Public rights of way

Public rights of way are public routes over private land.

Oldham has 270 miles of public rights of way, including 23 miles of bridleways.

Who can go where

  • Public footpaths are for pedestrians only

  • Public bridleways are for pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists

  • Public byways are for pedestrians, horse riders, cyclists and motorised vehicles (subject to the character of the way)

See also Open access land.

Council responsibilities

  • Signposting

  • Map updates

  • Surface maintenance (walkers might need boots in poor weather!)

  • Bridge maintenance

  • Grants to landowners - for 25% of the cost of maintaining approved stiles and bridlegates

  • Administering the law concerning rights of way (in particular making sure they can be used by the public)

Improvement plan

Map updates and Highways Act declarations

You can apply to have maps modified to reflect route usage.

Landowners can formally acknowledge public rights of way across their land, indicating they have no intention to dedicate any more routes across their land.

Contact

To check the rights of way network or report a problem contact:

Public Rights of Way Officer

  • Phone: 0161 770 4364

Transport and streets: