Brookmans Park Newsletter
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Countryside Walks - Rights Of Way

Herts Co Co signposts byways or BOATs (byway open to all traffic) with this marker ...

and describes them as ...

• BOATs carry footpath, bridleway and vehicular rights. They are normally unsurfaced
• They carry identical public rights to surfaced country lanes but they are, by definition, used mainly by walkers & riders
• A BOAT’s surface is maintained to a standard consistent with its usage.The law applies to BOATs in the same way as an ordinary public road - any vehicle must be fully taxed, MOT’d and insured and the driver must hold the appropriate driving licence

• You have the right to walk along them, to ride or lead a horse and to drive animals. You may also cycle along them
• Cyclists must give way to walkers and horseriders
• It is a criminal offence to drive a motor vehicle along a bridleway
• You do not have the right to take a horse-drawn vehicle along a bridleway, although it is not a criminal offence.

Herts Co Co signposts footpaths with this marker ... and says ...

• You have the right to walk together with any ‘normal accompaniment’ (e.g. a dog, pram, wheelchair)
• You do not have the right to use a bicycle, or even to wheel a bicycle along them. This is not a criminal offence, but a trespass against the landowner
• It is a criminal offence to drive a motor vehicle along a public footpath (unless you have a private right)
• You do not have the right to ride or lead a horse or take a horse-drawn vehicle along a footpath, although it is not a criminal offence.