We are currently making a legal record of the public rights of way within the City of Bath. Use this page to find out more about the City of Bath Definitive Map project.
Project background
The Definitive Map and Statement is the legal record of public rights of way in Bath and North East Somerset. The City of Bath was an 'excluded area' when this legal record was first created, so the public rights of way in the city were not recorded.
Our City of Bath Definitive Map project aims to create a legal record of all public rights of way within the city.
We published the first Definitive Map and Statement for Bath in 2006. This included 54 paths with an approximate length of 8km. Since then we have recorded 481 public rights of way on the Bath Map, covering 67km.
View wards we have researched
We have completed research for the following wards:
- Abbey
- Bathwick
- Kingsmead
- Lambridge
- Lansdown
- Moorlands
- Newbridge
- River and towpath paths
- Southdown
- Twerton
- Walcot
- Weston
- Westmoreland
- Widcombe and Lyncombe
What the project involves
We research possible public rights of way using historical evidence and the evidence supplied by people who use them.
We don't record pavements or private alleyways and paths which only give access to people's properties.
Our research focuses on paths on a ward-by-ward basis. We started in the Weston ward, and anticipate that we will finish in Combe Down.
Project benefits
An accurate record of the public rights of way will help us to maintain and improve these paths.
Ordnance Survey maps for the area will be updated to show the public rights of way. This hopefully means that more people will benefit from using them.
View the Bath Map
The Definitive Map and Statement are held in Keynsham Civic Centre. A copy of the Definitive Map and Statement is also stored in the Archives at the Guildhall, Bath.
To view the map and statement, you can make an appointment with our public rights of way team through our online form.
Future research
There are approximately 70 possible paths to research in the city of Bath. The remaining paths are located in parts of Odd Down and Combe Down.
Research history
Select a topic below to find out more about our research in each ward.
Two Definitive Map Modification Orders were made on 13 August 2008 to add 44 public footpaths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Abbey Ward.
The orders were confirmed on 22 October 2008. In 2019 some of the ward boundaries were changed. The area previously covered by Abbey Ward became Kingsmead Ward.
View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 12 August 2015 to add 17 paths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Bathwick and Combe Down wards.
Two representations were received to the making of the Order for footpath BC54/40 and an error was discovered in the drafting of the route included for BC64/1.
The unobjected-to part of the Order (comprising of 15 paths) was confirmed without modification on 20 January 2016 by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
The objected-to part of the Order (comprising of 2 paths) was referred to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for determination in March 2016. The Planning Inspectorate determined the Order by Written Representations and confirmed the objected to part of the Order with modifications to footpath BC64/1 and confirmed the Order as made for footpath BC54/40 on 30 May 2017.
View the confirmed order and map of public rights of way in this area:
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 12 December 2007 to add 22 public rights of way to the Definitive Map and Statement (DMS) for the city of Bath in Kingsmead Ward.
The order was confirmed on 19 March 2008. View the confirmed order and map of public rights of way in this area:
Two Definitive Map Modification Orders were made on 5 July 2006 to add 36 public footpaths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Lambridge Ward.
The Orders were confirmed on 15 November 2006. View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 10 August 2005 to add 14 public footpaths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Lansdown Ward.
The Order was severed and the 12 unobjected to paths were confirmed on 16 November 2005.
A Public Inquiry was held in April 2014 and the other 2 paths included in the Lansdown Order were confirmed on 25 June 2014 by the Secretary of State.
View the confirmed order and map of public rights of way in this area:
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 2 November 2017 to add 17 public footpaths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Westmoreland ward. The Order was confirmed on 1 February 2018.
A Definitive Map Modification Order (No. 20) was made on 9 March 2023 to add 21 public rights of way to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Moorlands, Oldfield Park & Westmoreland wards.
The Order was confirmed on 11 May 2023.
View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
2025 Moorlands, Westmoreland & Oldfield Park Wards (PDF)
Two Definitive Map Modification Orders were made on 15 November 2006 to add 43 public footpaths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Newbridge Ward.
The Orders were confirmed on 25 April 2007.
View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
2025 Newbridge Ward map and order (PDF)
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 16 March 2011 to add 21 public rights of way to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath along and including the river path and towpath.
An objection was received to all of the paths included in the order. The objection to 6 of the paths included in the Order was withdrawn. The Order was severed and the 6 unobjected to paths were confirmed on 4th September 2013.
The objected to part of the Order contained approximately 7.9km of path network in various wards and was referred to the Secretary of State for the Environment for determination in June 2015. The case was determined using the Written Representations procedure. The Planning Inspectorate confirmed the objected to part of the Order (with modifications to footpaths AQ92a and AQ193) on 27 January 2017.
View the confirmed order and map of public rights of way in this area:
Two Definitive Map Modification Orders (No. 18) and (No. 19) were made on 7 September 2021 to add 29 public rights of way to the Definitive map and Statement for the city of Bath in Southdown and Twerton wards.
Order No. 18 comprises of 15 public rights of way and Order No. 19 comprises of 14 public rights of way. Both orders were confirmed on 13 January 2022.
View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
A Definitive Map Modification Order, Twerton (No.12 - 2017), was made on 19 July 2017 to add 7 public footpaths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath. The Order was confirmed on 20 September 2017.
Two Definitive Map Modification Orders, Twerton (No.13 - 2017) and Twerton (No.14 - 2017) were made on 16 August 2017. Each Order contained 21 public footpaths to be added to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath. The Orders were confirmed on 11 January 2018.
View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
2025 Twerton Ward map and order (PDF)
Order No. 12 - Twerton Ward (2017) (PDF)
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 5 March 2014 to add 16 public rights of way to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Walcot Ward.
The Order was confirmed on 9 July 2014.
View the confirmed order and map of public rights of way in this area:
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 23 March 2005 to add 23 public footpaths to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Weston Ward.
The Order was severed and the 22 unobjected paths were confirmed on 3rd August 2005.
Following the written representations procedure, the other path included in the Weston Order was confirmed on 21 January 2014 by the Secretary of State. View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
Two Definitive Map Modification Orders (No.16) and (No.17) were made on 21 March 2019 to add 33 public rights of way to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Widcombe ward.
Order No.16 contains 16 public rights of way and was confirmed as made on Thursday 27 June 2019.
Order No. 17 contains 17 public rights of way. Objections were received to 3 footpaths included in Order No.17. The Order was split and the unopposed part was confirmed by Bath & North East Somerset Council on 26 September 2019.
The objected to part of Order No. 17 (comprising of 3 paths) was referred to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for determination in January 2020. The Planning Inspectorate determined the Order by Written Representations and confirmed the objected to part of the Order as made for footpaths BC53/5, BC53/6 and BC64/7 on 27 January 2022.
A Definitive Map Modification Order was made on 3 October 2024 to add 14 public rights of way to the Definitive Map and Statement for the city of Bath in Widcombe & Lyncombe, Combe Down and Oldfield Park wards. The Order was confirmed on 6 March 2025.
View the confirmed orders and map of public rights of way in this area:
2025 Widcombe & Lyncombe (PDF)
Order No. 16 - Widcombe (2019) (PDF)
Order No. 17 - Widcombe (2019) PDF)
Order No 21 – Widcombe & Lyncombe (2024) (PDF)