable ensuing argument with the landowner could get violent especially if you asserted your perceived right against the landowner's. Remember he could use 'reasonable force' to remove you from his land. I respect the ownership of the land that I am crossing so I would not abuse it by wandering off the path knowing that all the landowner could do is ask me to leave. I am sure you would not appreciate it if whilst you were out I came and enjoyed your garden for the afternoon?
@@clivewilliams3661 No, of course it would not be embarrassing if I walked a path marked on the OS map. If a landowner turned violent as a result then the landowner is committing a crime, not me. He could call the police if I refused to leave his land, but of course I would leave peacefully once the facts have been established. In your world, any person wishing to ramble through the countryside would first have to trawl through the archives of any number of council offices and registrars across the country. That is a policy designed to keep us locked up in our homes and prevent us from using those rights of way at all. No! I do not comply. As for whether I'd like it if you came to enjoy my garden for the afternoon, it's a completely stupid argument because there is no right of way through my garden marked on any map. If there *was* a marked right of way, then I would have known about it when buying the property and would have no business complaining when people use it.
Julia Bradbury does a great series of various walks all over the U.K. her Devon and Cornwall walks are very interesting. There is a coastal path around Great Britain.
16,000 miles is the amount of cycle paths, there's also 20,000 miles of bridle paths for horse riders. but foot paths out number them all, there's over 140,000 miles of foot paths in England & Wales.
The footpaths were there before the countryside was divided up into farms and fields. The 'private property' happens to lie on both sides of the public footpath just like having property on both sides of a public road. Farmers a supposed to raise their ploughs out of the ground when the cross a footpath. In our county, the county council maintains the sign posts, foot bridges and stiles on footpaths.
Historical Footpaths in the UK are 'Public Rights Of Way'. The farmer is not allowed to block them or prevent public access. However- the public is ONLY allowed to walk the designated path. As soon as you step off the path itself on to private land you are trespassing. So the farmer in the picture on the video has planted crops up to the edge of the right of way on both sides, but the public MUST stick to that route at all times. Some Public Footpaths actually run through the famers' yards in places, and again they are not allowed to block access, but the public can only walk on the designated pathway across the yard. Where the path in the video passes between the two properties, it is well maintained, but the farmers are obligated to do this - it's not necessarily done out of a feeling of community spirit. Having said that, most farmers are more than happy to maintain the footpaths on their land- especially where this prevents damage to the hedges around the gateway that might happen if they didn't. Some footpaths are relatively short- a few hundred yards or a couple of miles. Historically they were the direct routes between villages, often for people to get to the church. Others are longer, or are a part of a string of routes that cover longer distances. The longest way-marked footpath is the 'South West Coastal Path' which is 630 miles long.
Just a change of subject Steve, but something you mentioned. Those are wind turbines that were in the field. Windmills are a whole other structure where they would mill their crop into flour back in the day. There are some windmills left but most have been restored as private homes 😊
we also have a ton of bridleways, which is where you can ride horses, also byways which you can walk along. There are many many paths, they are public rights of way. There are many walking paths, i think you can walk from john o groats to lands end. There are lots of informational leaflets on the walking paths from information centres. If you have a po box, then i can get some leaflets sent out to you for you to read. Kindest regards from England xxx
Why they are living history is because the paths have been recorded as being footpaths for hundreds if not a thousand years or more. They are important and have to be maintained by the farmers that own the land. The farmers don't have a choice
Footpaths are historic to churches, cathedrals like pilgrims way ect alot were drovers ways , or routes used to markets ect most date back hundreds if not thousands of years.
footpaths are protected by law and they can go across any land for any distance but mostly it'll be farms, some go through grazing fields, so watch your step since animals don't exactly observe the footpaths. Usually ones through grazing fields will have steps humans can make and animals can't or a swinging gate large enough for people but not big enough for sheep or cattle. A case where you won't be on farmland is footpaths that follow rivers, many rivers have footpaths on at least one side of the river and bridge crossings where necessary so you can walk almost all the way up and down them. You can do this on most of the Thames for example.
We have what we call a public right of way on many ancient footpaths. On Dartmoor, near where I live, there are some ancient paths which were walked by the monks of the nearby abbeys.
I used to live and work in Ashburton. It was always nice to have Dartmoor right there on the doorstep. Brought me back to my youth when my grandparents lived in Okehampton and we'd take the dogs across Dartmoor and do a bit of letterboxing. And climb the Tors, I had to, I was a kid.
I always enjoy this former Virginia resident and his large family introducing US viewers to unusual aspects of the UK living experience. You mention hiking trails. Long-distance paths certainly exist in the UK, some reaching well over 200 miles in length. The ones covered here are local public footpaths.
Not only that he highlights what we Brits often take for granted. I know all about footpaths and walk many and frequently. But watching this suddenly made me take notice and appreciate this feature of our country in a way I hadn't before. Mac has done this in other videos too - cheese rolling, shin kicking and other daft events we have. I salute these "through an outsiders eyes" videos for showing me the ordinary can be extraordinary and to be valued.
Firstly just to say as I don't think Mac mentioned it that the rape seed plant is a spring crop and also sets off hayfever! I live in a village and the landscape has footpaths and bi-ways that you can walk. I live next to bi-way which is a track that runs along part of the top of the village. Along that track there is a smaller footpath that takes you up onto a farmer's field which you can walk along the edge of and then right across the middle to get to a wood which has a public footpath right through it. It's part of a circular route and is one of many in the area. We even have one that takes you through what's left of a WWII airfield. I can be in nature and completely alone in 10 minutes. Some fields that we can walk through in the area have livestock in them too, normally sheep or cows. If you want to explore some of the really ancient roads take a look at The Ridgeway believed to be Britain's oldest road and as such has some ancient sites along it.
There is a very interesting series called 'Walking through History' with Sir Tony Robinson where he walks the actual paths (major historical) around England and Wales and tells you anecdotes and talks to many people who know the history of what went on or why the path was there. Really, really interesting!
I love these programmes. I enjoyed watching Kate Humble walking the coastal paths, too. I wish I had the stamina to walk so far - the scenery is incredible.
You might find it interesting to look into old english holloways - they're paths that have been used for so long that they've actually cut into the earth, with foliage growing around them, so they're almost like tunnels. They're absolutely wild to look at, and it really feels like you're walking into the past, or maybe even another world entirely, when you're on one
When Madonna was married to Guy Ritchie and they lived in a mansion in the UK countryside. She went wild with anger as people walked right in front of their house, on their land on one of those footpaths... so funny 😂
In the south of England, where I live, the South Downs Way run 100 miles from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex. People have been using the paths and tracks that have been linked to form the South Downs Way for approximately 8000 years (Wikipedia)
My parents have one through their land in NE England. As long as people close the gate after them and don't let the live stock out they are always welcome.
I've watched a load of your videos when I'm just chilling on the xbox and I can't comment only view comments this video has made me come on my phone and write a comment because I've noticed you love the UK and really want to visit and see all these things here meet the people etc... I hope you stay long enough to experience it all one-day and you complete your bucket list you have personally 🙏🤟
two of England's oldest footpaths are just up the road from me. One is over 80 miles long. England (if and when the footpath is completed) will have the world's longest coastal footpath totalling 2,700 miles
I belong to a 'Footpaths group' we sometimes have to walk very close to or even through someone's garden. One of the things about walking a path is the very action of doing so keeps it open, so anyone wanting to close or have it diverted cannot say it has fallen into disuse.
the footpath from my village leads to one of the most important aspects of British life the pub. on another note when I was in basic training at RAF Halton the camp had a public footpath that led straight through the camp. So even though the camp had gate guards if you were using the path they had to let you through.
How really refreshing to hear that you'd take time to explore properly when you achieve your trip to UK. So many vloggers try to impress with their short trips in which they rush from site to site, seeing lots of tourist hot spots but not really experiencing our country at all. It's not just Americans who do this, but they are pretty well known for being some of the worst offenders. It's often seems like just a check list, 'Westminster Abbey, check, Houses of Parliament, check, etc. There is so much more that's fun to find here, like getting to know us, not passing through on a bus or train in the middle of the night! Hope to see you here soon!
