Your rights:
- On a Public Footpath, you have the right to walk along a defined route. You may walk your dog, but will be expected to keep your dog under close control.
- On a Public Bridleway, you have the right to walk or ride a horse or a bicycle along a defined route. Again, you may walk a dog, but should keep it under close control.
- On a Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT), you may travel on foot, horseback and pedal cycle. A BOAT may also be used by vehicles, but don't expect a metalled surface!
How you use a Right of Way is important; you are allowed to:
- Make a bona fide journey, with reasonable rest along the way.
- Take a pram, pushchair, wheelchair, but expect to encounter stiles on footpaths
- Take a dog, preferably on a lead or under close control.
- Take a short alternative route around an illegal obstruction.
- Remove an illegal obstacle sufficiently to get past.
Other types of path
A green lane is an unsurfaced track or path, bounded by hedges or walls, and often of some antiquity. The term has no legal meaning, and, if there is a Public Right of Way along such a track, it will usually be classified under one of the above headings.
A permissive path is not a Public Right of Way but the public are allowed to use it, with the permission of the landowner.
You must also remember to keep yourself and those around you safe.
Hazards on Rights of Way and how to avoid them (pdf file)