the.com/footpaths
the internet that existed before the internet, made of dirt and stubbornness.
means a narrow route worn or built for walking, usually shortest, rarely straightest.
from from old english fotpæð, literally foot plus path; long before roads were engineered, feet did the surveying, wearing routes into land through sheer repetition until desire lines became legal rights of way.
desire linesplanners now trace where feet actually walk first
english lawpublic footpaths can be centuries old and untouchable
mit studyunplanned campus paths predict foot traffic better than architects
rome's roadsmany began as footpaths widened for legions
for instance
camino de santiago — 800km pilgrim footpath walked since the 9th century