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Parish Footpath Wardens are required in the following Parishes.
Ashford Ramblers Members of the Ramblers’ Association
Guidance Notes for PFW’s
Definitions of Public Right of Way:
Footpath (FP) For walkers only. Prams, pushchair or wheelchair are allowed along a public footpath but please be aware that many routes may not be physically suitable for that purpose. Public Footpaths are mostly waymarked with
Bridleway (BW) For walkers, horse riders and pedal cyclists. Cyclists must give way to walkers and horse riders. Bridleways are mostly waymarked with
Byways Open to All Traffic (BOAT) These are often referred to as Byway, for vehicles, cyclists, horse riders and walkers. Because of its nature, it is used mainly as a footpath or bridleway. BOATs are mostly waymarked with
Restricted Byway (RBW) For walkers, horse riders, cyclists and horse drawn vehicles. Restricted byways are mostly waymarked with
Countryside Access Land (CA)
Additional information
Although footpaths, bridleways and restricted byways exclude motor vehicles, this is without prejudice to any higher public rights that may exist. For example, in certain cases private access rights may exist.
Rights of Way Widths
There is no general statutory definition of a minimum or maximum width. However, a width may be recorded in the Definitive Statement or the RoW may have a customary width. Statutory provisions only apply in respect of paths which have been disturbed or ploughed. In such cases the minimum widths are as follows:-
* Cross field footpath 1.0 metre * Field edge path 1.5 metres * Cross field bridleway 2.0 metres * Field edge bridleway 3.0 metres * Restricted By-Way 5.0 metres
Inspection and Reporting Faults Parish Footpath Wardens would be expected to walk all the paths in their parish at least once a year to ensure that the list below is complied with and reported if it is not.
7) Widths are correct
8) No fierce animals (bulls, dogs, horses)
9) No intimidating signs (beware of dogs, etc.)
10) No misleading notices (private can be misleading)
11) No unauthorised diversions
12) Shared routes with cyclists are correctly signed and have the appropriate surface
13) People using fire-arms close to a footpath
14) Incidents of verbal or physical abuse (also report at once to the police)
15) Cyclists or Horse riders using footpaths
16) Motor vehicles using footpaths, bridleways, Restricted By Ways
17) No Missing Bridges
Who to Report To and How
Faults should be reported to the Kent County Council.
What to Report
Supplementary Information provided by KCC
Rights and responsibilities
Most Public Rights of Way cross private land. We all have a responsibility to look after the network of paths. If properly managed and well used, Rights of Way provide an excellent access to Kent's wonderful variety of coast and countryside without causing disruption to the working or natural environment.
The landowner is responsible for keeping the Rights of Way free from obstruction and for looking after gates and stiles on the path, whilst the Council is responsible for maintaining them, keeping them in good condition, signing and waymarking them.
A series of eight Countryside Access Design Standards have been produced to assist landowners and Countryside Agencies in raising the quality of access furniture (e.g. gates, bridges, stiles) across the county. The standards, based on the British Standard, are designed to improve the accessibility, enjoyment and safety of the Kent countryside.
The Countryside Access Service can tell you where recorded Rights of Way are - you can look at the interactive map or inspect the maps at our offices in Invicta House, Maidstone. We can advise you on your rights and responsibilities - how you should use rights of way, and how they should be managed by the Council and landowners.
We should all respect the coast and countryside by following the Countryside Code
Standards for Stiles and Gates
Stiles should be in a safe condition and to a standard of repair required to prevent the unreasonable interference of the rights of users.
B.S.I. recommendation (but not legally enforceable) for stiles: * height from ground 36 inches for one step * height from ground 41 inches for two steps * step height 12 inches * Height between steps 12 inches * Width between uprights 39 inches
Gates should be freely operable, i.e., on hinges to a minimum width of 5 feet for bridleways.
Explore Kent Interactive Map
A guide to information found on the interactive map
Explore Kent's Interactive Map offers information on the county's Public Rights of Way, country parks and open spaces, natural habitats and promoted routes located across Kent. Most promoted routes have guidebooks and maps to accompany them.
The map provides useful information about the location of stiles, gates, steps, train stations etc. This makes it easy for everyone to explore Kent's beautiful countryside and plan great days out. However due to the large amount of information on the map, it is highly recommended that a broadband internet connection is used to view the map. Due to the slower download time of dial up internet connections, the map is very slow to load or may not load at all.
