Rights of Way – our footpaths and bridleways ( Part 2 )
Footpaths can be walked on foot but not cycled or ridden on horseback. Bridleways can be ridden by horse or cycled. We’ve bridleways leading to Little Houghton and Whiston, illustrated again below, that can be used in this way.
The bridleway to Little Houghton from the N end of Lower End leaving the Billing Road at Chapman’s Corner. The view looking west.
The beautiful and sinuous route of the bridleway to Whiston just beyond Whiston Spinney south of Cogenhoe Quarry
The exception is ‘Bridle Path’ which although it can be used on horseback cannot be used by bicycles for the sake of safety. You will notice that there are signs at either end.
There are three ways in which you can find out where these ways are and whether or not they are footpaths and bridleways.
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The County Council is responsible for looking after Northamptonshire’s rights of way. All the rights which exist are recorded on a map called the ‘Definitive Map’. You can go and see this map at the Council’s Offices or, much more easily, provided you have access to a computer, you can go and look at a version of the map online at the website of the County Council. Click on 'Definitive Map' to obtain more details.
- A paper copy of the part of the Definitive Map showing the rights of way in our village can be seen in the window of the Sargeant Memorial Hall.
- You can buy the Explorer series (orange coloured) Ordnance Survey map at the scale of 1:25000 (2 and a half inches to the mile; or 4 cm to 1 km.) which shows the footpaths and bridleways in red. Using this map enables you to plan circular walks easily. Brafield is located on maps 223 and 224.
Many of our paths, like our roads, are very old. Some were created in 1829 when the parish was subject to Parliamentary Inclosure and many of our hedges and ways were formed. Others are older still, often possibly ancient, and will have been downgraded over time from roads to footpaths or bridleways. Just beyond the Old Farm, for instance, there is a clear imprint in the grass of the road which led to Whiston and connected, at Whiston Walls or Warren (where the 4 way fingerpost is), with the footpath to Cogenhoe which used to be a road called Short Lane.
The bridleway near the Old Farm which leads to Whiston and gives access to footpaths to Cogenhoe and Denton. Notice the ancient ‘holloway’ or worn sunken track visible in the shape of the land. This is looking SW towards the Old Farm.
Today this is a bridleway and, in the opinion of the writer, when used in a circuit via the edge of Cogenhoe Quarry and the Pocket Park is the nicest circular walk of all those on our doorstep.
The eastern end of Cogenhoe Quarry from the bridleway to Whiston. View looking north west
Steps leading up the side of Cogenhoe Quarry – the circular route to Cogenhoe via the Whiston bridleway. Steps on the other side of the quarry are known as Jerusalem Steps and the path descends the hill alongside the cutting that has a railway line leading into the quarry.
The History part of the website provides some images of earlier maps on which some of the routes are shown.
Historic Maps Link to Historical maps.
Rights of Way (Part 1) Link to Rights of Way – our footpaths and bridleways ( Part 1)
Date last updated: 16 Sep 2007 Valid until: 31 Dec 2007