British Foot Paths are Living History | UK vs US
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 20. 05. 2022
- Continuing our journey in the UK and enjoying the British countryside I took a trip down a British Walking Path and was shocked at what I saw.
I was shocked to see the footpath cut through the middle of private property.
I love comparing the US and the UK while appreciating the beauty of both.
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Hi Mac - I'm British and my wife is American from New Jersey, and she's been here now since we married 17 years ago. We live in a small village in Staffordshire and even today she finds out new things about Britain that she didn't know before. We both really enjoy watching your channel and we wish you and your family all the very best from Staffordshire!
Many celebrities have bought large houses and mansions with extensive land not realising that a historic right of way exists over the land. They tried to prevent people from walking the footpaths by going through the legal system. All it ends up doing is bringing more Ramblers to the area, taking photos and waving at the big house whilst exercising their rights.
More people will visit just to piss them off ,,,They must be pissed to find their money and "celeb status" doesn't help them
British footpaths are a wonderful thing and were hard fought for by the Ramblers association. Private land owners were extremely reluctant to allow the British people access to their own land but the British public can be a huge pain in the ass to those in power, itâs one of my favourite things about being British. Also we fortunately donât have to worry about bears, mountain lions or good olâ boys with guns and fiddles
I've had a couple of farmers with shotguns shouting "Ged orf my laand!"
Er, as the bloke above me has said...Also it has been known for some farmers to use rocksalt in their shotguns, in order to 'ge orf ma laaand' (i should know as I've been caught up the arse before)
@@IanMcc1000 Yeah, but at least they aren't playing fiddle music.
Good ol' boys playing the fiddle would be welcome
It's so wonderful and heart-warming to see how much you're enjoying living in the UK. Makes me feel proud.
You are really "getting it" Beautiful family !
The wierd thing is that *I* also find it heartwarming, and I am a sixth-generation Australian! The UK is very lucky to have that family!
@@steelcrown7130 Yes they are good people and we glad to have them !
Couldn't agree more! :-)
Why are you proud? If you are British, you had no choice in the matter. And you are proud to be in a country where an increasing number of children are living in abject poverty, where food banks are on a massive increase curve, where policians are corrupt, stealing money from the poor. You are proud oof a corrupt and evil monarchy that sends money to off-shore accounts in order to avoid paying legitimate taxes. What is there to be PROUD of?
Madonna bought a huge country estate back in the 2000`s, her property had a public footpath running straight through the middle of it, she spent millions of ppounds and nearly 10 years trying to get it moved but failed, In the UK every citizen has the right to roam, the right to walk their country, its called freedom, something the USA does not have
I write from about 5 miles of where you speak. These footpaths are such a blessing and I've never taken them for granted.
No one person, who is upon this Earth so fleetingly, should be allowed to move or redirect a public footpath that has been used for centuries or milliennia. It was absolutely right that she wasn't allowed to change it.
I mean I wouldn't want a path going right though the center of my property but I wouldnt mind an outside path
Surely not,but but but,EVERYONE knows the US of A is the freest country in the world,donât they?
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@@arthurgoonie4596 the trick is for people to do their research before buying a property with an ancient public footpath that is protected in law and has been there longer that the property existed. Many foreigners with money who move over here and buy land have no knowledge of our laws and history connected to those laws that still serve the people for thousands of years.
Just like our ancient footpaths, our hedges & dry stone walls are ancient too. Great to see people appreciate this beautiful England! đŽó §ó ąó „ó źó §ó ż
Nice to find videos about the UK that aren't about London or the major tourist hotspots. Every square foot of the UK is so full of history that there's a surprise at every turn. Taking the time to just explore with no aim in mind is endlessly rewarding.
I so grateful that footpaths exists. I am very respectful to the farmers and private owners who maintain their paths and welcome ramblers. You are all really awesome and I appreciate you.
I (also American) was walking through a public footpath in Herefordshire just outside a village. I looked on the ground and saw a bunch of white tubes. They were pieces of white clay tobacco pipes that existed from the 16-19th century. Some farmer or walker of that path in that field smoked a pipe (or several) and discarded it there 200-400 years ago. Those paths have been in use for eons.
The whole of the UK is covered by walking maps showing every footpath and places of interest etc, they are produced by the Ordinance Survey and are very detailed, you might enjoy looking into it.
Link?
@@thomashernandez8700
Link?
ANY PRINTED MAP
Ordnance Survey.
@@thomashernandez8700 If you type in "ordnance survey" you will see what's available. I don't think that the maps are free, however, but there are plenty of ways you can buy maps that will help you to navigate the area you intend to walk in. There are many green signposts along roadways that show where footpaths cross the road or where they begin. There's a whole network, so with preparation you can design a walk that takes you in a loop back to where you started. It also shows contour lines so that you can plan accordingly if people can't over-exert going up steep inclines. It's also possible to buy books that give you a range of walks if you're staying in a particular area.
