Please be aware that some parts of the County have been severely hit by flood damage, and this has affected many public rights of way (PROW) . The area most affected is the central Lake District where record breaking rainfall has caused acute localised damage (please go to the Lake District National Park website for further details). 
 
There has also been knock on impact across some areas where these large river systems flow out into wider Cumbria - particularly the outflows of the rivers Derwent and Cocker in W Cumbria, the rivers Irt, Esk and Duddon in SW Cumbria, the rivers Crake, Leven and Kent in S Cumbria, and the river Eamont in E Cumbria. 
 
Our countryside access team have been out assessing the impact across the most at risk areas, and in a number of limited areas footbridges, path surfaces, stiles, gates and other structures have either been damaged or washed away. As a result we have temporarily closed 11 foot bridges for public safety reasons (there are notices displayed where these occur out on the ground), and some of these bridges will remain closed until further inspection, remedial repair / full reinstatement is undertaken. For a list of temporary closures across wider Cumbria (outside of the Lake District National Park) please see attached. 
 
It should be stressed that many parts of the county have been relatively unaffected by the floods and the PROW network in these areas remain open and available to use - albeit many routes are very wet and waterlogged. Whilst we are still out surveying the impact of the floods around the county, you may come across problems along some river side paths which we haven't yet got to, and where the route has been undercut, flooded or damaged in some way. Please take particular care in these circumstances, and make your own assessment as to whether it is safe to proceed.   We would be grateful for any reports of problems encountered.

Welcome to Cumbria County Council's Countryside Access pages!

From here you will be able to access information about Public Rights of Way, Local Access Forums, the Definitive Map, and other aspects of countryside access.  

One of the most popular links from these pages is the electronic working copy of the Definitive Map.  

If you have a problem to report on the Public Rights of Way netowrk then please contact the Highways Hotline below.