There is a mapped register of "rights of way" across farmland and countryside like this in England and Wales. Each county holds official records. There is is major network across the country, although they may need to be connected by walking along lanes or roads as well. Many long distance routes have been created from linking different rights of way. The rights of way are shown on Ordnance Survey maps. It is the responsibility of farmers to keep the routes open and maintained, although this is done better in some parts of the country than others. In my very rural part of mid Wales there are not so many walkers and some marked rights of way are difficult to follow across farmland and not really maintained. Walkers have responsibility not to litter or disturb or stray from the official routes. There can be problems when dogs are not kept under control among sheep, for example. In upland areas of England and Wales there are large tracts of "open access" land also marked on Ordnance Survey maps where it is more like the Scottish "right to roam". At the moment there is the prospect of little used rights of way falling out of the official records which could reduce access quite a bit in some areas of the country.
That is a wind turbine nit a windmill. As thw name suggests a windmill is a mill that grinds seed etc using the power of wind. Here in Norfolk we have wind turbines and windmills like Sutton mill but we have many wind pumps which are smaller and are used to pump water to either drain the land or to pump water to irrigate crops.
I'm in the south east of England in Kent, farmers fields everywhere I often walk these pathways like he said you can walk through the middle of a field where the path will lead to a gate and then another field . It's a lovely walk especially on a summers evening 😊
Those are Wind turbines for harnessing wind energy. We do have Windmills, but those are older and for grinding grains for flour. Not really in use anymore. Most Windmills have been turned to museums or there’s one near me that’s been made into a house
Most British Footpaths are Public Rights of Way which existed long before there were 'Land Owners' these are all marked on Ordnance Survey Maps, the 'Land Owners' can ask for a diversion around the perimeter of the field but it would entail an local authority enquiry which can be long and tedious. these footpaths can be hundreds of mile long and the make up a network, you can travel the length and breath of the UK and not touch a main road Depending on the width of the path it could also be a pack way that were used by pack horses to transport good from town to town. The owners of Wind turbines lease ground and access from the farmers, and Up here in the North of England more and more farm are installing their own wind turbines, the variety of styles are amazing.
We have that in Germany too. It's also often backed by customary law. And not only in the countryside but also in the city. But if the "wasted" space bothers you, there is often a solution where you agree with the city or commune to by the path while and also giving a preemption to the owner of the remaining original property. I have such a premption for the way next to my property, wich is a very unremarkable way, that is just in use for hundreds of years. You can't shut it down. And would have to allow foot and bike traffic over your property due to customary law. But the original owner of the property made a deal with the city to buy that way and adding the preemption title. This way no one feels bad about it.
This is such a big part of UK life in the sticks. My GF and I hunt for places we can walk and walk and walk. 20miles easy. It can be a bit samey walking past bushes but you got to be deep in to feel that way😅 check out the coast to coast walk 198 miles, all right of travel .
TH-cam Liambrown coast to coast. He's a young lad (20s) who's really into through camping. Bro I have grown to really appreciate your channel in like 5 videos. Much respect.
You can walk coast to coast on these paths. They are connected and there are thousands of miles of them. If a company wants to build a factory on a footpath they have to make sure the footpath stays available to all, free.
The majority of paths that cross farmland like this were an existing right-of-way that probably ran between field boundaries. In the last fifty years or so farming techniques have changed so much that farmers need large open fields so they have removed the (often centuries old) hedges and now it appears that the right-of-way crosses through private land.
When you do visit the uk, you will see many signposts at the side of the road with a simple image of a little man walking. It's a public footpath waysign.
Footpaths are lovely and you can meet amazing people walking on them and friendly dogs. They are very often connected. You can cross the country on footpaths. You may like to watch a video about the Ridgeway, an ancient trackway that links some incredible ancient sites.
ooh...one of my favourite youtubers is reacting to one of my favourite youtubers; I love it when that happens! "Steve...meet Mac" (sorry, couldn't resist the obvious 😁) They both seem, to me, to be really lovely people...and popular on here anyway 💙
I walk a path just like this one he's going through a couple of times a week during the summer, the path connects 3 villages and has been there for hundreds of years, it splits off in different directions halfway across a field to two different villages one goes through woodland, it's part of the English countryside I love.
Some of the really old paths go back 3000-4000 years old to neolithic times. Some went to sites like Avebury or Stonehenge and to many other sites of antiquity.
only a few very limited places but they have signs up trespass is criminal, like you see on fences of army bases or private company like Rolls-Royce but not all of RR a few where gov doing projects and railways 1k£ fine for going on to tracks or walking along side then over railways fence. but yes everything else 99% is fare gain its only civil so all they can do is ask you to leave
@@stevekenilworth Yes, and if you refuse to leave then they can move you forcefully. In theory they could sue you if your trespass caused some quantifiable harm. But that's very unlikely if you just walk across some open land.
@@barneylaurance1865 only reasonable force, to cause injury would not be so land owner could end up in hot water with law, that why i mention the police they there to make sure no law gets broken on both sides that all they are there for. lot cases they have to get a court order to keep you off land unless they can prove laws broken.
@@stevekenilworth Right, only reasonable force is legal. Some minor would probably be considered reasonable though, it'd be hard to drag someone half way across a field and make sure you don't give them any small bruises or scratches if they didn't want to be moved.
The only real windmills I know of are located in Norfolk which during WWII ,was also one of the locations for USAAF bomber bases.The best thing to do when visiting the UK is to buy an ordinance survey map of the area you visit,they show all of the footpaths and other features of interest........................................
@@davidgilfillan did was turned down the route is at least 1000 years old and you have no good reason to want it moved so lump it was basically the answer
@@davidgilfillan yes you can, its not uncommon for paths to go right past a farmers windows, a legal case has to be made for reasonable limited diversion and has to go through some hoops for approval, sometimes these are applied for and granted on a temp basis to allow road works or building works etc. Sometimes the diversions are better for the walker than the original route
Wind turbines not wind mills, because they don’t mill anything, are mostly erected out at sea in massive complexes, with each turbine many times the size to produce much more energy. The largest wind farm in the world is off the east coast of England, called Hornsea 2.
If you want a good walk look up the south west coast path, its over 600 miles long and follows the coast through sumerset, devon, Cornwall and Dorset, up and down hills but with some amazing views
The paths that cut across fields typically only do so because the farmer has chosen to demolish an old field boundary, fill in the ditch, remove the hedges and or dry stone walls - features that a historic path would have followed. Farmers do this to allow them to use larger machines with greater ease. However they are legally obligated to maintain historic rights of way. Some of them would prefer not to, but there are access rights groups that force them to.
Years ago we were holidaying in The Lake Districe, we were on a hike, it was very wet. We found a tiny tea shop that was just two church pughes on two walls facing each other. It had a serving area at one end and door and window at the other. There were 5 of us and my little brother was tiny and getting cold. There were 3 men in there late 60's when we arrived, they sat on one bench and we were on the other. It turned out they were all High Court Judges, they were great fun and very chatty. You can meet allsorts on a walk.
Steve was confusing windmills with wind turbines. There are large groups of wind turbines up on the northern moors, but windmills, as you say, tend to be found on the flat areas of the country. The flour mills which were historically found up here in the NW of England, mostly used water power as opposed to wind power, although there were a few wind-driven ones on the coast. I like the thought of sitting in a tiny tea shop in the Lake District on a very soggy day.
You would like the video's of hikers doing the coast to coast walk. It's 180+ miles from Cumbria [Irish sea] to Yorkshire [North sea], and travels through various landscapes via public footpaths.
All these paths and bridleways date back hundreds of years. Where traveler's walked or rode horses around the country. If we stop using them for many years we lose them so we use them for general health walks. I live by the south downlands and can walk 100 miles from Eastbourne to Winchester and it's all protected from from being built on, but farmers use
With reference to the Wind Turbines on Farmland, the Land owner gets an annual rent payment from the energy companies, per Turbine for allowing them to be situated on his Land.
As others have said, Mac’s channel “The Family” is brilliant. His UK/US prospective is very interesting, he has embraced British life and we have embraced him!! (Mind you, It might be his voice, I could listen to him reading the contents of a cereal box and still swoon!!!)
Most of the public footpaths existed long before the privately owned fields and the roads. They cut through forest or common land, and it's quite difficult to alter them (though if you've got a footpath going right through a field of crops, you can "divert" the footpath round the edge of the field near to harvest time). It can be pretty bizarre - we've got public footpaths that cross very busy main roads (not always with a pedestrian crossing!), and going through people's back gardens or across farmyards. You have to be sensible using them, and definitely shut the gates so you don't let cattle/dogs/toddlers out by mistake!
They are wind turbines . Wind Mills are a different thing they usually mill flour etc . Wind turbines that you see in the fields are to turn Wind power into electric etc
Being a little picky, but those are not windmills, noting is being milled, they are wind turbines. There is around 140,000 miles of public foot paths in England alone.
