Roads Built for Hooves, Not Boots

Before turnpikes, canals and railways, the uplands of Britain were crossed by a working network of droves and drove roads. Cattle, sheep, pigs and geese were moved on the hoof from the hills of Wales, Scotland and northern England to fairs and markets in the lowlands, sometimes walking for weeks to reach a buyer. The routes were chosen with a stockman's eye rather than an engineer's: gentle gradients, firm ground along watersheds, reliable fords and grazing on the way.

Droving was a licensed trade. An Act of 1663 required drovers to be registered, and many became trusted carriers of news, letters and money between hill farms and lowland towns. That is why so many old droving inns have strong boxes and the word "Tryst" in their name. Today the same lines survive as public footpaths, green lanes, bridleways and quiet minor roads, and they offer some of the finest low-level hill walking in the country.

Where the Old Routes Still Run

Drove roads are rarely signposted as such, but they are remarkably easy to spot once you know the pattern. A few well-known examples are worth building a day around:

• Mastiles Lane, Yorkshire Dales — a broad limestone drove running above Malham towards Kilnsey, with wide verges that were deliberately left ungrazed so beasts could feed as they passed.
• The Cambrian droves, Ceredigion — the long ridge routes above Tregaron and Abergwesyn, including the steep pull known as the Devil's Staircase, once part of the great Welsh cattle traffic towards England.
• Clennell Street, Northumberland — a high Cheviot crossing used by drovers heading for the border trysts, running for miles along a single, unmistakable line.
• The Ridgeway — an ancient chalk ridge route, later used by drovers and now a long-distance path with several sections that remain legally open to vehicles.

In Scotland, look for routes radiating from the old tryst sites at Crieff and Falkirk; in Wales, follow the names of market towns such as Builth Wells and Llanwrtyd. A 1:25,000 map will show many of them as dashed green or orange lines, often labelled simply "Drove".

Reading the Landscape Underfoot

Half the pleasure of these walks is noticing what the drovers left behind. Look for:

• Wide, straight alignments that ignore field boundaries and parish edges, cutting across country because the beasts needed space and a steady gradient.
• Stone causeys and packhorse bridges, often narrow and humped, built for hooves and the occasional cart.
• Folds, stances and walled paddocks where animals were held overnight and counted before the next stage.
• Droving inns and toll points, usually spaced a comfortable day's drive apart, with names like The Drovers' Rest or Trysting Thorn.

The surface is often rough. Old stone paving can be slick after rain, and where a drove has been used by vehicles you will find ruts and standing water. Wear boots with a proper tread and take poles if your knees complain on the long descents.

Practicalities on the Hill

Droving country is exposed, and the weather turns faster than the forecast suggests. Carry waterproofs, a spare warm layer, hat and gloves, water and food, a paper map, a compass and a headtorch, even on a short summer outing. Mobile coverage in the hills is patchy at best.

Access varies along these routes. Some sections are public footpaths or bridleways, some are byways open to all traffic, and others are open access land, shown as tan shading on a 1:25,000 map. Where a route is open to vehicles, expect churned ground and, on a few popular ridges, off-road motorcycles. Stay on the line, use gates and stiles properly, and close every gate behind you unless it is tied open.

Dogs are welcome on most routes but must be kept under close control and, between March and the end of July, on a short lead where ground-nesting birds such as curlew, lapwing and skylark are breeding. Some upland areas have stricter year-round restrictions, so check local signs. Give cattle and sheep plenty of room, especially with calves and lambs at foot, and never walk between a cow and her calf.

Walking Well in Droving Country

Choose a route that suits the day rather than the ambition. Drove roads usually sit high and dry, so they are a good bet after heavy rain, but they offer little shelter and no easy escape off a ridge if the cloud comes down. Build in a turn-around time and stick to it. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.

If something goes wrong, dial 999, ask for the police, and then ask for mountain rescue. Give a clear grid reference from your map.

Finally, walk these old lines lightly. Do not widen a boggy patch by stepping around it, keep to the worn track rather than cutting corners, and carry everything out with you. The drovers moved thousands of animals across these hills without leaving much behind but a path. Following it is a quiet privilege, and a very good day out.