Herefordshire and Shropshire paths found among lost routes

The walking charity Ramblers used volunteers to uncover 49,000 miles of lost walking routes in England and Wales

A series of paths between Shropshire and Herefordshire have been unearthed among 49,000 miles of walking routes in England and Wales found missing from maps.

A search by walking charity Ramblers identified four paths that stop at the border between the two counties.

It is now trying to get the paths added on to official maps so they are not lost.

The group said getting them added to maps would save "a bit of our history".

Earlier this year, the Ramblers asked volunteers to search 154,000 one-kilometre squares of England and Wales using an online mapping tool to find lost rights of way.

Thousands of people worked to find paths left off the official maps councils were required to draw up in the 1950s, detailing rights of way in their areas.

Lost paths could provide new links between Leintwardine in Herefordshire and parts of south Shropshire

If they are not claimed by 2026, the government's cut-off date to add them to maps, the public's right to access them will not be protected in the future, the Ramblers said.

The group has launched the Don't Lose Your Way campaign to prioritise useful paths and make applications to get them on maps as legal rights of way.

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The West Midlands was found to have the third most miles of lost paths, at 6,291 miles, behind South West of England with 9,210 miles and the East of England with 6,505 miles.

If reinstated, the paths between Herefordshire and Shropshire could provide more links between Leintwardine, the village of Bedstone and open access land around Hopton Castle.

Jack Cornish, programme manager, said: "By getting the most useful of these paths back on the map, we will not only be saving a little bit of our history, we'll also be able to improve the existing network, creating new and better walking routes, enabling more of us to more easily enjoy the outdoors."