A lot of people have tried to cut off public footpaths, at my old villiage we used to walk the footpaths every year as a group to make sure we didn’t lose the rights to the public footpaths.(I believe it needs to be walked every 10 years or so but we did it annually) if you buy a house it is possible that a public footpath runs through your garden, don’t expect privacy!
In Britain we have public footpaths that criss-cross the nation and you can walk from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland and nobody owns the paths and they can't block them, even if you have a house and garden either side the access has to be there by law and many are signposted to show where the public footpath is and they normally meet up to other paths for multiple routes in other directions
I'm very proud of much of our history in the UK, but watching these videos reminds me of so much more that we have. Seeing it from an 'outsiders' viewpoint really does reinforce what we do have here. Thanks for the great videos and keep on posting more.
Having walked all over the UK, it's interesting to see the different ways you can cross boundary walls/hedges from wooden stiles, kissing gates and ladders / gaps / stiles over drystone walls
There is a dedicated organisation which traverses the footpath of the UK to maintain the right to roam. It is called the 'Ramblers Association' they organise walks all year round. Some farmers would prefer you not to traverse planted fields but will allow you to walk around the field just to protect crops The footpaths are highlighted on maps There are also dedicated footpath maps.
I agree with most of your comment but most farmers do NOT want you to walk round the edge of the field instead of following the line of the existing footpath because if he does that he risks producing another right of way on his land but this is in addition to, not instead of the original footpath. Occasionally a farmer might allow a Permissive footpath around the perimeter of the field because provided he closes access to this for one complete 24 hour period a year, prevents it from becoming a right of way. Unless, there is a permissive footpath clearly shown you should always follow the line of the right of way footpath as shown on the map even if it crosses a growing crop.
@@stevehartley7504 My pleasure ! I agree though, there is always something left to learn and like you, I appreciate people who give me information too. 👍😊
My wife used to have a property where the public right of way meant people could walk down her front garden, through an archway, down the side of her house, through her back garden and out onto the farmers fields. So it's not just farmers that maintain them
I’ve been on a walk where the public footpath literally went through someones’ back garden, also I know of one that runs through the grounds of a stately home. If you buy an ordinance survey map, or maybe there is an app. public footpaths are clearly marked.
Hi Steve, One of the lovliest paths in the UK is the South West Coast Path, following the coast of the South West Peninsula including the South West counties of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. Starting in Minehead Somerset it then visits Lynmouth, Ilfracombe, Barnstaple, Bideford, Bude, Newquay, Perranporth, St Ives, Lands End, Penzance, Lizard Point, Falmouth, St Mawes, Mevagissey, Looe, Saltash, Plymouth, Salcombe, Torbay, Dawlish, Exmouth, Sidmouth, Seaton, Lyme Regis, Chesil Beach (At 18 miles long it is Britains longest beach), Weymouth and Portland before eventually finishing in Poole Harbour, the Uk's largest natural harbour. The total length of this path is a staggering 630 miles making it the UK's longest footpath. To cap it all the views you will encounter alopng this path are some of the best coastal scenes you will see anywhere in the world. There are many other footpaths in the UK that are well over 100 miles in length too so you would be absolutely spoilt for choice when you cross the pond. The video below gives you some idea. th-cam.com/video/Z3V8TF8IEos/w-d-xo.html
Public footpaths are a public right of way so farmers are legally obliged to maintain them and mark them back out when they plough the fields if they go across them..the paths obviously usually predate the farms or even any land owners at all which is why they have them going straight across fields. I can tell you now that not all farmers like having them there and only do this because it is a legal obligation. I've heard of farmers attempting to block them especially when not used so much or constantly moaning about them. Some would love for people who live in towns and cities to not be able to walk anywhere in nature. On the other hand, you get some very proactive farmers and land owners who go as far as to have what they call permissive footpaths. These are footpaths that the land owner chooses to allow the public to use but there is no legal obligation and they can close them whenever they like. This can be beneficial where they have issues with people trespassing places that cause more problems such as over crops (Trespass is only a civil offence in the UK so too much trouble trying to deal with it legally) as they can sort of redirect people to a path that means they aren't causing a problem such as along boundaries between fields etc.... There's also a couple different types of public rights of way....the footpath is just for people on foot etc..like a pavement next to a highway. You then also get bridleways which are also for horse riders and cyclists but no motor vehicles..the trans pennine trail is a good example of this. It then goes onto various byways means motor vehicles can also use... We currently have a law that means if a path has been used by the public without interference for at least 15 or so years, it is automatically designated a public right of way. Those with permissive footpaths may close the path one day a year to prevent this. I heard the government were going to take this law away though sadly...
Take a look at the Ordnance Survey map (OS) of England and Wales showing all the footpaths in our lands - it will shock you. BTW have you reacted to 'Coast to Coast: 182 miles across the English Countryside'? I think you will enjoy it. Oh, just one more - ' The Quest for England: the Magic of Footpaths by Richard Vobes. Its a bit of a wintery walk, but he explains a lot and there is a nice surprise at the end - about 13 mins.
I love Mac's videos with his family, they are really fun in sharing their UK experience. The path that is near me is three miles across playing fields and then farming land. It leads to a countryside pub!
The first thing you need is an Ordnance Map, which will show you where all the public footpaths are and it's surprising where the public have right of way in the most surprising places.
Hey Steve! So to give you some idea regarding the length of these public footpaths - some individual lengths can easily get up in to the dozens-of-miles, even in to three figures along coast paths. Many are more on the order of a handful of miles, but even these are interconnected - for example, a footpath may terminate in a small village, and from there you could pick up on one of several other footpaths which are part of that "ancient network", so to speak. Or in other cases, a footpath might "end" simply because it collides with a "modern" country road - but very commonly you can walk only a few dozen, _maybe_ a few hundred feet down the road and pick up the continuation of the footpath which just "ended". I recommend looking up a map to see just how omni-present these paths are across England and Wales especially! Also yes, just to corroborate some things others have already said - the right to roam is a specifically Scottish thing, and these footpaths are similarly useful though unrelated. Also, while the majority of landowners I have come across are perfectly happy to maintain these old routeways because they understand the historical significance and the modern value of having these routes maintained, they are actually required by law to maintain and signpost them. Like I say, the majority in my experience are happy to be doing this, as evidenced by things like the nice ditch-bridge in this video, but there is a minority which only maintains them out of obligation.
It’s very beneficial to the farmers to allow members of the public on their land. The public will usually report issues to the farmer. Like if a small fire starts. People dumping trash in fields. Injured animals. Loose animals etc. 😊
Problem is they are just as likely to cause all those issues for instance 64% of dog walkers say their dogs chase farm animals with the average sheep farmer losing a dozen animals each year from either stress (dog worrying) or mauling's.
There is a map, called the Definitive Map, which shows all public rights of way in the UK. If it is on that map then the landowner is legally obliged to maintain it, cannot restrict access to it and members of the public may use it at any time. It is wonderful. On top of that, we in Wales have the right to roam. Likewise in Scotland.
The countryside is much more accessible here, you don’t need to drive to a national park or somesuch, these public footpaths absolutely cover the landscape. And with the way zoning works here there is not the same urban sprawl you get in the US so there’s a much clearer divide between town and countryside. I live in a major city now but I walk 3 miles, half of that through lovely woodland and I’m in the Peak District with little sign of the city. You can never quite be as far from civilisation as you can in the wilderness of the US but there’s plenty of places where there’s nobody else around
Public footpaths are ancient rights of way. If someone is using a path that is blocked or not safe they report it. Then they are walked by footpath officers to ensure they aren't blocked by land owners and are safe to walk. Some paths connect religious places and were walked by pilgrims, some people used to get from A to B. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_way_in_England_and_Wales
The UK, perhaps due to it's size, doesn't have as many long distance trails like in the US. Although many (relatively shorter) trails do exsit and there is a move to create and advertise them better with better signage and access for the public. This include the Pennie way, the south west coast path and the west highland way. These trails combine areas of national park with small sections of track including some as shown in the video. Generally, footpaths like this are used locally and infrequently. Where a path is very popular and starts to cause weathering of the ground and hassle for the landowner they may be re-routed for the benefit of everyone but the access from each end maintained so the continuous path is maintained. In addition to the bridge shown most paths will have stile or gates to allow access but control livestock.
