The parish has a number of Public Rights of Way (PROW), which are rights for the public to pass over land that belongs to someone else. PROWs can be categorised as follows:
| No. | Category | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Footpaths | can be used for walking, running, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs |
| 2 | Bridleways | can be used for walking, horse riding, bicycles, mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs |
| 3 | Restricted byways | can be used for any transport without a motor and mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs |
| 4 | Byways open to all traffic | for any kind of transport, including cars (but they’re mainly used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders) |
The Definitive Map
PROWs are recorded on a definitive map, which is a legal document that must be produced and kept up to date by every county council or unitary authority in England and Wales (except the inner London boroughs). It should show every right of way in an authority’s area and the nature of the rights over the paths shown i.e. whether there’s a right of way on foot, on horseback or in a vehicle.
The map below shows the PROWs in our parish. Click/tap the path marker to see the PROW category and number in a popup window.
This map is interactive. You can move and re-scale it using the various controls within the viewport.
Click/tap the map and drag to move the map around within the viewport as required.
Zoom in and out using the +- controls in the top left, pinch in/out or roll the mouse wheel when pointing within the map area.
Click/tap a marker, line or shape for further information in a popup window. If any marker, line or shape has an image, those images are displayed in a gallery at the bottom of the map. Select an image from the gallery and its marker will popup to indicate its location. The gallery is only displayed when one or more marker, line or shape with an image is within the map viewport.
Select the four corners icon in the top left to expand the map to full screen.
Select the tiles icon in the top right to select a different base map from the popup list. There are a number of base map options available.
Some maps also have layer switches that allow you to show or hide markers, lines or shapes. If a map has this feature, the layers and their switches are listed below the base maps. This feature enables markers, lines and shapes to be individually removed to make a map more readable.
Select the target icon in the bottom right to locate yourself with a marker. This feature will only work if your device has a GPS service and that service is currently active.
Yes. Select Details in the map header. A panel will overlay the right side of the map viewport, containing a file format drop-down list and a Download link. Select the required file format from the drop-down list and select the Download link. You will be prompted as to what you wish to do with the file.
The file will contain all of the waypoints for all of the currently visible markers, lines and shapes. You can control which markers, lines and shapes to include in the download file by switching the respective layers on or off. Select the tiles icon in the top right of the map viewport (close this panel first) to see the layers available below the list of base maps.
Whilst the panel is open, select More Details to display the map on a separate page. There is also an option to download map data on this page.
Close the panel by selecting the X in the top left corner of the panel.
Data on the above PROWs is courtesy of North Yorkshire Council Data North Yorkshire (DNY).
The PROWs on the above map may vary slightly from the DNY data and the paths shown on the underlying OS map. This is because they follow the actual paths on the ground. They have been plotted using aerial photographs, rather than the routes recorded on the definitive map. Please see the definitive map maintained by North Yorkshire Council for legal reference.
Your Right
Your legal right is to “pass and repass along the way”. You may stop to rest or admire the view, or to consume refreshments, providing you stay on the path and do not cause an obstruction. You can take a pram, or pushchair, but there is no guarantee that the surface of the path will be suitable for this use. You can take a dog with you, so long as it is under close control, but there is no requirement for stiles to be suitable for use by dogs. You can find a more thorough explanation of your rights on the Ramblers Association website .
Maintenance and Problems
If you encounter any problems whilst using a PROW you can report it to North Yorkshire Council (NYC) via their website . Please remember to behave responsibly when you’re in the countryside and always follow the Countryside Code .
NYC have a duty to keep a record of public rights of way, known as the Definitive Map and Statement, and maintain them so that they are safe and convenient for you to use. For a comprehensive list of these responsibilities please refer to the guidance provided by central government . The owners and occupiers of land crossed by public rights of way have to ensure that paths are visible and must not obstruct or endanger users.
Whilst the Parish Council has no direct responsibility for PROWs in its area, we do have the power to repair and maintain public footpaths and bridleways as necessary. In addition to notifying NYC of any PROW issues, please also inform the Parish Council so that we can monitor and if necessary, attempt to address an issue.
Permissive Paths
There are many paths that the public are able to use but that are not legally rights of way and do not enjoy the same protection. Paths crossing public parks and open spaces, commons and other sites to which the public has access may not necessarily be rights of way, though some of them are.
Other routes, known as permissive paths, are open to the public because the owner has given permission for them to be used. Sometimes there is a notice on the path making clear the owner has no intention of dedicating the path as a right of way, and reserving the right to withdraw the permission.
The map below shows the permissive paths in the parish. These paths are all within the Staveley Nature Reserve and are the equivalent category of Footpath. Permission is granted by the landowner, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
You are welcome to use these permissive paths but the landowner requests that users comply with any signage regarding behaviour on the paths.
