The South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust 1989 – 2019
For thirty years the South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust was dedicated to recovering and preserving our rich heritage of packhorse trails, bridleways and ancient lanes. The Trust opened up many miles of upland paths for horse riders, cyclists and ramblers as part of the South Pennine Bridleways Network. The Trust was wound up in 2019 but the work goes on.
Continuing the work
Many rights of way have fallen into disrepair, been unlawfully downgraded or obstructed and are not recorded on the definitive map, yet on the principle of ‘once a highway, always a highway’ the public historic right remains. Unfortunately, Parliament has decided to extinguish unrecorded rights in 2026. Many of these ancient routes will be lost, so the race is on to save the historic rights-of-way of the South Pennines. Local historians and groups representing horse riders, walkers, mountain bikers and are working hard to submit claims.
Burnley Bridleways Association and the SPPTT Archive
BBA has taken the SPPTT research and it is now professionally archived and available to the public at the Lancashire Archive at Preston. For any enquiries, please go to Burnley Bridleways Association