Many of these places will have been owned through generations by the same families. It's not just "big landowners" but small farms - farming isn't the sorta cool profession many people want to get into, so it tends to stick in the family where possible. As such, many of us have tended the paths as long as we have our fields, it just goes with the land ownership.
Land owners have a legal obligation to keep the footpaths maintained and clearly marked.
Correct - the paths were there long before the farmers and the law says they MUST be maintained.
@@martynadams2011bridal way laws
The land owners can also apply for a government grant to cover the cost of upkeeping the paths.
It is not a legal obligation for land owners to keep the footpaths maintained and clearly marked, they do not own them. It is up to the highways agencie or another organisation designated by the Highways agency such as a local council to do that. Landowners may not block or damage the path as per the 1980's Highways Act or put up false notices as per the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. They may temporary reroute a path for safety reasons and if they damage a path must repair it within two weeks. If they put up a fence they must put in a gate or stile so it can still be accessed which they must maintain. Permitted Footpaths which are where the land owner allows the public to enter their land must be maintained in a safe condition by the land owner unless the local council agrees to do that on thier behalf. Some parts of the Thames path is kept open with this agreement.
Another abused bit of history. Footpaths were for the locals to cut across fields before the days of motor cars and every one knew who was crossing and there was respect for all. Now they gave everyone the right to walk communism through the back door with people who litter and case the area for what they can steal.
They're legally protected paths, public right of way. It's not always out of the kindness of their hearts. Some of these paths are quite literally ancient.
Kindness or not, it is illegal to obstruct them/their use - hence many farmers spray crops off along the line of the path, after the crop has been sown/germinated. Joe Public then frequently doesn't stick to the path and makes a massive swathe through the crop. People also abuse them by using them for cycles, even motor-cycles. Footpaths are for people on foot.
There are also bridleways, which can be used on foot or horseback - same basic rules apply.
They can be moved if you apply and the Court agrees, but it is very, very far from simple or likely that one would be moved.
On the other hand, in England, there is no right of access anywhere onto private property, with just a few exceptions. The major exception are the Open Access Areas in the National Parks, where you are totaly free to roam, but only on foot for the main part (also abused).
Scotland is free to explore as you like, but plenty of Scots dislike it as it has led to massive abuse of the countryside and widespread and extreme littering.
Except for military establishments and the like, there really isn't a trespass law, as such, in the UK. If you do trespass and get caught, mostly you would be asked to leave but in extreme cases you can be sued in the civil Court for damages - to the crop, fences, game, whatever.
@@neuralwarpwhence the phrase in OPs comment "...quite literally ancient." Okay I being pedantic
@@birdie1585 We have green lanes that offroad motorcycles can legally use (although joe public think they are doing it illegally even when they are not), but occasionally some people will ride on fields and lanes they are not supposed to too. Most bikers with road legal offroad bikes will ride only on road and legal to ride offroad lanes, from one lane to another between roads where necessary. I only ride on the road myself.
@@HalfdeadRider I am unsure of your point.
Where did I say or imply otherwise?
The problem with green lanes is that offroaders frequently think that they should trash the sites.
I could point you in the direction of one that I know well, but haven't visited since before covid. That was a very rough unmade road over moorland, something like 15 feet or so wide, with 3-6 feet on each side that was rough grass, running up to a stock-proof fence each side. It had been like that for many, many years.
4-5 years ago, offroaders destroyed everything between the fences, with ruts up to 2, perhaps 3 feet deep.It looked like it had been bombed time after time. Some was down to four wheels, a lot was down to two wheels.
I have sat and watched motorcyclists leave the lane to tackle piles of rocks and undergrowth, presumably "as a challenge".
Presumably the Parks Authority, distributed huge rocks and logs on each side along the length of the lane to try to stop the destruction.
Quite a lot spoil things for everyone.
@@birdie1585 my point was more than clear enough my friend, as for the rest of your reply, that's just babble!
They have to keep and maintain them by law, when Madonna bought a big property the first thing she tried to do was remove the footpaths. She got put in her place pretty quickly.
Madonna also tried to shut down Compton Abbas airfield, a pre WWII site, as it was a couple of miles from her pile and she didn’t want anyone overflying. She was politely told where she could stick her objections.
@@helenwright7360 yes and she soon sold up after that,
Interesting because Guy Ritchie now owns Compton Abbas airfield and has spent a fortune maintaining and upgrading its services and facilities.
In contrast some farmers find it useful to have these paths because people travelling by or through the farm lands are an extra set of eyes to deter crime or spot problems with livestock to report to the farmer etc.
@@redf7209 Indeed. If whilst out walking, I see an animal in distress, I'll tell the farmer.
I used to work in a legal service dealing with debts accrued by landowners when the council had to go in and clear a public right of way. I remember reading one where the landowner had built big garages across the path. Well after many warnings the council drove bulldozers straight through them reinstated the path and sent him the bill 🤣
Nice.
We have until 2026 to make sure every forgotten footpath is remapped, or else we lose public right of way to them. Some have been lost by loss of records, some lost due to overgrowth and some due to land owners directing people away from them... Trying to get this out to as many people as possible. Please look up "how to save a footpath UK" on google
Good
Perfect 🥰
this guy does some great content, he has been here in the UK for a while, couple months ago, his family was belessed with twins, using the NHS, he now has 6 children, he talks real tho, about living in UK race and all that, well worth going to his channel and watching
Mac is great and with a wonderful family
He also loves a country show, the family gets close up with loads of farm animals and they love the food.
'Using the NHS' what else was he supposed to use in the UK? What was the point of that silly statement
@@ohthechitchat For non-emergency care he could have gone private, some people do have babies in private hospitals or at home using private midwives and doctors etc.
@@ohthechitchatErr, private healthcare?
Nothing beats crossing a footpath through the middle of a barley field in the height of Summer on a beautiful sunny day. Wild flowers everywhere. Small birds darting around. Barley moving in the breeze. On your way to/back to the local village pub.
That sounds bliss.
Yes it does i.e. crossing rough pasture untouched by chemicals (and frankly, I've never seen an arable field of monocrops with wild flowers everywhere) that really does have wild flowers everywhere and at the moment is awash with butterflies, especially Peacocks. If I walk from my house, as I did this morning, I pass through such a field, un-grazed, just wild, that leads to a small woodland, which emerges to more rough pasture (grazed), that then goes onto cultured arable fields and it is amazing how the wildlife drops off as soon as you hit the monoculture fields.
You are so right, a barley field is my favourite, the way it ripples in the wind and rustles softly, then there’s the beer!
Dreams
I hope the man who made this video decides to make the UK his home. Him and his family seem really nice, we could use more people like him.
He does seem a really lovely bloke ❤️
How far do the paths go ? The entire length of the country ! It’s a massive interconnected network of thousands of miles covering the entire UK. They are in EVERY village, town, city, county, farmland, national parks, moorland, forestry, along the coast, across mountain ranges……everywhere. You cannot drive more than a few miles in any direction without seeing a footpath sign.
National parks, mountains, moors etc often are not crossed by footpaths in this way, because it's 'open access' meaning that you can go anywhere, unlike normal footpaths through private land, where you have to stick to the path.
Of course national parks, mountains, moors still have paths, but that's for ease of access & safety more than anything else.
Some footpaths are Roman roads, known by their straightness from A to B. Others were set by monks crossing places with old slabs and sandstones underfoot.
England has 146,000km(91,000miles) of public footpaths, and Wales more than 26,000km(16,000miles) Landowners are obliged by law to keep these footpaths free of obstruction and will receive notifications and fines if the footpaths are not kept clear. I've received a few notifications myself when a path is becoming a bit overgrown..
Notifications?
@@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek A letter from the local council notifying that a homeowner is causing an obstruction of a pathway and unless resolved by the homeowner, council will take action. So in my case, my hedge may have grown too far into the pathway and unless I cut it back, the council will do what it feels necessary.
Thank you
On a walk my american friend asked what that building was, when i said it was a farmhouse, he tried to shove through a hedge to get away as fast as he could, when i asked what he was doing he said he feared being shot, the idea was so alien to him that its perfectly ok to walk so close to a farm house within sight of the farmer, he now loves the walks i take him on without worry
His first reaction is so sad. Do they really shoot first, ask questions later?
No they don’t but will ask what are you doing etc because it’s considered trespassing, people here are usually friendly and polite, if your up to no good you still won’t get shot at, so no, you won’t get killed or injured y gunshot!
@lizbignell7813 It's sad you believe this story and asked that question.
@joeysausage, do you not believe his story?
