Residents of Oxfordshire are very fortunate in that the county is so well served with various Rights of Way (approximately 2,500 miles), as well as two National Trails; The Ridgeway (Britain's oldest road, 87 miles (139km) long and stretching from Avebury south of Swindon in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe, east of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire), and the Thames Path (184 miles (295 km) long, following England's best known river as it meanders from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire, through water meadows, historic towns and villages to the heart of London, finishing at the Thames Barrier near Greenwich), and many other promoted routes.

What are Public Rights Of Way (PROW)?

These are routes over which the public have the right to pass and repass. Some have been used for hundreds of years, originating as routes to market, work and church. Today they are an important part of our heritage, and protected by law. There are four types of PROW:

Footpaths - The route a footpath takes will normally be marked by signs and 'waymarks' with a yellow arrow.

Bridleways - The route a bridleway takes will normally be marked by signs and waymarks with a blue arrow.

BOATS (Byway Open to All Traffic) - The route a BOAT takes will normally be marked by signs and waymarks with a red arrow.

Restricted Byways (previously Road Used as a Public Path - RUPP) - This is a new type of public right of way introduced by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Restricted Byways will be created by the statutory redesignation of RUPPs. A Restricted Byway includes a right of way on foot, horse and non-motorised vehicles i.e. horse-drawn carriages, cycles etc only but no other rights.

Each year CPRE Oxfordshire scrutinises planning applications across the county to determine any effect on rights of way, and we scrutinise any applications to divert or strike out rights of way. Public Rights of Way are the responsibility of the County Council Highways Authority, not the CPRE, which has no legal powers to clear blocked routes or reinstate paths.

If you identify a problem with a footpath or bridleway in the countryside, please in the first instance contact the Oxfordshire Countryside Service.

CPRE Oxfordshire has created several routes across the county including the Oxford Green Belt Way and The d'Arcy Dalton Way.

Oxford Green Belt Way

CPRE Oxfordshire created the Oxford Green Belt Way - a 50 mile circular walk around the City of Oxford - as part of its 75th birthday celebrations, and to highlight the importance of the Green Belt, which was created around Oxford 50 years ago at the time of publication.

The Oxford Green Belt Way links Oxford's Park & Ride sites and is crossed by major bus routes, making it easy for city and village dwellers to access the route and to travel back to their starting point. The route provides excellent views of Oxford's Dreaming Spires, as well as of Otmoor, Foxcombe Hill and Wytham Woods. The walk uses existing footpaths and bridleways. The Oxford Green Belt Way has been created with the help of Oxfordshire County Council's Countryside Service and the Oxford Fieldpaths Society.

The d'Arcy Dalton Way

The d'Arcy Dalton Way is 65 miles long and was established in 1986 through the combined efforts of the Oxford Fieldpaths Society (OFS) and CPRE Oxfordshire. It is named after Colonel d'Arcy to commemorate this passionate defender of rights of way in Oxfordshire.

The Way can be followed using Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps, 206, 191 and 170.

See: d'Arcy Dalton Way leaflet (PDF)

Find Out More

Below are a list of links to further information regarding this campaign:

CPRE Oxford Green Belt Way

Oxfordshire Countryside Service

Oxfordshire Countryside Access Forum (OCAF)

Oxfordshire Countryside Service Interactive Countryside Access Map

Oxford Fieldpaths Society

Ramblers Association – Oxfordshire Area

The Ridgeway

The Thames Path