Welcome to the forum, I think others have defined the nature of grey paths, tracks and roads very well, but there are many shades of grey. Since the passing of the CRoW Act, those who have read internal publications of the landowners and farming press might feel some concern that the boundary between de facto rights of way and actual rights of way as marked on the map and refer to the Definitive map may be under some threat.
It is wise to tread with caution, as shown with Mel's map there are two options to avoid a walking an A road to reach an adopted track. Yet neither are rights of way. Are they Lostways?
In 1949. an Act of Parliament was past intending to award the people of this country the freedom of their countryside for the sacrifices made by those through 2 World Wars. Unfortunately the administrations, County council etc. were in turmoil, postwar, and in the case of many Shire counties dominated by Landowners, who lived in a past age.
This resulted in the Corruption of the Definitive Map, both by poor assessment or vestige interest, that will now be further exacerbated by individuals' sense of property.
Thorn Villa Farm has a grey track from the west and grey path from the east both ways linked by walking through the farm yard, pre-1960's local people would happily walk through an active farmyard if it was an accepted way to a destination.
Hilltop Farm is a very small holding, despite the barrier shown, there are tracks both from the North west and South East. Is this a stronger way? The way does show a very slight tendency to go around the property, a sign that in other similar anomalies can be more apparent. So how important are these ways to today's access map and the future development of a network that is an important part of our society?
As Mel says;
To be honest, it can all be a bit trial and error but great fun in the exploring - both on the map and on foot
But also important to continually question and criticize how our countryside is occupied and shared. I made some interesting discoveries yesterday, a lostway with a lost bridge and a Right of Way that property owners are doing their best to eradicate, all part of a 15 mile way of grey and green ways.