@glennlingard7851 I only say what he said to me, plus he said he feared being shot, that's not the same as saying american farmers shoot first at everyone, you can still fear shark attacks in areas where only one attack has happened in 10 years, plus it may be down to a farmer where he lived, where I am they is a old gamekeeper that had a bad reputation, for shooting people with rice from a air rifle and beatings if he caught you on game land (set aside for hunting) my friend was from Jersey not sure on that helps
They are called wind turbines as opposed to wind mill. A wind mill would be for milling grain or whatever. The turbine is for generating energy
Yep so right, they are wind turbines, but we sometimes mistaken them for windmills. Being middle-aged, I do too, but I always try to correct myself.
Wind Turbines are for electricity generation and they are owned by Power comany's who have paid the land owner for the rights to put them there and maintain them.
Ohhh I've stumbled into the "pedantry and state-the-obvious" thread!
By the way, cat burglers have nothing to do with cats, and butterflies aren't made out of butter....Also ladybirds are not birds, and some of them are male. Don't tell the MAGA crowd that!
"Windmill" is common usage for "wind turbine", and as someone who studied electrical engineering at university, I'm perfectly fine with that.
@@welshgit he isnt overly familiar with them and keeps saying wind mill, he wants to learn more about them and he will find the specific correct information on the thing he wants if he searched the right name. Its called being helpful
@@neuralwarp Great information. Makes sense Thor's hammer would be called crush!
This is England & Wales. There is no right to roam. There is a right to access the path. Stay on the path, don’t wander off it, don’t allow dogs to run off the path, keep them on a lead if necessary. Be respectful of property, crops and livestock. Close and gates behind you.
And in Scotland you have the right to roam until you come across the angry farmer with a shotgun that Scottish people can't even understand because his accent is too thick 😂
There are right to roam areas all over England and Wales, if you look at the OS Explorer maps the right to roam areas are shaded yellow, most of Snowdonia where I live is right to roam.
The right to roam does exist in England,but it's a bit more restrictive,as it's mostly paths but with some open access private land.
@@0x2A_ As long as you are on a path its generally fine but its still incredibly hard to find someone with a shotgun, even a farmer. Never met anyone with a weapon so far - an earful and probably aggressively attempt to force you off their land but that is about it
@@IXxJordanI quite often see farmers with guns where I live, there's quite a bit of hunting and clay pigeon shooting in my local fields, one farmer has one of those Olympic style air rifles and I see him in one of his fields practising with it quiet often, he rests the gun on his Landranger bonnet so as I approach (I'm a fell runner) I always check which direction he's shooting so I pass behind him.
FYI, a 'windmill' is a mill for grinding cereals using wind power. When you generate electrical power using wind it is referred to as a wind turbine.
Some windmills were used to pump water in the fens to drain them, something we learned from the Dutch and some came over from the Netherlands to set them up. We just don't have an alternative word for mill in this case, they also look like a windmill used for grinding cereals so it is as good a choice as any.
@@martinconnelly1473 Surely wind pump would suffice?
From which we can access free wind power. We have free tidal power and we are great at catching all that free solar power too.
The wind Mills that you see are for generating electricity, the best place to see old wind Mills are norflck, used for pumping stations..and then we have water Mills for corn and wheat grinding for flour
The ones used to generate electricity are wind turbines, not windmills.
If you get a chance look at a British Ordnance Survey Explorer map, all public footpaths and bridleway are marked as green dotted/dashed paths, now these paths are everywhere and you need to stick to the path, except for areas where the map is shaded yellow, in England and Wales right to roam areas are shaded yellow on the map, and within these areas you can leave the path and walk wherever you wish, I live in the Snowdonia national park in North Wales, which is a mountainous area with the highest mountains in England and Wales, and most of the park is shaded yellow so you can walk wherever you want to within those areas.
im just guessing that you dont like the new name the Wales government gave it then
@@benjones4900 ?
Someone has already mention her, yes, Julia Bradbury does lovely coastal walks around the Uk, Steve you should have a look.
Hello. Many of our public footpaths were walkways that were short cuts to villages or to churches. All our public footpaths are public rights of way even if they cross private land. Being on private land is not a criminal offence (Government land an exception) but a civil offence. You cannot be arrested unless you commit an offence such as damage. Our government mapping agency, Ordnance Survey, provide for sale maps of all scales. The Landranger series at a scale of 2cm to the kilometre is the best for walking showing the public footpaths and if you can read them all the info you need for a good hike like steepness of hills (from contour lines). These can be bought from many bookshops or direct from OS online.
Rather than the Landranger 1:50,000 maps, the Explorer series 1:25,000 give much more information at a larger scale that is more suited to walking. Landranger maps are denoted in red covers and Explorer maps in yellow with the smaller local 1:25,000 in green covers. Care must be taken as the footpaths shown may not be fully up to date. Some may be extinguished and others diverted, and yet others redesignated. For certainty, the 'definitive maps' held at the County Council planning department will show the latest situation.
@@clivewilliams3661 You're going to be fine walking on a path if it's shown on an OS map, as long as it's a reasonably recent printing. As the parent comment points out, trespass is not a crime in England & Wales so the worst that can happen is the landowner will ask you to leave.
@@nbartlett6538 I would not trust the OS maps as being definitive because the land changes all the time and it takes a reasonable length of time for the OS to update them, usually two or more years. I have had the latest OS maps that I have found to be at least 5 years out of date, when compared with actual measured surveys. It would be embarrassing if you walked a path shown on the OS that has been relocated or extinguished since the map's latest compilation. The probable ensuing argument with the landowner could get violent especially if you asserted your perceived right against the landowner's. Remember he could use 'reasonable force' to remove you from his land.
I respect the ownership of the land that I am crossing so I would not abuse it by wandering off the path knowing that all the landowner could do is ask me to leave. I am sure you would not appreciate it if whilst you were out I came and enjoyed your garden for the afternoon?
The local council has to have an up-to-date record of the public footpaths in there area.
Ask for the Rights of Way officer.
@@clivewilliams3661 No, of course it would not be embarrassing if I walked a path marked on the OS map.
If a landowner turned violent as a result then the landowner is committing a crime, not me. He could call the police if I refused to leave his land, but of course I would leave peacefully once the facts have been established.
In your world, any person wishing to ramble through the countryside would first have to trawl through the archives of any number of council offices and registrars across the country. That is a policy designed to keep us locked up in our homes and prevent us from using those rights of way at all. No! I do not comply.
As for whether I'd like it if you came to enjoy my garden for the afternoon, it's a completely stupid argument because there is no right of way through my garden marked on any map. If there *was* a marked right of way, then I would have known about it when buying the property and would have no business complaining when people use it.
Julia Bradbury does a great series of various walks all over the U.K. her Devon and Cornwall walks are very interesting. There is a coastal path around Great Britain.
There are over 16000 miles of legally protected footpaths in the uk.
16,000 miles is the amount of cycle paths, there's also 20,000 miles of bridle paths for horse riders. but foot paths out number them all, there's over 140,000 miles of foot paths in England & Wales.
The footpaths were there before the countryside was divided up into farms and fields. The 'private property' happens to lie on both sides of the public footpath just like having property on both sides of a public road. Farmers a supposed to raise their ploughs out of the ground when the cross a footpath. In our county, the county council maintains the sign posts, foot bridges and stiles on footpaths.
Historical Footpaths in the UK are 'Public Rights Of Way'. The farmer is not allowed to block them or prevent public access. However- the public is ONLY allowed to walk the designated path. As soon as you step off the path itself on to private land you are trespassing. So the farmer in the picture on the video has planted crops up to the edge of the right of way on both sides, but the public MUST stick to that route at all times. Some Public Footpaths actually run through the famers' yards in places, and again they are not allowed to block access, but the public can only walk on the designated pathway across the yard.
Where the path in the video passes between the two properties, it is well maintained, but the farmers are obligated to do this - it's not necessarily done out of a feeling of community spirit. Having said that, most farmers are more than happy to maintain the footpaths on their land- especially where this prevents damage to the hedges around the gateway that might happen if they didn't.
Some footpaths are relatively short- a few hundred yards or a couple of miles. Historically they were the direct routes between villages, often for people to get to the church. Others are longer, or are a part of a string of routes that cover longer distances. The longest way-marked footpath is the 'South West Coastal Path' which is 630 miles long.
