A new byway, until recently ‘lost’ has opened this week in the New Forest National Park.

The 750 metre byway adds a restricted byway of around 750 metres in length across Cadnam Common, turning a tarmac cul-de-sac past Storms Farm into a through route for non-motorised vehicles.

The New Forest has a long history, but it is largely devoid of recorded public byways and bridleways. Instead the Forestry Commission has set out a network of ‘permissive’ cycling routes (some of which are actually over ancient highways) but there are many other roads that were shown on Ordnance Survey maps from the 1920s that are out of bounds to the cyclist.

This is probably the first ancient lane to be newly recorded in the New Forest since the definitive map was created by an Act of Parliament in 1949, and with more hard work and some good fortune it will not be the last: there is another old road not far away for which an order to record it as a restricted byway has been made, and now submitted to the Secretary of State for determination.

Whilst there is a sound argument against adding all the missing routes to the definitive map for the New Forest (due to inevitable changes in land use patterns), there are some big holes in the route network for cyclists, and, it must be said, a straight, new-formed, road through endless conifers cannot compare to a winding track with a long history and variety of habitats and vistas.

If you’re interested in finding out more, head over to www.bbtrust.org.uk.