An Ordnance surrvey map is something treasured and mentioned extensively as a treasure by ex-American and honoured citizen the writer Bill Bryson.
You always make me absurdly proud of my country! xx
He's a lovely human! Big heart.
As a brit sometimes you forget just how beautiful our country side is. Looking at it through someone else's eyes makes me appreciate it even more. Keep up the excellent videos.
Public right of way footpaths are a vital part of our heritage. A few people grumble but they are an absolute national treasure.
I remember visiting my grandparents when I was young and a historic right of way footpath existed at the bottom of her garden. My grandparents loved saying hello to random strangers who passed through and they ended up with some long term friends from it.
I remember using similar âpublic rights of wayâ through office blocks in the City. They were retained from paths that had been built over by developers.
It's wonderful that you just 'get' this stuff!
When Brits say we're surrounded by our history, it's difficult to convey the breadth of what we mean. It isn't just the physical (though ancient churches, houses, buildings of state etc is a huge part of it), but also the emotional and psychological. Just the simple act of walking a centuries old right of way (which might be as mundane as taking the dog for a walk) reaffirms ancient legal rights.
Even the shapes of fields go back to Norman times, and some town layouts are still based on the Roman ones.
The future Brits wonât be descendants of the historic Brits.
@@CarloRossi54523 Totally meaningless statement, given that every single person living in Britain today is an immigrant, or descended from immigrants, since the first settlers 25,000 years ago. There's no such thing as a 'historical Brit'.
Is a historical Brit the people who freely moved, through millennia, backwards and forwards over the landmass ('Doggerland') which until 6100 BCE connected Britain to mainland Europe? Or perhaps historical Brits are more 'recent'? Are they the Romans of the occupation (the Roman Army itself being made up mostly of people from outside Italy, including Africa, France, Germany, Spain and the Middle East), many of whom remained after the collapse of the Roman Empire, married and integrated.
Or perhaps historic Brits are the wave of immigrants who arrived after the Romans, including Angles, Saxons and Jutes, coming respectively from what is now southern Denmark, Germany/Netherlands and northern Denmark? The Angles, of course, giving their name to what is now England; 'Angle-land'.
Or maybe you mean the Vikings, from what is now Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who began regular raids on the British Isles from about 800 CE, gradually settling, particularly around eastern Scotland, northern and eastern England and eastern parts of Ireland?
Or possibly you mean the French Normans, who invaded in 1066 and settled?
Or maybe the significant numbers from Europe, Africa and Asia plus a significant community of Jewish people who arrived over the next couple of centuries?
Or then again, perhaps, by the 1500/1600s, people from North Africa, Gypsy Travellers, Protestant refugees from France and the Low Countries, or people from Africa and India as a result of increasing colonisation?
Or possibly you mean people who were part of the increasing migration as a result of the Industrial Revolution, with notable numbers coming from Italy and Germany to seek work or start businesses, and merchant seamen working shipping routes in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Scandinavia arriving and often staying?
Or indeed maybe you mean the waves of political exiles and refugees, including Eastern European Jews and people from Tsarist Russia?
Or possibly you mean the further wave of refugees in the first half of the 20th century, particularly from Germany and Belgium?
Or perhaps post WW2 and migration from former colonies?
Or maybe late 20th century/early 21st century migration from the expanded EU and people escaping conflict around the world?
Do tell us which of these are 'historical Brits'? A phrase which sounds dangerously like some concept of racial purity.
From an Englishwoman of Irish traveller (very possibly Roma, and therefore Eastern European and further back Indian) and Welsh descent.
@@clairenoon4070 Do you think that recent migrations are comparable to the historic ones?
@@CarloRossi54523 Let me guess; you're relatively young? When I learned history at school it was still a time when people were able to contextualise. In other words, see what a tiny speck our lifetimes were in relation to human history.
In this age of 'identity politics' I'm afraid everything has the backdrop of 'ME!', leaving young people utterly unable to place their lives in the context of either what has gone before or what may come ahead.
This is a longer way of saying yes, it is entirely comparable. You appear not even to have considered that during these various waves of migration the population of the British Isles was tiny compared to now, so even if the 'raw numbers' were small, they were often significant proportions of the population. Context, again!
I live in the north of England just west of the Pennines, a lot of my childhood memories involve exploring hills and wooded valleys using footpaths :) I couldnât imagine them not being there!
