A UNIQUE website which offers riders a comprehensive list of routes and bridleways across the whole of Britain has been launched this week.

Keen horsewoman Catherine Wheatcroft was so frustrated at the lack of information for riders that she decided to set up a community website. Catherine is appealing to readers in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to contribute to the comprehensive database by sending in their own favourite routes so that she can include them on the web.

"My husband, Richard, and I started work on the site 18 months ago when we realised there was nothing like it in the UK. We have spent an exhausting 18 months putting it together," she said.

"Before we did this there were few regional sites and a dearth of free bridal route information. This is the first site of its kind in the country."

The endurance rider who owns a Welsh section D cob called Buster, first realised the extent of the problem facing the riding community when she moved to Derbyshire two years ago.

"I hadn't got a clue where I could hack and trying to navigate a map and ride a horse at the same time wasn't very easy!" she said.

"When you compare what each county offers in promoting bridleways, the results are startling and very inconsistent. Providing a single framework should standardise the approach and provide a gateway to riders."

Each route submitted on to the bridleways.co.uk website is validated before it is released for public viewing.

It is cross-referenced with current Ordnance Survey data and where there is any element of doubt, Catherine contacts either the contributor for more information or the local council responsible for detailed clarification. The routes are also verified for rights of way.

"We have identified and will continue to identify potential circuits across the UK to provide visibility of where the circuits are," Catherine explained.

She and her husband spent more than 4,000 hours in 2004 on the project. She expects to spend the same amount of time over the next three years, adding content and promoting the site.

"If every rider in Herefordshire and Worcestershire adds one route it will help the riding community enormously," she said.

If you want to help, Catherine can be contacted on 01629 534 181, or by e-mail at communications@bridleways.co.uk