[danielg0]

Because most of the routes have not been tested yet - all of them have been put together by volunteers during quarantine. And, from experience, even though they've been constructed from public footpaths, that's no guarantee of their quality. Paths can be fenced off by landowners, go through cattle fields or be outright missing.

Making all the routes available without at least a brief check could lead to less-experienced walkers getting lost or injured.

[ajuc]

Waiting for volunteers can take forever. Better to gamify/crowdsource it.

1. Create navigation app using OpenStreetMaps

2. Add the new routes as red

3. Let user choose a route to walk (warn if he chooses a red one)

4. At the end ask user a few questions (how hard, how pretty, are there shops on the road, how dangerous)

5. Update the route metadata in the App

6. When there's enough data change the color to green and remove warnings

You could even add average speed and sell ads to local pubs/museums/etc.

[JoachimS]

So put a disclaimer to that effect. And allow walkers to add info, status over time. Use the network effect and make it easy for people to contribute.

[gadders]

If the path goes through a farmer's field, I think they are entitled to put cows in there if they need to.

[qz2]

From experience they will and it’ll also be a foot deep in cow shit (I do a lot of walking in U.K.). That needs to be listed on the routes.

Common hazards and inconveniences such as flooding need to be listed. I had to Wade knee deep in slurry once where a river had flooded into a muck pile. I considered throwing my legs away with my shoes after that.

[mprovost]

Cows yes, bulls no. There are exceptions but generally it's not legal to leave bulls alone without cows in fields that have public rights of way. We walk through fields with cows all the time, it can sometimes be uncomfortable if they come close but I've never felt in danger except when there was a bull. Two walkers have been killed by cows this year, although that's not typical.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-5...

[gadders]

Yes, but as the article says it's normally dog walkers that get attacked, rather than walkers.

[playcache]

So a group of individuals are going to go and walk them all first?