I live in the north of England as well, west of the Pennines. I went for a walk the other week, I use to do when I was a kid with my mum. It brought back so many memories being at Rivington Pike and walking up on top of the hills and around Rivington. I truly was beautiful
Me too am west of the Pennine hills. I live on outskirts of a major town and Iâm less than two minutes walk from the countryside and meadows. It was my playground free to explore as a child.
@@Evanescence-xb7uz I understand that they have done Rivington Gardens up again, is that true?
Iâm in county and have similar childhood memories of playing in the woods walking through the fields to the river.
Iâm there, too. I post videos of our beautiful Lancashire. In fact Iâm recording one tomorrow using rights of way. We are so lucky.
The footpaths are protected by law, not only in the country but in towns and cities too.
Not enough is made of this amazing and ancient footpath network across our country thank you for highlighting it and all the other wonderful aspects of living here that sometimes we forget!
There's a public footpath that runs across the grounds of the Prime Minister's country retreat Chequers, although it doesn't get closer than 500 yards to the house. It would be as if there was a pubic path across the grounds of Camp David.
Wonder if you could hear any partying going on being that close...just a thought lol đ€Șđ·đ»đŸđŹđ§
The landowners have to lave access to the paths on their property, by law. Hence the gap in the hedge.
I think most of us don't realise how lucky we are...
When if comes to freedom in moving around in nature, nothing even gets close to the freedom they have in Sweden.
Does that mean the landowners are protected from lawsuits by footpath users if they manage to injure themselves somehow?
@@marygreenfield528 yes they actually are
@@marygreenfield528 it's only in America where you can sue other people for your own stupidity. That ridiculous sueing think are strictly American, never heard of other countries doing that, and I have friends from all over the world.
Not just luck. A lot of hard fought legal and activist struggle in 20th century which still needs work
Heading towards the Tarr Steps in Devon, my American friend asked me why we let the hedgerow grow so high on the narrow two-way country road, as it was taller than the car and like driving through a green maze. I explained it wasnât hedgerow but an earth bank covered in grass and plants; the road was so old and well travelled, the earth had grown up around it.
I'd heard of hollow ways/sunken lanes before I visited the UK (we have a handful across the US, such as along the Oregon Trail) but I was surprised to find they're freaking everywhere in the south of Britain. It was magical. Just imagining how many people wore those paths down over millennia. The US also has millennia-old trails (used by the Indigenous peoples before we turned up) but they didn't have herds, flocks, carts and so on and not many hollow ways exist here.
These paths are so special, they must be protected and walked. I used to live in a Oast house next to large corn fields, each year the fields would be ploughed and sown, along with the foot-path. But each year the foot-path would emerge straight across the field, trodden down under foot. Ancient ways to a settlement, place of work or church.
I live in Greater Manchester in the North West of England, and the Peak District is right on my doorstep. I often walk around Kinder Scout, that is free to roam thanks to those that did the Mass Trespass on the 24th April 1932 (it wasn't ancient walkways there, so it was all private land), you should look up the Mass Trespass of the Peak District, it's quite interesting!
As it states in the song The Manchester Rambler (written by Ewan MacColl who also wrote Dirty Old Town - which many think is an Irish song but was actually written about the city of Salford) "No man has the right to own mountains, any more than the deep ocean bed" Too right!
There's an ancient footpath or track in southern England called the 'Ridgeway' which traverses across several counties from Oxfordshire to Somerset. It's supposed to date from the Neolithic period.
Yes indeed:For at least 5,000 years travellers have used the Ridgeway. The Ridgeway provided a reliable trading route to the Dorset coast and to the Wash in Norfolk. The high dry ground made travel easy and provided a measure of protection by giving traders a commanding view, warning against potential attacks. The Bronze Age saw the development of Uffington White Horse and the stone circle at Avebury. During the Iron Age, inhabitants took advantage of the high ground by building hillforts along the Ridgeway to help defend the trading route. Following the collapse of Roman authority in Western Europe, invading Saxon and Viking armies used it. In medieval times and later, the Ridgeway found use by drovers, moving their livestock from the West Country and Wales to markets in the Home Counties and London.
Yep, The Ridgeway is like 5,000 years old. Steeped in history. I love walking something like the North Down's Way and knowing that people hundreds of years ago walked the very same path. Loving your content.
The guys amazing :)
@ Aaron
I was just going to mention the ridgeway, it is the oldest road in Britain, and as you said, 5000 years plus, and 87 miles long. Breathtaking views as you walk in the footsteps of those in prehistoric times.
Much as I love the Ridgeway, and have walked it more than once, it's actually a combination of ancient paths and local paths stitched into its current configuration and route relatively recently. I think the old Countryside Commission were responsible for plotting it beyond Goring in my lifetime. Parts of it probably are 5000 years old, but not the whole route.