Just a change of subject Steve, but something you mentioned. Those are wind turbines that were in the field. Windmills are a whole other structure where they would mill their crop into flour back in the day. There are some windmills left but most have been restored as private homes 😊
we also have a ton of bridleways, which is where you can ride horses, also byways which you can walk along. There are many many paths, they are public rights of way. There are many walking paths, i think you can walk from john o groats to lands end. There are lots of informational leaflets on the walking paths from information centres. If you have a po box, then i can get some leaflets sent out to you for you to read. Kindest regards from England xxx
Why they are living history is because the paths have been recorded as being footpaths for hundreds if not a thousand years or more. They are important and have to be maintained by the farmers that own the land. The farmers don't have a choice
Footpaths are historic to churches, cathedrals like pilgrims way ect alot were drovers ways , or routes used to markets ect most date back hundreds if not thousands of years.
Just goes to show how old the UK is and how we are steeped in history.
footpaths are protected by law and they can go across any land for any distance but mostly it'll be farms, some go through grazing fields, so watch your step since animals don't exactly observe the footpaths. Usually ones through grazing fields will have steps humans can make and animals can't or a swinging gate large enough for people but not big enough for sheep or cattle.
A case where you won't be on farmland is footpaths that follow rivers, many rivers have footpaths on at least one side of the river and bridge crossings where necessary so you can walk almost all the way up and down them. You can do this on most of the Thames for example.
We have what we call a public right of way on many ancient footpaths. On Dartmoor, near where I live, there are some ancient paths which were walked by the monks of the nearby abbeys.
Dartmoor is the most amazing place to visit! Prehistory at ever turn, rows of standing stones everywhere. A truly wonderful place!
I used to live and work in Ashburton. It was always nice to have Dartmoor right there on the doorstep. Brought me back to my youth when my grandparents lived in Okehampton and we'd take the dogs across Dartmoor and do a bit of letterboxing. And climb the Tors, I had to, I was a kid.
I always enjoy this former Virginia resident and his large family introducing US viewers to unusual aspects of the UK living experience. You mention hiking trails. Long-distance paths certainly exist in the UK, some reaching well over 200 miles in length. The ones covered here are local public footpaths.
Not only that he highlights what we Brits often take for granted. I know all about footpaths and walk many and frequently. But watching this suddenly made me take notice and appreciate this feature of our country in a way I hadn't before. Mac has done this in other videos too - cheese rolling, shin kicking and other daft events we have. I salute these "through an outsiders eyes" videos for showing me the ordinary can be extraordinary and to be valued.
Firstly just to say as I don't think Mac mentioned it that the rape seed plant is a spring crop and also sets off hayfever!
I live in a village and the landscape has footpaths and bi-ways that you can walk. I live next to bi-way which is a track that runs along part of the top of the village. Along that track there is a smaller footpath that takes you up onto a farmer's field which you can walk along the edge of and then right across the middle to get to a wood which has a public footpath right through it. It's part of a circular route and is one of many in the area. We even have one that takes you through what's left of a WWII airfield. I can be in nature and completely alone in 10 minutes. Some fields that we can walk through in the area have livestock in them too, normally sheep or cows.
If you want to explore some of the really ancient roads take a look at The Ridgeway believed to be Britain's oldest road and as such has some ancient sites along it.
Another thing to note re the rapeseed plant is that you have it in the US too but you call it Canola.
There is a very interesting series called 'Walking through History' with Sir Tony Robinson where he walks the actual paths (major historical) around England and Wales and tells you anecdotes and talks to many people who know the history of what went on or why the path was there. Really, really interesting!
I love these programmes. I enjoyed watching Kate Humble walking the coastal paths, too.
I wish I had the stamina to walk so far - the scenery is incredible.
Thank you. I'll search for that now. ❤
You might find it interesting to look into old english holloways - they're paths that have been used for so long that they've actually cut into the earth, with foliage growing around them, so they're almost like tunnels. They're absolutely wild to look at, and it really feels like you're walking into the past, or maybe even another world entirely, when you're on one
When Madonna was married to Guy Ritchie and they lived in a mansion in the UK countryside. She went wild with anger as people walked right in front of their house, on their land on one of those footpaths... so funny 😂
I think she tried, and failed, to have the footpath moved.
In the south of England, where I live, the South Downs Way run 100 miles from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex. People have been using the paths and tracks that have been linked to form the South Downs Way for approximately 8000 years (Wikipedia)
My parents have one through their land in NE England. As long as people close the gate after them and don't let the live stock out they are always welcome.
Not just the footpaths, some of the Hedges and stone walls can be many hundred of years old
I've watched a load of your videos when I'm just chilling on the xbox and I can't comment only view comments this video has made me come on my phone and write a comment because I've noticed you love the UK and really want to visit and see all these things here meet the people etc... I hope you stay long enough to experience it all one-day and you complete your bucket list you have personally 🙏🤟
two of England's oldest footpaths are just up the road from me. One is over 80 miles long. England (if and when the footpath is completed) will have the world's longest coastal footpath totalling 2,700 miles
I belong to a 'Footpaths group' we sometimes have to walk very close to or even through someone's garden. One of the things about walking a path is the very action of doing so keeps it open, so anyone wanting to close or have it diverted cannot say it has fallen into disuse.
the footpath from my village leads to one of the most important aspects of British life the pub. on another note when I was in basic training at RAF Halton the camp had a public footpath that led straight through the camp. So even though the camp had gate guards if you were using the path they had to let you through.
Its not always the case, military sites often have live firing ranges where the right of way is restricted in various ways for safety reasons
How really refreshing to hear that you'd take time to explore properly when you achieve your trip to UK. So many vloggers try to impress with their short trips in which they rush from site to site, seeing lots of tourist hot spots but not really experiencing our country at all. It's not just Americans who do this, but they are pretty well known for being some of the worst offenders. It's often seems like just a check list, 'Westminster Abbey, check, Houses of Parliament, check, etc. There is so much more that's fun to find here, like getting to know us, not passing through on a bus or train in the middle of the night! Hope to see you here soon!
There is a mapped register of "rights of way" across farmland and countryside like this in England and Wales. Each county holds official records. There is is major network across the country, although they may need to be connected by walking along lanes or roads as well. Many long distance routes have been created from linking different rights of way. The rights of way are shown on Ordnance Survey maps. It is the responsibility of farmers to keep the routes open and maintained, although this is done better in some parts of the country than others. In my very rural part of mid Wales there are not so many walkers and some marked rights of way are difficult to follow across farmland and not really maintained. Walkers have responsibility not to litter or disturb or stray from the official routes. There can be problems when dogs are not kept under control among sheep, for example.
In upland areas of England and Wales there are large tracts of "open access" land also marked on Ordnance Survey maps where it is more like the Scottish "right to roam".
At the moment there is the prospect of little used rights of way falling out of the official records which could reduce access quite a bit in some areas of the country.
Not just farmland we have one run through our garden
That is a wind turbine nit a windmill. As thw name suggests a windmill is a mill that grinds seed etc using the power of wind. Here in Norfolk we have wind turbines and windmills like Sutton mill but we have many wind pumps which are smaller and are used to pump water to either drain the land or to pump water to irrigate crops.
I'm in the south east of England in Kent, farmers fields everywhere I often walk these pathways like he said you can walk through the middle of a field where the path will lead to a gate and then another field . It's a lovely walk especially on a summers evening 😊
Those are Wind turbines for harnessing wind energy.
We do have Windmills, but those are older and for grinding grains for flour. Not really in use anymore. Most Windmills have been turned to museums or there’s one near me that’s been made into a house
the roads/paths were here before us, and will be here after us, we dont own the land we borrow it from the land, the best farmers are part of the land
So perfectly put!
Most British Footpaths are Public Rights of Way which existed long before there were 'Land Owners' these are all marked on Ordnance Survey Maps, the 'Land Owners' can ask for a diversion around the perimeter of the field but it would entail an local authority enquiry which can be long and tedious. these footpaths can be hundreds of mile long and the make up a network, you can travel the length and breath of the UK and not touch a main road
Depending on the width of the path it could also be a pack way that were used by pack horses to transport good from town to town.
The owners of Wind turbines lease ground and access from the farmers, and Up here in the North of England more and more farm are installing their own wind turbines, the variety of styles are amazing.
We have that in Germany too. It's also often backed by customary law. And not only in the countryside but also in the city. But if the "wasted" space bothers you, there is often a solution where you agree with the city or commune to by the path while and also giving a preemption to the owner of the remaining original property.
