Postman's Paths

The Postman's Path at Caldbeck

I WAS introduced to Postman's Paths by historian Tony Vaux of Caldbeck, Cumbria. I was visiting him at his farm just outside Caldbeck and he mentioned the postman's path that went past his home. It was not a term I had heard before but he explained that the postman in the past had short-cutted across the fields when delivering post to the farms that encircle the village. There are places in the drystone walls where you can see the steps added in to aid the postman. These paths had then become recognised public footpaths and registered on OS maps - although it's doubtful that anyone else other than the postman and perhaps the farmers ever used them. 

On googling the term back home I was delighted to find that a number of people had remembered these 'postman's paths' in various parts of the country - indeed the world. Like most paths, these had been created for a specific purpose by a specific occupation. In Cumbria it's easy to think of peat-cutters paths, drovers roads and miners' trods. Perhaps the most famous Postman's Path is the one at Rhenigidale, North Harris, Scotland which is detailed by the wonderful website, Heritage Paths. An idiosyncratic piece of history has been turned into a popular tourist trail, with no doubt a welcome boost to the local economy. In this instance, it's unlikely the postman created the path but he certainly walked it and popularised it. There's a lovely short film available on YouTube where they interview the former postman, Kenny Mackay.

I included the Caldbeck postman's path and a couple of others in my book, Get Lost, along with a couple more such paths that can be found in Cumbria. Since publishing the book I've also begun researching these paths further and hope we can save more of these before they vanish from history. I doubt any postmen still walk long distances across the fells these days, relying instead on motorised transport. So if we don't record these paths while they're still on the edge of living memory they will be lost for ever. If you know of any, do drop me a line.