There are some 4,000 miles (6,000 km) of Public Rights of Way in Wiltshire that anyone can use. They fall into three categories: –
- Rights of Way paths: we have a right of way to use them by foot.
- Permissive paths: the landowner grants permission but can withdraw it
- Bridleways: cycles (and horses) as well people and dogs on foot.
Access to Public Rights of Way is hampered when they become overgrown or obstructed.
In Downton, the Parish Council has delegated general maintenance of these Public Rights of Way to The Downton Society, a local group run entirely by volunteers. As volunteers they can only do so much – energy and time are factors!
The Parish Council continues to act as a coordinator for footpath maintenance and has a modest budget to meet costs such as green waste disposal and personal protection wear.
The exception to the above are footpaths on privately owned land which are the responsibility of the landowner to maintain.
Please explore Downton Parish Council’s Footpath Map below.
Key
Parish Boundary | Footpath | Bridleway | Byway | Restricted Byway
 |
Fullscreen display of the map – opens in new window |  |
Zoom in or out |
 |
Popup menu to select what is displayed | ||
 |
Switch between Road and Satellite – only displayed in Full Screen mode bottom left hand corner |