Surrey has 3501 kilometres (2175 miles) of footpaths bridleways, and byways. We are responsible for the management and maintenance of this network, and for the Definitive Map that is a legal record of the position and status of Rights of Way.
Surrey's rights of way network is made up of approximately:
- 2,253 km (1400 miles) of public footpaths which you have the right to use on foot only
- 1,120 km (702 miles) of public bridleways which you have the right to use on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle (cyclists should give way to walkers and riders)
- 2.4 km (1.5 miles) of restricted byways which you have the right to use on foot, on horseback or on/in any vehicle which is not mechanically propelled (for example a bicycle, horse drawn vehicles).
- 126 km (78 miles) of Byways Open to All Traffic (BOATs) which you can use on foot, on horseback and on or in any sort of vehicle
Rights of Way Improvement Plan - Public consultation
We are in the process of creating a new Rights of Way Improvement Plan. We undertook an online public survey early in 2024 and asked for your views on Surrey's rights of way network. We had a huge amount of response to the survey and you told us how and where you used the network and how it can better meet your needs now and in the future.
The draft Rights of Way Improvement Plan is now available for public consultation where you will have further opportunity to comment. You can view the draft consultation and evidence reports below:
- Draft Rights of Way Improvement Plan (PDF)
- Evidence report 1 - Network and needs analysis (PDF)
- Evidence report 2 - Survey and stakeholders report (PDF)
Have your say on the draft Rights of Way Improvement Plan by taking part in our Surrey Says Survey which runs until Sunday 9 February 2025.
Once the new Rights of Way Improvement Plan has been finalised and approved by the council it will be published on our website.
In this section
- Contact us or report a problem on a Right of Way
- Public inquiries and written representations
- Rights of Way Improvement Plan
- Interactive map
- Find out about Rights of Way
- Highways Act and Commons Act deposits
- Rights of way public notices
- Register of map modification applications
- Surrey Countryside Access Forum
- Countryside advice
