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1. Rights of Way in Little Canfield
We are very lucky in Little Canfield to have an extensive network of footpaths. There are over 27 footpaths that criss-cross the Parish giving over 12 miles of paths for walkers. In addition to this there are two bridleways totalling 1.5 miles and one Byway that is just on our parish border. We also have a couple of permissive footpaths and one permissive bridleway (these are rights of way where the farmers are paid for allowing routes across their land). Quite impressive for a small parish with a total area of only about 4 square miles!
Included in the above figures we have The Flitch Way. This is a disused railway line that is now a linear country park. It runs from Bishops Stortford through to Braintree and has recently been dedicated as a public bridleway so that it can be used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
All Public Rights of Way (PRoW) are officially part of the highway network and are protected by law.
There are several types of Rights of Way :
Footpaths – For use by walkers only
Bridleways – For walkers, horse riders and cyclists
Byways – Open to all traffic
Restricted Byway - Open to all non motorised traffic (walkers, horse riders, cyclists and carriage drivers).
If you want to find out exactly where these rights are you need to buy an Explorer Ordnance survey map of the area. This will show footpaths as short green dashes, bridleways as long green dashes and byways as green crosses. Alternatively you can obtain a copy of the Welcome to Little Canfield booklet that has a map of the area showing all Rights of Way in the parish.
Are you unsure of where you can go for a walk in the Little Canfield area? Then join us for one of our many walks in the area. These guided walks are free, about 4 miles long and take approx 2 hours. We usually run them bi-monthly, starting at the Lion & Lamb pub or Little Canfield Church at 10am on a Saturday. Dates for 2009 are 18th April (Bluebell Walk); 16th May; 18th July; 19th September.
3. Parish Paths Partnership
Little Canfield is a member of the Parish Paths Partnership (P3 scheme). This is a scheme run and funded by Essex County Council (ECC) to encourage Parishes to take more local responsibility for the Rights of Way network (footpaths, bridleways etc) in the parish. ECC provides tools, financial and advisory support to allow local people to carry out maintenance, surveys, guided walks and conservation work. Under this scheme farmers in the area can also be paid for cutting headland footpaths on their land (the scheme is very similar to the headland management scheme). Lesley Gillman is the P3 scheme representative for Little Canfield so if you want any further information or wish to offer help please contact her on the number below.
4. Current Rights of Way Issues
5. Contacts
If you are aware of any other problems or wish to get involved with rights of way issues please contact Lesley Gillman, Little Canfield Parish Council Right of Way Officer. Tel 07768 103910 or email lesleygillman@btinternet.com
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