Buy an Ordnance Survey map for your area (one with a magenta coloured cover), and see just how many foot paths there are around you. It's an amazing network!
There's a variety. The two main ones are footpaths (walking only) and bridleways (walking, horses, bicycles).
So far as I know, the footpath / bridleway network is nearly unique, as they are public rights of way. I think that in a lot of other countries, the paths that are there are not necessarily public rights of way; the land "owner" (be that government, forestry departments, etc) is free to re-route these as they see fit. Whereas here, the route is not something the land owner can change, nor can they close the path off at any time. The only way they can be closed is if there is a farming health problem in an area (e.g. foot-n-mouth disease), and then central government can issue an order closing the path.
My whole life I've been walking and running on the footpaths across the South Downs in Sussex. Over the years I've found all sorts of things from flint arrow heads to ancient fossils stuck in the rock, I love that the old hill forts from way back in the Iron Age and the paths around them still stand out, they are sometimes still used as beacons when fires are lit on top of them to mark an event, last time was in 1988 when we lit them to remember the 400th anniversary of the Spanish Armada, (when the beacons were lit as a warning of invasion), I believe they will be lit again this year to celebrate the Jubilee. I love your channel btw.
Our Trespass legislation is mostly civil & contrary to belief rarely anyone gets prosecuted for it. A few year back the was a revamp of laws & legislations as to ancient access rights across private property after a spate of court cases, which mostly involved non farming people buying up farms & land as refurbishment projects to live in and then objecting to having hikers/ramblers using ancient paths. The government & law came down on the side of ramblers which is still in place today as a protected right.
a golf course that was built near me years ago tried to fence off a path that led from the village to some local ponds , locals kept ripping it down , once it got to court they made the golf course maintain it , right across the fairway ha ha
It is not just the footpaths that survive. I remember seeing a TV programme about aerial archeology in Yorkshire. As the plane was flying straight above the the great Roman road across the Vale of York it was possible to see the stone-walled field boundaries aligning on both sides of the road. The boundaries had pre-dated the Romans and survived to the 21st century.
Some stone walls are nearly a thousand years old
@@jemmajames6719 Those that pre-date the romans would be more than 2,000 years old.
@@penname5766 I donât think we have any that old do we ?
@@jemmajames6719 oh yea some of the stone boundaries in Cornwall Wales and Yorkshire are neolithic and have been maintained by the farmers and or the National Trust.
@@robintaylor3633 That's Trigger's Broom though ...
I love your videos, and I am British! Thank you for reminding all of us how wonderful our country is. We take too much for granted.
There is a reason a road runs adjacent to the former Palace of Whitehall Banqueting house and initially through the middle of the palace which had to be built on either side of this road. Not even Henry VIII could remove a public right of way.
This extends further if you are in a national park with the "right to roam", you can freely roam away from the footpaths so long as you do not interfere with livestock or crops.
Right to roam is not just in National Parks. It applies to âmountain, moor, heath or downâ that is designated as access land by the local planning authority, and mountain is defined as land above 600 m above sea level.
Right to roam has been established right across Scotland. The usual limits apply - there are areas restricted for military use, you can't cause damage or nuisance, dogs must be under control, etc. Landowners can request that camping on the property is done in a courteous manner (out of sight of the house, leave it as you found it).
At the UK Prime Minister's country estate, called Chequers, in Buckinghamshire there is a public footpath that cuts across the front of the main entrance and is a public right of way.
Theres also one that goes through Alton Towers đ
@@IWalk-zl7xy and the whole estate is positively fizzing with police officers armed with military firearms.
Iâve been to the US in 2012 and loved it but your videos really let US folks have a true reflection of what the UK has to offer in many respects..đđ
Love this video! I've been here 8 years and spring is my favourite season because of these fields of gold. I'm still in shock that you are able to walk through farms like this. Love the UK!
Nice to read through the comments and see fellow Brits appreciating your videos:)
The most famous American who fell foul of "The Right To Roam" in the UK was Madonna. When she was married to Guy Ritchie they bought an old mansion house, and the footpath through the property literally went past their front door. There was nothing they could do about this because it was an ancient path, and for the local county council to change the route was a horrendous legal battle, it wasn't changed in the end. Not sure if Guy Ritchie stil has said house, I do Know Madonna doesn't!
Love this. I would not be the person I am today if it wasn't for footpaths and the right to roam the beautiful countryside we are surrounded by.
Many footpaths across the middle of large fields have existed for a long time when there were much smaller fields. Sadly, many field boundaries (hedgerows) have been ripped out to form much larger fields more suitable to the use of large farm machinery. So a footpath which once ran down the side of a field is now found in the middle of a much larger field.