Information on the location of Public Rights of Way shown on the Explore Kent Interactive Map has been taken from a working database. The map is not the Definitive Map and is therefore not the legal record of Public Rights of Way. It is not suitable for use in legal or planning matters.
The Definitive Map may be viewed at Invicta House, County Hall, Maidstone or obtained from your RA Local Footpath Officer
Although KCC endeavour to keep the Interactive Map as up-to-date as possible, some of the information may be inaccurate. You can report any errors on the map by emailing Explore Kent. Where possible please include information about the Public Right of Way that you believe to be inaccurate, including footpath numbers and location.
A screen grab (an image of what you actually see on the screen) of the relevant web page may also be helpful for highlighting the problem. You can create a screen grab by pressing the 'Print Screen' key on your keyboard and pasting the image into your email or word processing software. The Ordnance Survey mapping used on the Explore Kent Interactive Map is provided by Kent County Council under licence from Ordnance Survey.
For information about personal use of Ordnance Survey mapping visit the Ordnance Survey Copyright website. Useful web sites
www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/explore-kent
www.kentramblers.org.uk www.ramblersassociation.org.uk KCC Responsibilities
Kent County Council is responsible for:
* administering the law concerning Rights of Way * recording, defining and protecting all public Rights of Way in the county
* maintaining and controlling natural vegetation on the surface of Rights of Way * maintaining bridges over natural water courses and ditches
Farmers & Landowners Responsibilities
Farmers and landowners are responsible for:
* ensuring established stiles and gates are in a safe condition for public use * keeping paths free from obstructions and overhanging vegetation
* keeping rights of way free of crops to legal minimum widths * ensure that vegetation overhanging or encroaching from the sides is cut back * maintain stiles and gates so they are easily used by the public.
Farmers and landowners should:
* know where public rights of way cross their land * never plough or disturb a public right of way along a field edge * obtain consent from Kent County Council before erecting new stiles and gates * never plough a byway, under any circumstance * provide adequate bridges where new ditches are made or existing ones widened
The following are classified as dairy breeds: Ayrshire, Jersey, Dairy Shorthorn, Kerry, British Friesian, British Holstein and Guernsey. If in doubt please refer to our bull chart.
The public's rights and responsibilities
Some examples of the many legal rights and responsibilities of the general public are listed below:
Members of the public may:
* stop to look at the view, take a photograph, and sit down to rest * take a pram, pushchair, wheelchair, but expect to encounter stiles on footpaths * take a dog, preferably on a lead, but always under close control * take a short route around an illegal obstruction * remove an illegal obstacle sufficiently to get past
Members of the public may not:
The Countryside Code
Please remember to - Always follow the Countryside Code - Be safe! Plan ahead and follow any signs - Leave gates and property as you find them - Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home - Keep dogs under close control - Consider other people
Countryside Access Land Can I always walk on Access Land? Not always, Farmers and landowners have the right to close their land sometimes, usually for reasons of nature conservation, land management or public safety. If access land is temporarily closed, it will have a ‘restriction’ placed on it so there is no public access. This will show on the online map in red and details about the restriction will be in a list below the map. Land that is marked with red hatching means there is limited public access and you should check the restrictions list below the map for more details. It could simply mean that you can’t take dogs on the land or that it is closed one day of the week. Please note: Existing Public Rights of Way are not affected by Open Access restrictions or exclusions under the CROW Act.
Can I take my dog? You can normally enjoy walking with your dog on open access land. However, sometimes there may be a ban on taking your dog or you may need to keep it on a lead due to sensitive wildlife. Access land marked in yellow on the maps means you can take your dog but if it is marked in red hatching, you should check the details of the restriction to find out if you and your dog are affected.
You do not have to put your dog on a lead on public paths as long as it is under close control. But as a general rule, keep your dog on a lead if you cannot rely on its obedience. On a bridleway or byway this could be especially important as you may meet horses and could be liable for damages if your dog causes an accident
Restrictions on Access Land While exercising the access right with a dog, you must use a fixed lead no more than 2 metres (6 feet) long at all times near livestock, and from 1st March to 31st July as this is the ground-nesting bird season. You may also find that dogs are excluded from grouse moors and from lambing enclosures at lambing times.
The Countryside Access Service is always happy to provide advice and guidance. If you require further technical or legal advice on countryside access issues please contact the KCC: Email: Tel: 08458 247247 Countryside Access Service, 2nd Floor Invicta House, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XX. or On the Countryside Access website http://www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk/content/view/full/75
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This page was last updated:27 February 2012 |
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