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| Drewsteignton Footpath 12 |
Public rights of way connect towns and villages, as well as other historic places such as churches, farms and wells. They traverse fields, run across open moorland and closely follow rivers. These paths enable us to step back in time to appreciate what these routes were originally used for. They enable me to thoroughly enjoy the landscape I am walking in, and I particularly love the church paths, granite stiles and cross-field paths. Rights of way create a sense of belonging and a means of commuting from one place to another.
These routes are generally marked on Ordnance Survey (OS) maps with green dashes or dots, and if they are a designated National Trail these dashes will be followed by green diamonds. Dartmoor National Park contains some 450 miles of rights of way, and my crazy goal is to walk every single one! Because why not? Note: permissive paths, where the landowner has given permission for the public to access their land for a specified period of time, and which are shown with orange dashes or dots on OS maps, are not included.
UCRs, or Unmodified/Unclassified County Roads, can be anything from motorable roads to full-on green lanes. They are highways, not public rights of way, and have somewhat different access legislation. They are marked with green dots on OS maps, but they are not normally shown in urban areas - not that Dartmoor is urban!
Some of the fabulous infrastructure on Dartmoor's public rights of way can be viewed on Dartefacts, HERE - from gates, stiles, gaps.
KEY:
= Walked Public Rights of Way or UCRs
= Mostly Walked Public Rights of Way or UCRs
= Not Yet Walked Public Rights of Way or UCRs
= Mostly Walked Public Rights of Way or UCRs
= Not Yet Walked Public Rights of Way or UCRs
Important
The depiction of a public right of way on the map is for leisure purposes and does not necessarily determine a legal right of access. The definitive map and statement hold that information by Parish and are available for viewing, by prior appointment, at the Devon County Council offices.
No responsibility for trespass, damage to property, injury to persons, etc. can be attributed to this project. Public rights of way are occasionally legally diverted or terminated, and it might take me a while to make the appropriate changes to the map.
To view public rights of way on a variety of mapping layers, you can visit Devon County Council's page, HERE.
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