In All Our Footsteps: Tracking, Mapping and Experiencing Rights of Way in Post-War Britain

在英格兰和威尔士，大约有14万英里的通行权，对于那些希望通勤和娱乐的人来说，这是必要的基础设施。然而，在战后的英国，很少有人关注这一广泛网络的测绘、维护和使用的历史。《在我们的脚步中》将关注地方政府、公民社会、第三部门和公民活动家为记录和建立二战后英格兰和威尔士的公共道路网络而采取的战略，以及当时战后地图绘制工作遇到的问题。我们的重点将把苏格兰排除在外，部分原因是这项研究在地理上是可行的，但主要是因为苏格兰从来没有类似的最终努力。这一记录英格兰和威尔士所有通行权的雄心勃勃的尝试在2026年1月的最后期限前成为焦点，根据2000年《乡村和通行权法案》对所有这类道路进行法律识别。漫步者目前的‘不要迷路’活动旨在识别并正式绘制尽可能多的通行权，以免它们永久地消失在公众手中。除了是重要的历史文物外，通行权也是促进身心健康活动的核心，例如步行，以及在人们对心理健康和日益恶化的肥胖症的担忧中，为了福祉的迫切需求而将人与自然联系起来的能力。我们将与兰布勒夫妇合作，作为我们的项目合作伙伴，以及来自历史英格兰、自然英格兰、国家信托基金的代表，来自一系列学科的步行从业者和学者，询问通行权在他们过去和现在的背景下的重要性。通过这种方式，我们将把历史与当前的政策和实践联系起来。特别是，该项目将致力于解码和普及我们看待步行和福祉的方式，强调不同群体如何利用通行权来支持自己的健康和福祉优先事项，以及如何开发更具社会包容性的通行权网络，以鼓励与自然的有意义的接触，以及增加所有人的体力活动。通过与学术界内外的第三部门组织和专家合作，我们将提供有关英格兰和威尔士通行权当前和未来问题的历史见解。在我们整个项目中，活动将由这些团体塑造，并将直接融入兰布勒夫妇的工作，因为他们绘制了历史上的道路权利图。我们将组织一系列研讨会，讨论通行权在使用、人类多样性、经济和环境变化方面面临的关键挑战。通过突出道路基础设施本身的权利，我们将鼓励利益相关者和政策制定者将注意力集中在路径本身以及它们如何支持一系列不同的用户群体，并将道路权利本身视为一项重要的历史和当代资产。成果将包括加强学者、从业人员、路径使用者和政策制定者之间的联系，并支持进一步深化这些联系，所有这些都得到一本开放获取编辑书籍、一系列政策文件和一个数字中心的支持。

In England and Wales there are around 140,000 miles of rights of way, essential infrastructure for those wishing to access the countryside for both commuting and recreational uses. However, there has been little attention paid to histories of the mapping, maintenance and usage of this extensive network in post-war Britain. 'In All Our Footsteps' will focus on the strategies pursued by local government, civil society, the third sector and citizen-activists in order to record and establish the public ways network in England and Wales after the Second World War - as well as the problems encountered by the post-war mapping exercise at the time. Our focus will exclude Scotland partly for reasons of geographical feasibility of the study, but mainly because there has never been an equivalent definitive effort in Scotland. This ambitious attempt to record all the rights of way in England and Wales has been brought into sharp focus by the deadline of January 2026 for the legal identification of all such paths under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The Ramblers' current 'Don't Lose Your Way' campaign aims to identify and officially map as many rights of way as possible before they are permanently lost to the public. As well as being important historic artefacts, rights of way are central in facilitating activities for physical and mental health such as walking, and the ability to connect humans to nature for wellbeing - pressing requirements amidst concerns over mental health and worsening obesity. We will work with The Ramblers, as our Project Partner, as well as representatives from Historic England, Natural England, The National Trust, walking practitioners and academics from a range of disciplines to interrogate the importance of rights of way in their past and present context. In this way we will connect history to current policy and practice. In particular the project will aim to decode and popularise the way we see walking and wellbeing, emphasising how different groups have made and are making use of rights of way to support their own health and wellbeing priorities, and how more socially inclusive rights of way networks could be developed to encourage meaningful engagement with nature, as well as increased physical activity for all. By working with third sector organisations and experts both within and beyond academia we will provide historical insights into current and future issues relating to rights of way in England and Wales. Throughout our project activities will shaped by these groups and will feed directly into the work of The Ramblers in particular, as they map historic rights of way. We will organize a series of workshops to discuss key challenges faced by rights of way in relation to use, human diversity, economics and environmental change. By foregrounding rights of way infrastructure itself, we will encourage stakeholders and policy makers to focus attention on paths themselves and how they enable a range of diverse user groups, and to view rights of way as an important historical as well as contemporary asset in their own right. Outcomes will include better links between academics, practitioners, path users and policymakers, and support for deepening these connections further, all supported by an Open Access edited book, a series of policy documents and a digital hub.