ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Rights of way in England and Wales

Rights of way are like special paths or trails that you can use to walk or ride your bike on. They are special because they don't belong to anyone in particular but are open to everyone to use.

Imagine you are on a bike ride with your family and you come across a path in the woods. This path might be owned by someone like the government or a group of people who want everyone to be able to use it. And since they own the path, they are responsible for taking care of it and making sure it's safe to use.

But just because the path is open to everyone, that doesn't mean you can do anything you want on it. There are rules that you need to follow, like staying on the path, not taking anything from the path, and not damaging it in any way.

There are different types of rights of way, like footpaths, bridleways, and cycleways. Footpaths are for walking only, bridleways are for people on horseback, and cycleways are for bikes. Each one has its own rules and restrictions.

It's important to remember that even though these paths are open to everyone, they are still private property. That means you can't just go onto someone's land and start using it as a path. You need permission from the owners to do that.

So, the bottom line is that rights of way are special paths that people can use to walk, ride their bike, or go horseback riding. They are open to everyone, but you need to follow the rules and get permission if the path is on private property.