I'm watching this after a 25 mile cycle through loads of local footpaths. People take them for granted or never use them, but there is a super highway of stunning routes between towns and villages that everyone should see and use.
maybe best to stick to bridleways as footpaths are just that
@@markwoods1530 I was generalizing footpaths, bridleways and tow paths. Calm down mate
You have no right to cycle on footpaths
That path probably didn't cut through a field years ago. It was quite common for the hedgerows around smaller fields to be removed to create a much larger, and easier to farm large field. So where you are walking was quite possibly along the edge of a field. It is also worth looking out for ancient roads, which are now just footpaths or bridleway. These are often the width of a narrow road and lined with trees and hedgerows. As towns and villages developed, some settlements were abandoned, but the old tracks to them still exist.
I recall doing history at school where ancient fields were really small plots arranged in grids and the boundaries of these gave rise to a lot of the now existing footpaths and roads. This is why you'll find sudden doglegs and detours on many of the smaller country roads and lanes which the Romans never adopted and straightened out.
@@ChrisFWhite There is no doubt that the system of agriculture in use in Britain defined its roads and paths until recently. The road I live on was once a Roman road, and it was the only straight road in the area until dual carriageways were built.
Interesting comment, Jon :)
@@ChrisFWhite It's the basis of imperial measures of distance. A chain (22yards) by a furlong (220yards) makes an acre, which is a good day's ploughing for a horse or ox. Long, thin fields meant you wasted less time turning the plough around. If you can turn the plough team round in 11 yards, 22 yards is the narrowest enclosed field you can work while ploughing in both directions.
Mac, you really captured the delight of wandering through the English countryside in spring. The yellow flowers of the rapeseed plants really brighten up the landscape after the dull greens and browns of winter.
Have you and your family equipped yourselves with any Ordnance Survey maps yet? If not, be sure to check them out - together they map in detail the entirety of the UK, showing footpaths, bridleways, and other rights of way. They're a great resource when you want to navigate across an area of countryside you aren't familiar with.
Get the app if that's your thing.
Oilseed rape is not an English or British sight at all. It's a recent cash crop, we never used to see it 4o years ago.
@@I_Don_t_want_a_handle at one point that said the same about potatoes.
@@Fercough True but a field of taters is not as garish and foreign a sight as that electric yellow.
@@I_Don_t_want_a_handle It's prettier though. đđ
There are also abandoned railway lines that have been converted into trails. These were unprofitable lines that closed during the 20th century, especially in the years following the Beeching Axe of 1963.
Much more recent than these paths, but I think there is a separate organisation for the running and preservation of ex-railway trails. Separate from these organic ancient paths.
@@dcarbs2979 Yes, it's probably a different organisation, and definitely from a much more recent time period. I was merely suggesting that anyone interested in countryside walks might also consider using these railway trails.
Great to see a American showing some Love for the old country
Your local council website in the UK usually has a "Public Rights Of Way" map. Which includes footpaths and bridle ways (for horse riding). There are also long distance "National Trails" that have their own website.
This is such a great channel, full of positive content. I'm super glad that you enjoy living with us :)
Mac, youâre enthusiasm for the amazing English countryside makes me feel so proud to be British. Thank you for reminding me of the beauty that is literally on my doorstep. Blessings to you and your family. âșïžđŹđ§
Thank you! đ
Love how you are discovering the English countryside. You really should have a trip along Hadrian's Wall. A Roman fortification about 73 miles long, built coast to coast from Newcastle to Bowness on Solway as a defensive measure against the Picts.
Edit: The Romans started building it in AD 122 and it took around 6 years to build.
Sorry it was not a defensive wall at. It simply marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire and served simply as a border to regulate the flow of people, goods, animals, trade in other words. Oh, and the Brigantes of Northern England occupied the land both north and south of the Wall - not the Picts. Finally, other wall/frontiers existed at the same time across Europe (the Limes) and North Africa performing the same function
@@colinearnshaw7725 I understand that the Romans allowed free trade through the wall, but nonetheless, it was a defensive fortification, an insurance policy, if you will.
Good comment it is a sight to see...but it is a bit of a "new addition" in terms of some of our history đ
Bloody Picts, coming over the wall and taking our sheep :)
When I was sent to England to attend a choir prep (from 8-13), I grew to love weekend trips to the countryside outside London, mainly for the walks on public footpaths. A my home was three days flying and 8000 miles away, my school holidays were often spent with my roomies' families, normally in Snowdonia, where day-long mountain hikes were the norm. During my six yrs living outside Middleburg VA, my kids and I enjoyed weekends in the Appalachians, but local walks were rarely a thing, as even rural roads were dangerous to walk on. Here, back in E Africa, all my grandsons & I have to look out for are elephant troops, the occasional black mamba, or wild cyclists! You & your older kids will love Snowdonia for its amazing castles, the rugged walks, and the unique language spoken there.
