How England’s Oldest Road Was Nearly Lost Forever
[UPDATE: As of 2024, the deadline for paths has been removed! See the link below.] The Icknield Way, in south-east England, is a road and footpath that’s been part of the landscape for millennia. But if parts of it hadn’t been legally marked down, then those parts would have become private land, gone forever. Who has the right to walk where?
The Ramblers’ Don’t Lose Your Way project: https://www.ramblers.org.uk/dontloseyourway/ – and the crowdfunding page for the project : https://www.gofundme.com/f/don039t-lose-your-way
“Stories of landowners”: John Andrews’ “From A Wild Frontier to the Promised Land”, which is worth a read: http://www.craddocks.co.uk/pannageman/suffolkpaths.pdf
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Edited by Michelle Martin: https://www.youtube.com/@OnTheCrux
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@decrozi
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
They REMOVED the deadline?!?! But I just watched this and was expecting an update in about six months.
@Freedom_Born
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Have they reviewed the deadline?
@JayLiszte
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Less than a year left for them to get all the paths
@benedixtify
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Next January! 😉
@gazgringe2598
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Thank you for this. Really interesting. After getting to an age that I can no longer run, cycle (never cycled or ran much), I now want to walk more. Public footpaths are often overgrown. What is the law if I can get through a hedge whilst on my walk.
@fatmanskills3771
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
The deadline has now been scrapped for this, so footpaths can now be registered for the indefinite future. As of Dec 27th 2024.
@onionsyes
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
As of today, 26/12/2024, the deadline has been cancelled as the UK government haven't got their beans together (and the Tories are out, who have always just been the landowners) – so the 26/31 deadline is off. Hooray! Let's get out there and claim our rights!
@nobody_cares_nor_do_I
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Well I can't imagine why you wouldn't want a bunch of strangers wandering over your private property . Cuz people definitely don't commit crimes and litter and tear things up when they're bored and send kids out unsupervised to act up. This is why America has national parks in state parks with strict rules of behavior. I'm sorry but ramblers are just trespassers until the state purchases land specifically for the purposes of their rambling. Just like American state and national parks . Get with the now
@jamesthomas4841
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
if the Icknield Way is an ancient road why are parts of it on the definitive map as a footpath? Surely it should be a Bridleway or a Restricted Byway.
@Forestlover22298
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
We need more public rights of way!!! So cool!!!
@ryallmackcowling
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Send not to know
For whom the walking enthusiast campaigns,
They campaign for thee.
@gwendawnseto2284
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Thank you very much. Thank you for all the good you do. Thank you too to Jack Cornish and The Ramblers. Generations will thank you all.
@Crimetvuk
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Fun fact, my horse had a couple of massive dumps on the track he’s walking on
@dodgechance4564
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Country Land and Business Association succeeded in lobbying the government in 2023 to reinstate a deadline, after the deadline was originally removed in 2022. The deadline was however given an extension to 2031, so not all bad. An extra 5 years to map everything.
Edit: Okay, the Labour government has repealed the previous government's 2031 deadline, so we're back to having no deadline again.
@FezCaliph
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Now I’m mad
@razzle1964
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Explains why (a 14yr old) me & my Scout troop got cornered by a farmer in the 70s, when we were hiking to ‘Belchamps’, Essex, armed with our Ordinance Survey maps & compasses. I was CERTAIN we were on a public footpath but the bastard wasn’t having any of it. Made us go the long way round his farm. Played havoc with my hayfever.
@kjth2003
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
"People have been using this since recorded history", but… How do you know that if it's not recorded…?
@AeroCodex
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
People really think they can "own" land. Very presumptuous. You are merely an ape. Everyone is.
@wojtekpolska1013
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
can new right-of-way paths be created now?
@pluffer96
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
The trouble is that it's not all people /walkers that have a, "leave no trace" mind set". And if you owned land, and had to pay for the damage that the few do to it you, would have the same reaction as the land owners. So it's not a us and them type thing that the Liberal left would have you beleve, it's as always, the few messing it up for the many.
@Anonymous-sb9rr
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
I don't think we have something like this in the Netherlands, public roads on private land.
@derBESIEGER
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Cool vid
@thaifreeburma
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
What a gem and you've highlighted a really important issue that could either resolve to a countryside less welcoming to visitors or one that is a real boost for it and the health / wellbeing of those tramping across it. Brilliant Tim!
@Jay_Force_One
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
The Brit’s push the metric system like it’s job but deep down they want to go back to the imperial system so bad. Every British YouTuber video is bound to use the word “miles” at least once.
@J75Pootle
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
I remember once going hiking through Wales, and the map showed a footpath that passed diagonally through about 4 or 5 farmer's fields in a row. When I actually reached that area I found that not only had the farmer not left the footpath clear when planting their crops, but that they hadn't even left a path around the edge of the fields either. I had to spend 30 minutes (should have only taken me about 5-10 minutes if the paths were there) shoving my way along the edges of the fields carving a path between crops and hedgerow, it was not fun
@navienslavement
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
1:27 ROCK AND STONE
@jacobschweiger5897
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
what an awful system. You're not entitled to walk through somebody else front yard just because some guy back in 4 ad used to walk there and now it's considered a trail.
@sunshineimperials1600
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
I also think that here in the States, all unfenced, undeveloped or unmarked land should be available to all to use, similar to Sweden’s everyman’s right.
@puppetguy8726
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
UK should adopt Sweden's right of public access to all land.
@amyparnell3325
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Sheffield Train Station doesn’t have any ticket barriers for this exact reason. The bridge that gets you to the platforms is also the only way to get to the hill on the other side and therefore it’s illegal for anyone to put up ticket barriers as it’s a right of way
@Nixontheman
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
I suspect more than a few of these waking folks are complete fuking commie Kunts❗️
@qed456
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Its a disgrace the loss of public rights of way through non recording. The land was all held by the King or Queen of England for its citizens to work and travel on and that is still the case
@taowroland8697
September 22, 2025 at 1:21 pm
I dunno, seems like a good number of these are just done to screw over people's gardens. Why have a right of way through a thicket too dense to pass through and/or hasn't even been used for 500 years? Surely hundreds have to travel directly through homes as well which will be weird.
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