About public rights of way

Kent County Council is the Highway Authority, Surveying Authority, Access Authority and Commons Registration Authority for the county.

 In relation to countryside access, the Countryside Access Service is responsible for:

• protection, maintenance and enhancement of Kent's public rights of way network
• management of the public rights of way Definitive Map and Statement
• the Village Greens and Commons Registration Service
• promotion of countryside access
• management of open access land.

You can view the entire network of public rights of way and the location of all gates, stiles and bridges etc. on the interactive map.

What are public rights of way?

Public rights of way are mainly paths for walkers, cyclists and horseriders. They allow people to explore and enjoy the countryside at a leisurely pace. Or they can be used for short journeys such as to school, to church, to work or even to the pub!

Kent has over 4,400 miles (7,100 km) of public footpaths, bridleways and byways providing free access to the Garden of England.

Like a public road, a public right of way is a highway which anybody may use at any time. Public rights of way are recorded on a Definitive Map and Statement (a legal record of public rights of way). Each path is classified according to who is allowed to use it and the public's rights along it.

Find out more about who can use the different public rights of way.

Learning about public rights of way and the countryside

The Education Toolkit has been created by Kent County Council Countryside Access

Service to help Key Stage Two teachers prepare and carry out lessons about access to the countryside and public rights of way. All resources which are listed in the activities can be downloaded from this page or the accompanying CD unless otherwise stated.

Download the Education Toolkit.
 

How we manage and promote rights of way

The Countryside Access Improvement Plan shows how Kent County Council plans to improve the network over the next 10 years. It also shows what projects are already underway.

The Countryside Access Design Standards are now available to download. The standards assist landowners and countryside agencies in raising the quality of access furniture (for example, gates, bridges and stiles) across the county.

For free walks and rides, ideas for great days out and an excellent interactive map that shows all of the rights of way in Kent, visit the Explore Kent website.

You can report a problem on a public right of way.