I have such a premption for the way next to my property, wich is a very unremarkable way, that is just in use for hundreds of years. You can't shut it down. And would have to allow foot and bike traffic over your property due to customary law. But the original owner of the property made a deal with the city to buy that way and adding the preemption title. This way no one feels bad about it.
This is such a big part of UK life in the sticks. My GF and I hunt for places we can walk and walk and walk. 20miles easy. It can be a bit samey walking past bushes but you got to be deep in to feel that way😅 check out the coast to coast walk 198 miles, all right of travel .
That coast to coast walk sounds cool≥ I'll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.
TH-cam Liambrown coast to coast. He's a young lad (20s) who's really into through camping. Bro I have grown to really appreciate your channel in like 5 videos. Much respect.
You can walk coast to coast on these paths. They are connected and there are thousands of miles of them. If a company wants to build a factory on a footpath they have to make sure the footpath stays available to all, free.
UK has the largest offshore windfarm in the world, we provide electricity to other countries yet still pay some of the highest rates in the world.
The majority of paths that cross farmland like this were an existing right-of-way that probably ran between field boundaries. In the last fifty years or so farming techniques have changed so much that farmers need large open fields so they have removed the (often centuries old) hedges and now it appears that the right-of-way crosses through private land.
When you do visit the uk, you will see many signposts at the side of the road with a simple image of a little man walking. It's a public footpath waysign.
Footpaths are lovely and you can meet amazing people walking on them and friendly dogs. They are very often connected. You can cross the country on footpaths. You may like to watch a video about the Ridgeway, an ancient trackway that links some incredible ancient sites.
ooh...one of my favourite youtubers is reacting to one of my favourite youtubers; I love it when that happens! "Steve...meet Mac" (sorry, couldn't resist the obvious 😁) They both seem, to me, to be really lovely people...and popular on here anyway 💙
I walk a path just like this one he's going through a couple of times a week during the summer, the path connects 3 villages and has been there for hundreds of years, it splits off in different directions halfway across a field to two different villages one goes through woodland, it's part of the English countryside I love.
Some of the really old paths go back 3000-4000 years old to neolithic times. Some went to sites like Avebury or Stonehenge and to many other sites of antiquity.
ln the UK trespass is a civil offense not a criminal offense.
only a few very limited places but they have signs up trespass is criminal, like you see on fences of army bases or private company like Rolls-Royce but not all of RR a few where gov doing projects and railways 1k£ fine for going on to tracks or walking along side then over railways fence. but yes everything else 99% is fare gain its only civil so all they can do is ask you to leave
@@stevekenilworth Yes, and if you refuse to leave then they can move you forcefully. In theory they could sue you if your trespass caused some quantifiable harm. But that's very unlikely if you just walk across some open land.
@@barneylaurance1865 only reasonable force, to cause injury would not be so land owner could end up in hot water with law, that why i mention the police they there to make sure no law gets broken on both sides that all they are there for. lot cases they have to get a court order to keep you off land unless they can prove laws broken.
@@stevekenilworth Right, only reasonable force is legal. Some minor would probably be considered reasonable though, it'd be hard to drag someone half way across a field and make sure you don't give them any small bruises or scratches if they didn't want to be moved.
Some paths are a mystery- the best preserved Roman Road goes across a Lancashire moor-from nowhere to nowhere-one for the archaeologists.
Thanks fort your videos, I really enjoy how earnest they are. Helps me appreciate the UK more, despite living here already.
The only real windmills I know of are located in Norfolk which during WWII ,was also one of the locations for USAAF bomber bases.The best thing to do when visiting the UK is to buy an ordinance survey map of the area you visit,they show all of the footpaths and other features of interest........................................
In the UK, If you build a house over a Right of Way, the public have a legal right to walk directly through your your house!
Coffee anyone?
We have one run through our garden be hard to run through our house as the back door and frount door are on the same side of the house 😂
But you can apply to have a path redirected, which is often what housebuilders do
@@davidgilfillan did was turned down the route is at least 1000 years old and you have no good reason to want it moved so lump it was basically the answer
@@davidgilfillan yes you can, its not uncommon for paths to go right past a farmers windows, a legal case has to be made for reasonable limited diversion and has to go through some hoops for approval, sometimes these are applied for and granted on a temp basis to allow road works or building works etc. Sometimes the diversions are better for the walker than the original route
Wind turbines not wind mills, because they don’t mill anything, are mostly erected out at sea in massive complexes, with each turbine many times the size to produce much more energy. The largest wind farm in the world is off the east coast of England, called Hornsea 2.
If you want a good walk look up the south west coast path, its over 600 miles long and follows the coast through sumerset, devon, Cornwall and Dorset, up and down hills but with some amazing views
The paths that cut across fields typically only do so because the farmer has chosen to demolish an old field boundary, fill in the ditch, remove the hedges and or dry stone walls - features that a historic path would have followed.
Farmers do this to allow them to use larger machines with greater ease. However they are legally obligated to maintain historic rights of way. Some of them would prefer not to, but there are access rights groups that force them to.
Years ago we were holidaying in The Lake Districe, we were on a hike, it was very wet. We found a tiny tea shop that was just two church pughes on two walls facing each other. It had a serving area at one end and door and window at the other.
There were 5 of us and my little brother was tiny and getting cold. There were 3 men in there late 60's when we arrived, they sat on one bench and we were on the other. It turned out they were all High Court Judges, they were great fun and very chatty. You can meet allsorts on a walk.
Steve was confusing windmills with wind turbines. There are large groups of wind turbines up on the northern moors, but windmills, as you say, tend to be found on the flat areas of the country.
The flour mills which were historically found up here in the NW of England, mostly used water power as opposed to wind power, although there were a few wind-driven ones on the coast.
I like the thought of sitting in a tiny tea shop in the Lake District on a very soggy day.
That video made me realise I need to open my eyes more to UK nature and landscapes, living here my whole life has made me kinda numb to it
They are legally obliged to upkeep the footpaths, nothing to do with the kindness of their hearts.
You would like the video's of hikers doing the coast to coast walk. It's 180+ miles from Cumbria [Irish sea] to Yorkshire [North sea], and travels through various landscapes via public footpaths.
All these paths and bridleways date back hundreds of years. Where traveler's walked or rode horses around the country. If we stop using them for many years we lose them so we use them for general health walks. I live by the south downlands and can walk 100 miles from Eastbourne to Winchester and it's all protected from from being built on, but farmers use
Some of them date back many millennia.
With reference to the Wind Turbines on Farmland, the Land owner gets an annual rent payment from the energy companies, per Turbine for allowing them to be situated on his Land.
Hi great video, you will find that most paths will connect towns and villages and there are thousands of miles of them all over the United Kingdom.
As others have said, Mac’s channel “The Family” is brilliant. His UK/US prospective is very interesting, he has embraced British life and we have embraced him!! (Mind you, It might be his voice, I could listen to him reading the contents of a cereal box and still swoon!!!)
Most of the public footpaths existed long before the privately owned fields and the roads. They cut through forest or common land, and it's quite difficult to alter them (though if you've got a footpath going right through a field of crops, you can "divert" the footpath round the edge of the field near to harvest time). It can be pretty bizarre - we've got public footpaths that cross very busy main roads (not always with a pedestrian crossing!), and going through people's back gardens or across farmyards. You have to be sensible using them, and definitely shut the gates so you don't let cattle/dogs/toddlers out by mistake!
They are wind turbines . Wind Mills are a different thing they usually mill flour etc . Wind turbines that you see in the fields are to turn Wind power into electric etc
Being a little picky, but those are not windmills, noting is being milled, they are wind turbines.
There is around 140,000 miles of public foot paths in England alone.
I think Steve's mind will be blown when he sees an actual Windmill
A lot of people have tried to cut off public footpaths, at my old villiage we used to walk the footpaths every year as a group to make sure we didn’t lose the rights to the public footpaths.(I believe it needs to be walked every 10 years or so but we did it annually) if you buy a house it is possible that a public footpath runs through your garden, don’t expect privacy!
15 years but it needs proof.
@@kaywhy245 thanks! I know we took photos of ourselves at various points and later videotaped it.
In Britain we have public footpaths that criss-cross the nation and you can walk from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland and nobody owns the paths and they can't block them, even if you have a house and garden either side the access has to be there by law and many are signposted to show where the public footpath is and they normally meet up to other paths for multiple routes in other directions
I'm very proud of much of our history in the UK, but watching these videos reminds me of so much more that we have. Seeing it from an 'outsiders' viewpoint really does reinforce what we do have here. Thanks for the great videos and keep on posting more.
