Ramblers Association Launches Massive Path Survey

The biggest ever survey of footpaths and public rights of way in Britain was launched last week by the Ramblers Association. The aim is to gather comprehensive data about the popularity and condition of footpaths in mainland Britain south of the Scottish border. The project will run for eighteen months, finishing in September 2007, and will cover every right of way in England and Wales, if all goes to plan. And who'll be collecting the information? Yes, you've guessed it ...

The idea is for members of the public to support the project by choosing a grid square (or squares) and to walk all the paths within its bounds. Any maintenance or access problems encountered (such as obstructions or missing signposts) should then be reported to the relevant local council. Finally, walkers can log on to the specially created website www.useyourpaths.info and log their squares.

The map below shows the progress so far, with the bright green sections indicating squares that have already been logged and the grey denoting areas without any rights of way. If you visit the 'Use Your Paths' site there's an interactive version, so you can zoom into your own area and find a large scale map of nearby paths.

The scheme was launched during national 'Use Your Paths Week', which took place from 24th June to 2nd July. But as you can see, there's still a mountain to climb:-)

If you want to take part, choose a square from the 'Use Your Paths' website or visit the Ramblers Association site for further information.