Great video mate, you should come up to Scotland. Have a read into "right to roam" if you aren't familiar, to oversimplify we basically aren't tresspassing unless the land owner asks us to leave. Makes exploring the countryside a breeze.
I believe the Tories are trying to change it, but Trespass (in England and Wales) is a civil offence, and you have to either not leave when asked or have done damage, to be trespassing.
@@kevinshort3943 l
Our footpath network is one of the great unsung treasures of this country and well done Mac for reminding us of this. Often you'll find they head from village to village pointing directly towards a church because back in the day the only way to get from place to place was by foot or horse.
As an American expat, living in the UK, myself - I completely understand the shock at being able to walk across the middle of what seems to be a farmer's private land. Try doing that in most of the US and you'd be arrested for trespassing - if not shot.
From a legal, historical, social, environmental, etc. perspective? It's a little bit complicated.
A lot of it has to do with the historical process of "Enclosure of the Commons". Wealthy people in the 17th through 19th centuries bought up formerly "common land", doing so required involved an Act of Parliament which preserved the Right of Way for people to walk along existing footpaths. And the story goes on from there.....
This is pitched just right. The music is calming and at the right level. Your enthusiasm is contagious. I like the pauses between sentences.
A very warm welcome to the UK, sir. Look forward to what you discover next :)
Love the sights and sounds. Totally agree with you about the beauty of nature. Just so relaxing đ
If you move to or visit another country and embrace it like this guy has, you will absolutely thrive there.
I hope you enjoy your time over here and feel properly welcome 9B4M Family!
I just loved this about the UK. Itâs the law and farmers accept it.
Nearly everything about the UK is much older than the UK. Many of the paths are much older than England, just as the counties they are in are older than England or the property rights where those footpaths are found.
New footpaths can also created by people regularly using a path.
The countryside is one of the best things about living in the UK I'm glad you enjoy it.
It's not just agricultural land where footpaths are maintained, my town is not a lot over a hundred years(there has always been a village here since Roman times with the same name) old but was designed to maintain the ancient footpaths that were already here. If you know them then you can have some nice walks using the routes that connected the old settlements circling the town and you don't have to worry about traffic fumes while you walk there, peace and quiet with just a few tweaty birds, the breeze and bugs for your soundtrack.
Mac hi
Did you know you have a fellow American reacting to your channel on utube ? (Tysheen Orane )
Love what you do mate , but I couldnât walk through that field the pollen would have my eyes out on stalks and feel like they where replaced with sand đđđđ
Are you going to the Landrover show in Peterborough in September? đđđ
He definitely needs to buy an old school Land Rover after seeing the video months back⊠I need to see Mac in a landy for sure đđ
Surprised by the lack of gates, or stiles on the footpath you walked. They are one of the things I really enjoy about country walks in the UK.
A minute from my door is a 1000yr old footpath.... From here to Castle Hill Wood... The castle was probably Roman.... So maybe the footpath...?..... đ€....
All the best to you and yours from North Nottinghamshire UK
Ha brilliant, I've always taken these paths for granted across Dorset, I'd never thought I'd see the day when an American is giving me a lesson on the country of my birth and family heritage. Outstanding work my good man and it is a honour to have your family and you on our blessed lands.
The paths over the open field often show where a boundary once was. Many fields have been enlarged over the years.
Also, you may find it interesting to know that footpaths don't exist in the same way in Scotland, they have separate rules governing access that don't include footpaths in the same way.
Yes, in Scotland the âright to roamâ is more general. There is no trespass law as such, just the same right any citizen has to not get property damaged, or get stalked.
I love the footpaths in Norfolk. An old local told me a lovely story from WW2. He first saw his wife when she was in the Land Army, stationed on an old farm, and in those days they were highly supervised. They arranged to meet near a small copse. So he rode his old bicycle along the old footpath, and when he went to hide it under the hedge, there were 12 other bikes already there. great minds do think alike. All ended well and they were happily married for 60yrs.
british guy married now living in southwest ireland. love your easy on camera demeanor! .....The" public rights of way" act, guarantees access to ancient paths and byways in the british isles,by law as of 2000 and something, i miss that here, now i live in ireland! ,no such laws,! hope you and yours are well? neil
As an Englishman who's visited a variety of different areas of the US I do enjoy your comparison videos. Thanks for uploading. Out of interest, could there possibly be ancient footpaths created by indigenous Americans?
Yes but he's in Britain. It's down to Americans living in America to do those vids.
Thank you 9B4M. Being human is hard. You do it so well. Thank you!
@@eezZzee That's a little unfair, he was quite reasonably asking if there is an American equivalent.
