GAWMLESS END
Description
History
The Sheep
Farm Activities
- D.I.Y. hurdles
Trees
ROSSENDALE VALLEY
Britannia Coconutters
Local Wildlife
Local Plantlife
Local Walking
LINKS
Home
The Footpath system Explained
England is laced with a comprehensive network of over 105,000 miles of Public Footpaths, which has been built up over centuries. It is estimated that around 1,700 miles of these are in Rossendale! County Councils keep an up-to-date
Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way in their area. A path is not a Public Right of Way unless shown as such on the Definitive Map.Footpaths and the Law
Public Footpaths and other Public Rights of Way in the United Kingdom are the Queen's Highway in Law. The landowner must ensure that the route of the Public Footpath is walkable; for example, where a right-of-way crosses a ploughed field, the route of the footpath must be flattened back to a walkable surface after ploughing.It is not permitted to ride or push a bicycle along a Public Footpath. The public has the right of passage on foot along the footpath only; no right of access to surrounding land is implied. Walkers and their dogs must stay on the line of the footpath, and dogs should therefore be kept on a lead whether or not livestock is present.
A private road can still have a Public Footpath running along it, as at Gawmless End. The cart track is the farms' private access route and there is no public vehicular access, but it is also a Public Footpath leading to other public footpath routes across fields, and is a popular walk.
Enjoy the Countryside
In addition to Britain's network of Public Footpaths and other Public Rights of Way, recent legislation gives the public access to designated "Access" areas such as open moorland, mountain, heath down and common land. (This does not apply to farmed or enclosed areas such as Gawmless End and the surrounding farmlands.) For more information about the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, see the Countryside Agency's webpages. You can find the full text of the Act here. Also try the Ramblers' Association website, or find out about Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty here.There can be nothing more enjoyable than a gentle country walk on a balmy summer's evening. Visits to places of interest can be combined with local rambles. The countryside is best appreciated by walking in it, and the more it is appreciated the better it will be looked after. Rossendale's footpaths are stunning - enjoy!
