Public rights of way
Introduction
We manage Swindon’s public rights of way. These routes connect the Thames Path National Trail at Lechlade with the Ridgeway National Trail on the Marlborough Downs.
A public right of way is a route that the public has a legal right to use.
Types of public right of way
How you can use a public right of way depends on its legal status:
- public footpaths are for people travelling on foot and have yellow waymarkers
- public bridleways are for walking, horse riding, and cycling and have blue waymarkers
- byways open to all traffic are for vehicles and all other users and have red waymarkers
- restricted byways are for walking, horse riding, cycling, and horse-drawn carriages
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 replaced routes recorded as ‘roads used as public paths’ with restricted byways.
Your rights when using a route
When using a public right of way, you can:
- take a pram, pushchair, or wheelchair, although you may find stiles on footpaths
- take a dog under close control, although some stiles may not have suitable access for dogs
- take a short alternative route around an illegal obstruction
- move an illegal obstruction enough to get past it
Check the definitive map
The definitive map and statements are the legal record of public rights of way.
They provide conclusive evidence of the routes shown, their status, and their existence on the map’s relevant date.
Many applications to change the definitive map are based only on uninterrupted public use of a route for at least 20 years.
View the working copy of the definitive map using My Maps.
Report a problem with a public right of way
We share responsibility for managing and maintaining public rights of way with the relevant landowner or farmer.
Report a problem on a tarmac route
If the route has a tarmac surface, use our service to report a road, footpath, or pavement in poor condition.
Report a problem on another public right of way
Email paths@swindon.gov.uk.
Include as much information as possible, including:
- your name
- the date you found the problem
- the location, using a path number from My Maps, an Ordnance Survey grid reference, or a what3words location
- the type of route, such as a public footpath, public bridleway, restricted byway, or byway open to all traffic
- a description of the problem
- a photograph of the problem