Comment: Back campaign to save Sunderland walking routes

A socially-distanced walk in the fresh air is the perfect antidote to the coronavirus blues caused by being cooped up indoors for so long.

Which is why it will come a real concern that miles of historic footpaths across the North East could disappear.

As we reveal today, a catalogue of admin errors and oversights has resulted in the public’s right to use historic footpaths being put at risk.

Nationally, almost 50,000 miles of footpaths could go and in the North East more than 2,000 miles are threatened.

Neil Allender, of the Northumbria Ramblers, tell us: “There’s a lot of old paths linked to old pits and other workplaces.

“If you look at 19th Century maps there’s old paths which go to old pits, especially in places like Hexhamshire, but as the pits closed no one had reason to walk them anymore. After the Second World War, local authorities were supposed to add them to their maps, but while some parishes were very good, others were more lackadaisical.”

In a bid to save these important footpaths, the Ramblers organisation has launched a ‘Don’t Lose Your Way’ campaign to save the routes. It’s a campaign we hope gets your backing.

With bracing country walks being one of the few pleasures rediscovered during this pandemic, it would be huge pity to see historic routes being lost to poor admin.