Footpaths?

[Cymro]

I've spent hours during the last 12 months or so poring over maps, and have identified several footpaths which used to be main roads into villages before the turnpikes. Have been threatening to contact the owners of the land which they cross to ask for permission, but haven't yet got 'a round tuit . . . '

I'm a member of a Faceache group called 'Can We Dig It' where a newbie member asked a question about detecting footpaths today, and was told that they are off limits for detecting.

I've never seen that in the rules and regs - is that correct? Should I have gone to Specsavers (I did . . .  )

TIA for any input.

[Chef Geoff]

Well off limits without permission in the way as any other piece of land.

[Cymro]

I meant with permission.

[Chef Geoff]

in that case no there aren't any restrictions on unscheduled land

[Cymro]

OK - thanks!

I wouldn't dream of detecting anywhere without permission - I've just been procrastinating over getting it! That's back on my 'must-do' list then . . .

Not sure why the Facebook crowd said it's a no-no, but I had a lecturer in college who was fond of saying, 'In the Kingdom of the Blind, the one-eyed man is King . . . '

[Val Beechey]

Even footpaths are owned by someone. If you're only interested in disused ones then with permission O.k. but I don't think it's the thing to dig holes in paths that are in currently in use

[Cymro]

See, the thing is I've field-walked the paths (and found a couple of feeds of mushrooms in the process . . . ) in the name of research and there's a stile at one corner of an open field with a 'Public Footpath' sign pointing vaguely towards the opposite corner, and a matching stile and sign there. There isn't actually a defined path as such, more a 'join the dots' sort of arrangement. The lack of definition suggests a corresponding lack of use . . .

So if I got permission to detect the fields, could I necessarily be blamed if I strayed onto the area traversed by the footpath . . . ?

[Chef Geoff]

No! a right of way is from one corner of the field to the other and if there was a crop in it then that right of way would be around the edge so there is no defined path to speak of.
Remember lack of definition may mean lack of use NOW but it's only 60 years since the car became the norm before that it could have been the veritable M25 of the area

[Cymro]

Exactly! I reckon it's fair game . . . The road which became the footpath was ancient so there could be some good finds there 

Or not . . .