Our main England & Wales map is back online: Main Map (Geolocation is currently unavailable).
Fatal Website Error – 1st December 2024
We are recovering from a fatal server error effecting our entire front end systems at RightsOfWay.uk, UnclaimedLand.co.uk and GISData.co.uk. All our mapping services continue to function as usual however are temporarily unaccessible. We expect superficial services to be restored by the 9th December. Apologises for the disruption to services
Current Status:
Our backups of front-end systems have failed which has required manual restoration of services. Restoration date revised to 9th December
- 3rd December: Rights of Way UK Main England & Wales Map restored (no geo-location)
- 4th December: Restoration of content based on superficial back-ups in progress
We are a free right of way mapping service. We offer our users comprehensive maps of all legal rights of way in the UK. We offer county based maps or our main England and Wales map. Currently, we only have English and Welsh maps. A handful of regions are not covered, such as London, however we hope to include them soon.
There is no website, easily accessible from all devices, which provides a free rights of way map. We are changing that! Our maps show footpaths, byways and bridleways with all the specific route details. We use the same powerful infrastructure that runs our other geographical services websites (such as Unclaimed Land). This allows us to bring our users a complete footpath map package. Never get lost again and always know exactly where the footpath runs with our systems.
Our basic maps will always be completely free of charge to encourage more footpath use. Running online mapping websites are very expensive so we would greatly appreciate any support you can give. Please consider donating on the menu link if you find this site is of use. All funds will go to covering costs and adding more features such as aerial layers.
Why is a footpath not shown on the maps?
Please always contact us if you believe a footpath is not shown on this site. In rare cases this may be a simple data mistake on my side or in the local government data. Generally a missing footpath, or other right of way, is down to the fact it is not a registered path. In the UK, local councils use a definitive map to record all registered rights of way. However, plenty of legal rights of way were not recorded when the definitive map was created. For example, in some areas of Suffolk about half of the paths which appear on historic OS maps are not recorded today. Indeed, a number of paths in East Anglia simply end in the middle of a field at the parish boundary due to an incomplete path registration. Additionally, paths may have been created in the preceding decades but have not yet been recorded.
The ability to register a historic right of way will come to an end soon. Therefore, it is imperative that all paths are registered now. We can guide you through the process of submitting a registration application or, at least, pass on the information to parties which may be able to help. Therefore, please always contact us if you believe a footpath is not recorded. I’ll get back to you to confirm if it is a mistake.