In All Our Footsteps: Tracking, Mapping and Experiencing Rights of Way in Post-War Britain

In England and Wales there are around 140,000 miles of rights of way, essential infrastructure for those wishing to access the countryside for both commuting and recreational uses. However, there has been little attention paid to histories of the mapping, maintenance and usage of this extensive network in post-war Britain. 'In All Our Footsteps' will focus on the strategies pursued by local government, civil society, the third sector and citizen-activists in order to record and establish the public ways network in England and Wales after the Second World War - as well as the problems encountered by the post-war mapping exercise at the time. Our focus will exclude Scotland partly for reasons of geographical feasibility of the study, but mainly because there has never been an equivalent definitive effort in Scotland. This ambitious attempt to record all the rights of way in England and Wales has been brought into sharp focus by the deadline of January 2026 for the legal identification of all such paths under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The Ramblers' current 'Don't Lose Your Way' campaign aims to identify and officially map as many rights of way as possible before they are permanently lost to the public.

As well as being important historic artefacts, rights of way are central in facilitating activities for physical and mental health such as walking, and the ability to connect humans to nature for wellbeing - pressing requirements amidst concerns over mental health and worsening obesity. We will work with The Ramblers, as our Project Partner, as well as representatives from Historic England, Natural England, The National Trust, walking practitioners and academics from a range of disciplines to interrogate the importance of rights of way in their past and present context. In this way we will connect history to current policy and practice. In particular the project will aim to decode and popularise the way we see walking and wellbeing, emphasising how different groups have made and are making use of rights of way to support their own health and wellbeing priorities, and how more socially inclusive rights of way networks could be developed to encourage meaningful engagement with nature, as well as increased physical activity for all.

By working with third sector organisations and experts both within and beyond academia we will provide historical insights into current and future issues relating to rights of way in England and Wales. Throughout our project activities will shaped by these groups and will feed directly into the work of The Ramblers in particular, as they map historic rights of way. We will organize a series of workshops to discuss key challenges faced by rights of way in relation to use, human diversity, economics and environmental change. By foregrounding rights of way infrastructure itself, we will encourage stakeholders and policy makers to focus attention on paths themselves and how they enable a range of diverse user groups, and to view rights of way as an important historical as well as contemporary asset in their own right. Outcomes will include better links between academics, practitioners, path users and policymakers, and support for deepening these connections further, all supported by an Open Access edited book, a series of policy documents and a digital hub.