Cymraeg.

New research by Ramblers Cymru has found that local authorities in Wales are spending less on paths than they did in 2014, negatively impacting on people’s ability to reap the benefits of being outdoors and walking in nature.

Despite increasing use of the path network and a rise in reported issues, budgets for 2025/26 are 32% lower in real terms than they were in 2014/15.

Communities also face a postcode lottery, with a significant variation in funding across Wales, exacerbating the existing gulf between those who can and cannot access the outdoors. Local authorities’ budget per mile of path ranges from £6.90 to £371.73.

Angela Charlton, director of Ramblers Cymru, said: “People in Wales are too often finding their way impassable, with half of Wales’s rights of way currently blocked or unsigned.”

Paths are integral to the economy, with outdoor recreation in Wales worth £1.6 billion a year and supporting 31,000 jobs. Yet declining revenue funding means local authorities are increasingly reliant on grants as they attempt to tackle the backlog of issues across the path network.

Ms Charlton continued "Problem paths aren’t just denying people access to green spaces, but also to the significant health and wellbeing benefits of getting outside in nature. This isn’t just unfair – it's unhealthy.

“Recent Lancet research found that taking 7,000 steps a day leads to a 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 38% lower risk of dementia. Paths are a vital resource for this. That’s why, in the lead up to the Senedd elections in May, we’re urging politicians to commit to an increase of funding for this vital part of Welsh life.”

The Welsh Government’s Access Improvement Grant (AIG) is a crucial, dedicated fund supporting local authorities to make improvements to public rights of way, open access land and green space. Since 2022 the AIG has funded 152 new footbridges, 578 gates, and surface improvements on over 140km of paths.

However, given the scale of the problem, Ramblers Cymru believes more guaranteed funding is needed. The charity is calling on the next government to commit to a 4-year, £24 million Access Improvement Grant, tripling the current funding level.

Alongside the positive changes already secured through Wales’s new Sustainable Farming Scheme – which will require farmers to keep paths open to receive funding – these extra funds would make a real difference in improving Wales’s rights of way and open access land.

Ahead of the May election, Ramblers Cymru is also calling for measures that will ensure that progress is impactful and sustainable, including a target to remove 10% of stiles over the course of the Senedd term and a cross-sector strategy for walking in Wales. More information on these demands can be found here: