MAINTENANCE OF RIGHT OF WAY THROUGH PLANTED BOG

Hi

Hoping someone here can help.

I own a plot of bog in the middle of a large planted bog.
There is an official right of way /old bog road up to my plot, through the planted bog. Think it's an old public road, or public access right of way . . .. The road is marked in the land register maps and all.

I am the only one using this road. Other people have bog plots up near me but haven't used them in probably 40 years . . . So just me using this road with the past probably 40 years( which includes my fathers time) . Before that it would have had a few farming families using it.

Thing is . . .this road is wrecked! Complete bog road, no gravel. And some massive holes in it. Very hard get turf out it every year, as iv only got a small 2wd tractor.

The deceased owner of the planted bog ( and also the property owner on which this road is on . .. i assume ) never maintained this road . . . Which is fine by me. The new owners are not around. . . . .living up in Dublin somewhere I think. The deceased mans family.


I would like to dig a drain along by the side of this road, to remove surface water and hopefully will dry it out. I have my own track machine and all so don't mind doing it. 2 days in the digger should do it.

Just wondering, who really should be maintaining this road. .. . And should there be any problems (legally) with me putting a drain along the side of it, once I dont damage any of the trees etc.??. Area is in the middle of nowhere. . . . . No houses or anything around. . . . .no mans land area !