About Footpaths & Rights of Way

Hampshire Countryside Service manages around 4,500 miles of public footpaths, bridleways and byways, which are maintained locally by teams who work in conjunction with landowners to keep vegetation under control and ensure that paths are kept clear.

As a parish council we work in conjunction with Hampshire County Council to ensure that footpaths and signposts are well maintained. We are also pursuing a country wide initiative to convert old stiles to easy access gates and are working alongside landowners to implement this where possible, including the production of a footpaths information leaflet and map boards in both Hurstbourne Tarrant and Upton, and the installation of a safety handrail in a particularly steep part of Doles Wood.

The legal record of Rights of Way is kept under constant review by the map team in Winchester, and this link has a useful tool to help you to plan your routes and make your own maps in the local countryside.

We are part of a Parish Lengthsman scheme, funded by Test Valley Borough Council, which gives us an allocation of just under 50 hours a year.  The Lengthsman will carry out various tasks for us, including dealing with overgrown footpaths.

Please contact the Clerk or Councillor Mark Thomas if you find a footpath or other right of way which you feel requires maintenance.

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The Open Spaces Society provides some interesting information regarding rights of way