Having walked all over the UK, it's interesting to see the different ways you can cross boundary walls/hedges from wooden stiles, kissing gates and ladders / gaps / stiles over drystone walls
There is a dedicated organisation which traverses the footpath of the UK to maintain the right to roam. It is called the 'Ramblers Association' they organise walks all year round.
Some farmers would prefer you not to traverse planted fields but will allow you to walk around the field just to protect crops
The footpaths are highlighted on maps
There are also dedicated footpath maps.
I agree with most of your comment but most farmers do NOT want you to walk round the edge of the field instead of following the line of the existing footpath because if he does that he risks producing another right of way on his land but this is in addition to, not instead of the original footpath. Occasionally a farmer might allow a Permissive footpath around the perimeter of the field because provided he closes access to this for one complete 24 hour period a year, prevents it from becoming a right of way. Unless, there is a permissive footpath clearly shown you should always follow the line of the right of way footpath as shown on the map even if it crosses a growing crop.
@@pollyparrot8759
Good to know. You learn something new every day!👍
@@stevehartley7504 My pleasure ! I agree though, there is always something left to learn and like you, I appreciate people who give me information too. 👍😊
My wife used to have a property where the public right of way meant people could walk down her front garden, through an archway, down the side of her house, through her back garden and out onto the farmers fields. So it's not just farmers that maintain them
I’ve been on a walk where the public footpath literally went through someones’ back garden, also I know of one that runs through the grounds of a stately home. If you buy an ordinance survey map, or maybe there is an app. public footpaths are clearly marked.
Not far from me are some pathways that are 5000 years old, and I always love walking on them
The Lake District would be ideal for you! 😀
The footpaths are all over the country. A long distance path that might interest you Steve is the Ridgeway.
Just had a walk along the ridgeway 😍
A iot of the foot paths are on very old maps in a streight line from one village to another as the crow flies 😊
Its generally referred to as "Ramblers Rights"
The Coastal path in Wales covers the entire coast.
Just realised the clues in the name
Hi Steve,
One of the lovliest paths in the UK is the South West Coast Path, following the coast of the South West Peninsula including the South West counties of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.
Starting in Minehead Somerset it then visits Lynmouth, Ilfracombe, Barnstaple, Bideford, Bude, Newquay, Perranporth, St Ives, Lands End, Penzance, Lizard Point, Falmouth, St Mawes, Mevagissey, Looe, Saltash, Plymouth, Salcombe, Torbay, Dawlish, Exmouth, Sidmouth, Seaton, Lyme Regis, Chesil Beach (At 18 miles long it is Britains longest beach), Weymouth and Portland before eventually finishing in Poole Harbour, the Uk's largest natural harbour.
The total length of this path is a staggering 630 miles making it the UK's longest footpath. To cap it all the views you will encounter alopng this path are some of the best coastal scenes you will see anywhere in the world.
There are many other footpaths in the UK that are well over 100 miles in length too so you would be absolutely spoilt for choice when you cross the pond.
The video below gives you some idea.
th-cam.com/video/Z3V8TF8IEos/w-d-xo.html
Public footpaths are a public right of way so farmers are legally obliged to maintain them and mark them back out when they plough the fields if they go across them..the paths obviously usually predate the farms or even any land owners at all which is why they have them going straight across fields. I can tell you now that not all farmers like having them there and only do this because it is a legal obligation. I've heard of farmers attempting to block them especially when not used so much or constantly moaning about them. Some would love for people who live in towns and cities to not be able to walk anywhere in nature. On the other hand, you get some very proactive farmers and land owners who go as far as to have what they call permissive footpaths. These are footpaths that the land owner chooses to allow the public to use but there is no legal obligation and they can close them whenever they like. This can be beneficial where they have issues with people trespassing places that cause more problems such as over crops (Trespass is only a civil offence in the UK so too much trouble trying to deal with it legally) as they can sort of redirect people to a path that means they aren't causing a problem such as along boundaries between fields etc....
There's also a couple different types of public rights of way....the footpath is just for people on foot etc..like a pavement next to a highway. You then also get bridleways which are also for horse riders and cyclists but no motor vehicles..the trans pennine trail is a good example of this. It then goes onto various byways means motor vehicles can also use...
We currently have a law that means if a path has been used by the public without interference for at least 15 or so years, it is automatically designated a public right of way. Those with permissive footpaths may close the path one day a year to prevent this. I heard the government were going to take this law away though sadly...
Take a look at the Ordnance Survey map (OS) of England and Wales showing all the footpaths in our lands - it will shock you. BTW have you reacted to 'Coast to Coast: 182 miles across the English Countryside'? I think you will enjoy it. Oh, just one more - ' The Quest for England: the Magic of Footpaths by Richard Vobes. Its a bit of a wintery walk, but he explains a lot and there is a nice surprise at the end - about 13 mins.
I love Mac's videos with his family, they are really fun in sharing their UK experience.
The path that is near me is three miles across playing fields and then farming land. It leads to a countryside pub!
The first thing you need is an Ordnance Map, which will show you where all the public footpaths are and it's surprising where the public have right of way in the most surprising places.
Ordnance 🙂
@@paulwallace4332 thanks
Hey Steve! So to give you some idea regarding the length of these public footpaths - some individual lengths can easily get up in to the dozens-of-miles, even in to three figures along coast paths. Many are more on the order of a handful of miles, but even these are interconnected - for example, a footpath may terminate in a small village, and from there you could pick up on one of several other footpaths which are part of that "ancient network", so to speak. Or in other cases, a footpath might "end" simply because it collides with a "modern" country road - but very commonly you can walk only a few dozen, _maybe_ a few hundred feet down the road and pick up the continuation of the footpath which just "ended". I recommend looking up a map to see just how omni-present these paths are across England and Wales especially!
Also yes, just to corroborate some things others have already said - the right to roam is a specifically Scottish thing, and these footpaths are similarly useful though unrelated. Also, while the majority of landowners I have come across are perfectly happy to maintain these old routeways because they understand the historical significance and the modern value of having these routes maintained, they are actually required by law to maintain and signpost them. Like I say, the majority in my experience are happy to be doing this, as evidenced by things like the nice ditch-bridge in this video, but there is a minority which only maintains them out of obligation.
It’s very beneficial to the farmers to allow members of the public on their land.
The public will usually report issues to the farmer.
Like if a small fire starts.
People dumping trash in fields.
Injured animals.
Loose animals etc. 😊
Problem is they are just as likely to cause all those issues for instance 64% of dog walkers say their dogs chase farm animals with the average sheep farmer losing a dozen animals each year from either stress (dog worrying) or mauling's.
There is a map, called the Definitive Map, which shows all public rights of way in the UK. If it is on that map then the landowner is legally obliged to maintain it, cannot restrict access to it and members of the public may use it at any time. It is wonderful.
On top of that, we in Wales have the right to roam. Likewise in Scotland.
The countryside is much more accessible here, you don’t need to drive to a national park or somesuch, these public footpaths absolutely cover the landscape. And with the way zoning works here there is not the same urban sprawl you get in the US so there’s a much clearer divide between town and countryside. I live in a major city now but I walk 3 miles, half of that through lovely woodland and I’m in the Peak District with little sign of the city. You can never quite be as far from civilisation as you can in the wilderness of the US but there’s plenty of places where there’s nobody else around
I leave my house and I have a choice of footpaths and destinations right there.
Public footpaths are ancient rights of way.
If someone is using a path that is blocked or not safe they report it. Then they are walked by footpath officers to ensure they aren't blocked by land owners and are safe to walk.
Some paths connect religious places and were walked by pilgrims, some people used to get from A to B.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_way_in_England_and_Wales
The UK, perhaps due to it's size, doesn't have as many long distance trails like in the US. Although many (relatively shorter) trails do exsit and there is a move to create and advertise them better with better signage and access for the public. This include the Pennie way, the south west coast path and the west highland way. These trails combine areas of national park with small sections of track including some as shown in the video. Generally, footpaths like this are used locally and infrequently. Where a path is very popular and starts to cause weathering of the ground and hassle for the landowner they may be re-routed for the benefit of everyone but the access from each end maintained so the continuous path is maintained. In addition to the bridge shown most paths will have stile or gates to allow access but control livestock.
Many of these places will have been owned through generations by the same families. It's not just "big landowners" but small farms - farming isn't the sorta cool profession many people want to get into, so it tends to stick in the family where possible. As such, many of us have tended the paths as long as we have our fields, it just goes with the land ownership.