Claiming a Right of Way
How to Start
It is best to take a small area to check, either a parish you know or a kilometre square. Check on the current OS map to see if any likely routes are not recorded as rights of way (in green). You can use the ramblers app to do this https://dontloseyourway.ramblers.org.uk/find-lost-ways
To check to see if local footpaths or bridleways have been officially recorded as public rights of way in Somerset go to the official Somerset County RoW web-site: https://roam.somerset.gov.uk/roam/map .This will show all the currently recorded rights of way in Somerset. You can navigate in to a particular area by typing in a place name in the top left or use the zoom on the right hand size.
It is important to also check if a claim to add a route has already been recorded. To do this click on map options at the bottom left and then click on “open modification”. This will highlight any on the page you are on. By clicking on the highlighted route (in blue) a box will come up with details of the claim, in which case you can leave it to be processed. It is also worth checking the “closed modifications” box which come up in pale purple. Click on them and you will see that the claim has already been considered and rejected. Unless you have some new evidence it would not be worth pursuing this route as a claim.
If you are in North Somerset the on-line RoW map can be found at: https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/my-services/leisure/parks-countryside/prow/find-public-rights-way/ . This site tells you how to navigate but only shows the recorded RoW, it does not have the additional data that the Somerset map has.
Next steps
If you think you have identified an unrecorded route check if it is used locally without restriction. If it is and such use can be shown for 20 years past a claim can be made on the basis of use (and this process does not stop in 2026).
If no evidence of regular use is available you will need to check if the route has been shown to exist it will be necessary to research old maps and documents. You can access on-line old OS maps at: https://maps.nls.uk/. Go to OS maps in England and follow the instructions. You can find OS maps in large scale going back to the 19th century. However the showing of a route as an “FP” on these OS maps does not prove it is public, just that a route existed on the ground when they were surveyed. To prove it was public will require research at the Somerset Heritage Centre in Taunton to look at documents such as tithe maps, estate records and other sources. Proving footpaths as public historically; it is easier to find relevant data for claiming routes with higher rights such as bridleways or, particularly restricted by-ways.
Ramblers nationally are providing an app to enable comparison between current and older OS maps.
If you require advice at this stage you can consult Somerset Ramblers Area Footpath Secretary, Carl Earl at
Carl Earl