Exactly 5 years from today, unrecorded rights of way that existed before 1949 will be extinguished. Time is ticking for us to get these unrecorded or under recorded routes correctly recorded on the definitive map. When we talk about these Lost Ways they aren’t all lost, many of these ways are in current use but…
Historic evidence is not the only way to make a DMMO application to claim a route that isn't recorded on the definitive map. The 2026 cut off date does not apply to user evidence claims, they can still be submitted beyond the 1st January 2026 unlike historic claims.
80% of the available time has already passed to record historic routes which are missing or under recorded on the definitive map. Routes that are not correctly recorded by the 1st January 2026 will be extinguished forever.
Could your local ramble, hack or cycle route be lost forever in the next 5 years? It's possible if it isn't recorded properly that it could be lost after the 1st January 2026.
prowexplorer