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More than 49,000 miles of trails are missing from modern maps of England and Wales and are at risk of being lost forever, according to a “citizen mapping” effort led by the Ramblers.
The traveling charity established an online tool for the public to search historic maps for trails that were missing from official maps that today record legal rights-of-way.
Since February, thousands of volunteers have tracked 154,000 one-kilometer squares using the Ramblers mapping site and discovered that there are nearly five times as many lost trails than the initial 10,000-mile estimate.
More than a fifth of the lost roads, 9,000 miles, are in South West England, and Devon tops the list of counties with the most lost rights-of-way, with enough lost roads (2,949 miles) to take someone from Plymouth to beyond the North Pole. The West Midlands has the highest density of lost roads that can potentially be added to official maps.
If all the missing roads were restored as public rights of way, it would increase the road network in England and Wales by up to a third.
But as the search for lost rights of way continues, the Ramblers warn it is a race against time to miss paths recognized by authorities. The government has set a deadline for January 2026, after which it will no longer be possible to claim and safeguard lost rights of way.
“The amazing response we had from the public to help us search for the missing rights of way only shows the important place our road network occupies in the hearts of many of us,” said Jack Cornish, Ramblers program manager. Don’t Lose Your Way Campaign.
“As we increasingly recognize the enormous benefits of being able to easily get outdoors and access nature, saving these trails takes on an even greater urgency. With only five years to go, it is more important than ever to protect this valuable asset for generations to come. “
The mapping effort is helping the Ramblers begin to prioritize the roads that would be the most useful additions to the official map and to gather the historical evidence to support requests to local authorities to have them restored as public rights of way. The charity has launched a crowdfunder to support their campaign.
John Bainbridge, a Ramblers volunteer and road activist, said: “I knew there were a lot of roads that weren’t on the final map, but I hadn’t realized how many. We have to go out, find the historical evidence of these roads and save them. It’s going to be a huge, massive job, and we really need as many people as possible to get involved, in whatever way they can. “
Once legally registered as rights of way and added to the map, the roads are protected by law for people to use and enjoy.
Miles of lost trails
England – 41,628
Wales – 7,468
By English region:
Southwest England – 9,210
East of England – 6,505
West Midlands – 6,291
South East England – 6,221
Yorkshire and the Humber – 4,524
East Midlands – 3,889
North West England – 2,508
Northeast England – 2011
Major counties:
Devon – 2,949
North Yorkshire – 2,651
Herefordshire – 2253
Lincolnshire – 1,934
Suffolk – 1,918