It would be amazing to find out. If that is the case then a petition and a group should be created to make those available to everyone, too!
@@shamteal8614 was he or are you asking the question?
@@eezZzee I thought the question I asked was absolutely reasonable. It's strange how you managed to see otherwise. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. đ
I'm not particularly patriotic, but 'public right of way' are four magical English words that should be celebrated.
im scottish , heres a fun story for you , i can find the artical if you want , but someone built there house on a footpath and a group of people just opened there door and walked straight through the house and police were called it went to court and the house ower was forced to allow people to just walk through there house on the condition they don't stop or touch anything besides the doors
I work with several organisations in recognising and recording the ancient routes. Their story is important and fascinating. Footpaths tie in with not just access between places but also with wars and invasion.
The rules behind footpaths and rights of way are quite simple but also are very important. There are reasons again, historically, as to why this is so.
Thank you for promoting the British footpath network.
U know u getting Old when u start liking and looking at things differently that u have walked past million times befor without a second glance .and u notice How Beautiful the thoughtfulness of the small details that holds everything together really are.
And it becomes clear why certain mindsets and ppl who can't help themselves need to be kept on a short leash. Especially if u have stake in the outcome.
We need Mac on Country File â€ïž after a stressful day this has been a much needed watch đ
Yes mate! I adore my English footpaths. Glad you love them. Youâre so welcome here sir. The great thing is if you keep following them they eventually get to a lovely pub! Enjoy my manđ
Subscribed after watching this...When you are born and raised somewhere you take it for granted...and it takes a fella from the US to point out these little things and the videos you make are wonderful to watch...Big Thanks...from a well travelled UK citizen who has driven across the US and cover 43 contiguous states over the years with my wife...
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These right to roam paths are still in place because of a protest in 1932 in the peak district called the 'Kinder Scout Mass Gathering'. Laws were going through parliament to remove the right to roam and most public footpaths. A group of ramblers got together to protest this fact. Apparently their were violent clashes with the police up the mountain but it brought about enough attention for the law change to be dropped. However this is partly currently under review and some changes are going to be made. It will change trespass from unlawful to illegal. The main purpose of the proposed changes is to allow the police to move on travellers without first having to go through the courts.
Good evening Mack and Family.
You should go with the family to the Great Yorkshire Show this year if you have time.
One of the largest farm and animal shows in the whole country every year. Well worth it.
Enjoy x
Lovely video! They have public footpaths across private property in Sweden as well. I recall walking across a Scottish footpath on property owned by an Earl. The friend with assured me that it was fine, but the Yank in me felt a bit uneasy.
Footpaths are marked on Ordnance Survey maps. Essential maps - and well worth it - when visiting a new area!
Just clarify a few points. Public footpaths are as much the Queens Highway as a motorway so farmers and other landowners have no right to obstruct them. They are maintained by the local council ie at public expense. There are thousands of them everywhere in England and Wales. There are highly detailed maps widely available and signposts to make life easy so walking in the countryside is a free and highly enjoyable leisure activity. You can walk for as far as you like. Very often people do a circular route ending in the pub. A number of pubs produce their own routes.
If you look back into history youâll see that what we now call foot paths were literally highways that connected many villages to one another and as you said some date back to our distant past of thousands of years ago ,but the USA is only a couple of hundred years old and so did not need to use the idea of footpaths in the form that we did .People wrongly think as the Roman roads as typically British but there not as they would be considered similar to the motorways of today and the usual roads were much much smaller and even now some our country roads connecting many of the little hamlets in Devon, Cornwall and parts of Wales would be a better example
In the US there would have been regular trails used by the indigenous population prior to the arrival of European settlers but given the way history panned out I suspect these were not honoured or retained.
I absolutely love how cool and informative these videos are, not only calming to watch but you actually come away having learnt something. Love it!
as a brit i could watch this man all day, so fun to watch
Thanks đ
Landowners not only have to keep footpaths open they have to maintain them with footstyles etc or face legal action. Most walkers are respectful because it still is private property. Some don't however ..
I think we forget in the UK how lucky we are sometimes. Enjoy the countryside my friend.
