Bridlepath now says no access!

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unicorndreams

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A local bridlepath has had signs put up on it by the council stating that there is no access for horses. It is in a popular country park and this path joins two other bridlepaths. It is clearly shown on the OS maps as a bridlepath and is regularly used as such (and has been for years) yet the local council 'definitive rights of way' map doesn't have this route listed. Now it looks like we are going to have to go through a long process to get this changed. Not happy! I've always relied on OS maps for planning routes now it seems that these cannot be trusted. Has anyone else got similar experiences or advice to offer?
 
my local council put a padlocked gate across my local bridleway making it impossible to access. On OS maps it is marked as a bridleway and so I wrote an angry letter to my local council asking why it had been blocked. Took them weeks to reply but they were quite sympathetic and did re-open it. (They destroyed a bit of the fencing next to the gate so you essentially go round the gate which I thought was a bit strange). I think quite a few other riders and the local cycling club complained to the council which I think caused them to re-open it. Maybe write to your council and encourage others to do that same? I still don't know why the gate was put across mine in the first place!
 
Get on to your local BHS bridleways officer if you have not already , we had to fight something like this in the village I grew up in when the council tried to ban riders from a track that had been used for ever .
With the help of the BHS acess officer they where able to stop the track being closed to riders.
 
The OS has a disclaimer that rights of way on their maps cannot be taken as correct. The only reliable source of that information is held on the Definitive Map at your County council, some are on line, some not. Before you follow it up you do need to find out whether it actually is a right of way or has just been used as one, and speak to the Officer at the Council who has responsibility for such rights. Reassuringly once established and on the Definitive Map they cannot be lost through lack of use, only by a Stopping up Order which has to be advertised and no objections received. Good luck, the BHS will be a good organisation to help you
 
So the council has responded to say that the route shown on the OS map is no longer an official public path. They advise that it was a temporary diversion of a bridlepath for 3yrs between 1990-1993 and OS should not have put it on their maps.
Hmmm
 
The solution to your problem is quite simpls.
Firstly contact the Definitive Map Officer at your local County Council and establish the status of the path. i.e. no recorded status, public footpath, public bridleway, public byway, white lane etc.
If it is of no status or just a public footpath then you nead to get evidence forms completed from everyone that has used the track so that an application can be made to have it recorded as a bridleway.
Your local county BHS officer will be pleased to help you.
If you let me know which County you are in I can E-mail you their contact details.
My e-mail address is peter.natt@btinternet.com
Peter Natt BHS Volunteer Access Officer North Hertfordshire
 
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