Not read any Oliver Rackham, will keep an eye out for his books SH on line. My observations are based on personal observation. Thanks for the link to that map, I have copied many of the early series of OS map but that one has escaped me. This particular example is a recent discovery. I was walking Roundton Hill above Churchstoke a couple of weeks ago and these anomalies caught my eye as I was debriefing myself.
Interesting that the same '
Pavement' effect as referred to by Ninthace is dupicated on the lane E2W passing Rhiston, if like Ninthace any have taken a GE trip along this lane an unusual number of Scot's Pine surround that holding. If this was a sign for overnight cattle keep for a drovers way it might account for the heavy traffic that would necessitate the need for alternative pedestrian ways where the roads become impassable channels of mud. There are other similar anomalies going back to where Offa's Dyke crosses that lane beyond
Gwarthlow.If there were a Drover's Ways approaching from the west this would be a southern line to aim for as the
Marrington Dingle, in the lea of Corndon and Roundton Hill would be a barrier for Driven cattle. As the medieval cattle droves dwindled, the market towns of Bishop's Castle and Craven Arms would provide target destinations. Also Montgomery, Welshpool and Newtown markets would be collecting grounds for mountain and hill bred store stock to be bought by dealers to be driven east to lowland fattening customers at midland markets.
It is noticeable that all these
'over the hedge paths' are on sloping ground, they are are going through heavy clay country (fields not free draining). So when a track, lane or road drops below that of the surrounding fields it becomes a water course.
These OTH pavements occur over a distance that suggests that they are common to different farm holdings and probably beyond the bounds of single estates, which suggest that they have developed by common need as opposed to by permission of landowners. I was talking to a farming friend, whose family bought their farm off the estate they tenanted it off. There was a clause in the old tenancy agreement instructing the tenant not to allow the development of rights of way. Which came first public need or the right of the landowner.
Mud and water may have been the reason to drive the pedestrian of yesteryear into the field margins, speeding traffic in it's many shapes and sizes is surely the modern day equivalent.