Hi Mac, I'm actually currently on a UK cycle tour. Bicycle, panniers front and back, handlebar pack, tent on the rear flat and a guitar on my back. I'm doing it, as much as possible on NCN, (National Cycle Network) Canal towpaths, Greenways (usually old railway routes turned into cycle routes and footpaths) inner city cycle paths and along B roads. There's over 22,000 miles of them cross cross the UK. I'm currently on the Trans Pennine Trail, cycle route N62. Wild camping (still possible in most areas, particularly where the people don't have a hostile reputation, local well wisher, I got chatting to here, made me tea and toast and brought it to me, at my tent, she got a mention on in my journal/log) on a green beside the path that was adjacent to the railway station. Village of, Swine (yep, really) between Hull and Hornsea. Left London 2 1/2 weeks ago. Headed for Aberdeen (cycle route N1 runs from Aberdeen to Eastbourne, it's the longest one), where I intend to cross Scotland from east to west and come down the west side of Britain to Bristol, then head west again back to London. The reverse of the expedition I did in 2014. Cycle paths, shared footpaths the whole way, or as much as possible. I'm meandering to try to visit places I haven't been before. Just come up the Lincolnshire coastal. From Boston, to Skegness, Mablethorpe Cleethorpes. Grimsby (Grim) two days ago. Crossed the Humber Bridge today, Hull, now on route to the Yorkshire coastal. I'm guessing from your uploads you're somewhere in Norfolk or Cambridgeshire. Just came by your way, last week. Check out Sustrans (sustainable transport) NCN. There's some great routes and rides all over your area. You, your Mrs. and the kids, get out on your bicycles. You want to see some countryside, you want to see some history, that's the way to go. Sleepy little villages, historic churches, and a million and one places of interest. And Europe's cycle routes are even better than Britain's. (2013, 7 months and 7,500km through 11 countries, on a shoestring, wild camping it as much as possible and topping up the money by busking). In the words of Queen (that's Freddie, the other great British Queen). Get on your bikes and ride. You may see me on the road, I'm unmistakable. My Facebook is the same name, have a look at my journal, you'll see where not to go. And you can track my progress, if you're at all interested. You'll see just how wide the cycle network is. But be aware, I'm brutally honest about places and people. Good and bad. And I've encountered both. Best wishes. Tim Holder.
"Right to roam" is English law, Private estates etc. have to comply.
I love our countryside, it's great to see you love it too. We're taught to respect the land we walk on, not to litter and close all the gates we open. Our farmers are wonderful, it's nice to think your one of them. Great info and entertainment as always, God Bless.
The UK, but in particular Scotland has some wonderful laws on right to roam. Wildcamping in Scotland is a must for anyone from or visiting and I love travelling up there to explore.
You are a very generous, positive sort of cove Mac. It's a pleasure to welcome you to our isles.
Thanks
Yes, it's rather lovely isn't it.
No person can block or alter any footpath or bridal path.
It's the right to roam of all British people.
Hi Mac there are also lots of old droving trails. These are old routes used centuries ago to move livestock herds to markets.
Oh Mack, it's beautiful, thank you for sharing. I live on the edge of the Cotswolds, and I love the landscape and footpaths of these British Isles, we walk in it weekly. Apart from a few outliers, the thing that always amazes me is that you can always see the hand of ancient man in the shaping of the landscape. I find it comforting to be walking in the footpaths of my ancestors, and to feel a small part of a great continuity. Within a bare stone's throw of us are two Neolithic burial mounds (one named rather charmingly 'Hetty Pegler's Tump'), the buried ruins of several roman villas and iron age hillforts. It's fascinating to look down on the fields and you can tell by the shape of the field boundaries when they were cultivated. The great curving hedgerows show that they were ploughed with oxen, who needed a big curve to turn around.
I've watched a bunch of your vlogs. You are doing it right and are a credit to your upbringing. Respectful, curious and informative. Good work.
ThanksbđđŸ
I love this bloke. He talks about everyday things in my own country , that I take for granted.đ
When abroad I have often commented to locals how something or other was quite special, and they would look at me and smile, no doubt thinking I was a bit eccentric. But it is a simple fact that we take for granted the things we have around us most often; '... what should they know of England, who only England know?'
Also the footpaths are clearly sign posted and well kept. Something we greatly appreciate here in the UK. To truly enjoy and feel freedom go out into a big open field and walk along the footpaths. Where was the family to enjoy and be at one with nature đ
Love watching your videos mate, I look at it this way⊠the path isnât going through the middle of the field, the field is in the middle of the the path
This is beautiful. The Right to Roam is such an important right in the UK.
Only Scotland has the right to roam, the rest of the UK has the right of way. The difference in laws is that in Scotland you can camp or hike on other people's property whereas down south you can only cross it by means of public foot paths.
And there are walkers OS maps you can buy to find and navigate all of these paths (which now includes a downloadable app). They cover the whole of the UK, possibly Ireland too. Usually pre-laminated to protect against the rain! :)
I'm English and am ashamed to find you are teaching me things about my own country. It's been a long time since I lived in England/Scotland, but I do remember footpaths and especially styles (going from one field to another). In my days (I'm 74) you had to stand on a piece of wood near to the ground, then lift a leg over a higher piece of wood and descend to a lower piece to get to the ground - lol !