Would you keep an eye on the paths in your parish or a neighbouring one?

 A way to do that involves something that you love doing: walking. You could do it alone or with one or more friends.

 When you come across a path problem e.g. vegetation overgrowth, difficult stile, locked gate, collapsing footbridge, path not made good after ploughing, you report it.

 Reporting is easy, you can choose how you do it.

Our parish path warden (PPW) network coordinator, has written helpful guidance notes and is always there to give additional help if required.

Parishes without path wardens

There are PPWs in 80% of our parishes. We would love this to be 100%.

You can see from the list below which parishes don’t have a PPW. You do not have to live in a parish to be the PPW for it. Indeed, you do not have to be a member of Ramblers. 

How to be a PPW

It would be good if you would walk all the paths in your chosen parish at least once a year. Doing it in both summer and winter would be even better. If you can’t walk all of the paths, do what you can. Do it alone or with one or more friends. It is also helpful to have secateurs to carry out light trimming on any vegetation that is in your way.

We’ll give you a large scale (1:10,000) map of your chosen parish, kindly provided by Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCC) Countryside Access Service (CAS), with whom we have an excellent working relationship. The map contains details of all the Public Rights of Way, including their reference numbers.

In addition to this map we suggest that you carry some means of noting the problems you find. This could be a camera or smart phone to take close-up shots.

If you have a GPS or a grid reference app on your smartphone this will immediately give you the grid reference for the issue. If you are not familiar with grid references, don’t worry; make a note of the position as best you can.

When you report a problem via OCC’s website (using their online reporting tool) then the online map shows the position of stiles, gates and footbridges with easily recognisable icons. You can include photographs in your online report.

While all reports of path problems should be sent to the CAS using the OCC online reporting system, information on serious problems (such as a fallen tree blocking the footpath, or a dangerous stile or footbridge) can be emailed or phoned to the appropriate field-officer for the area. Details of these are given in the Supplementary Information listed below.

You’ll find more information within the guides written by our PPW Network Co-ordinator, David Tole :

* Guidelines (December 2022).

* Supplementary Information (February 2023)

Parishes in need of PPWs

Updated September 2026

Banbury and N.Oxon:

None!

Bicester & Kidlington:

Ardley with Fewcott; Arncott; Bucknell; Heyfords (Heyford Park, Lower Heyford, Upper Heyford); Horton-cum-Studley; Piddington; Shipton-on-Cherwell & Thrupp; Stoke Lyne

Didcot & Wallingford

Brightwell-Cum-Sotwell; Culham; Didcot; Dorchester; Moulsford; Newington; Nuneham Courtenay

Oxford City

Littlemore

Thame & Wheatley:

Chalgrove; Cuddesdon with Denton; Elsfield; Great Milton; Stanton St John; Tiddington-with-Albury

Vale of White Horse:

Blewbury; Buscot; Coleshill; Fernham; Harwell; Letcombe Regis; Longcot; Pusey; Watchfield; Western Valley 

West Oxfordshire:

Bampton; Black Bourton; Clanfield; Curbridge; Grafton & Radcot; Hardwick-with-Yelford; Heythrop; Kelmscott; Langford; Little Faringdon; Standlake; Swerford

Note that parishes in both the Cotswold and Chilterns National Landscape Areas (formerly AONBs) have separate PPW schemes.

If you think that you might want to be a PPW for one of these parishes, contact David Tole, without obligation.