Today, we think of roads as being well surfaced and defined lengths of tarmac or concrete, similar to how the Romans did. In times gone by, a road was simply a route along which the King and his subjects had the right to travel, these roads could be simple mud tracks, and many were hazardous to travel – they were dry and rutted in the summer, and muddy mires in winter. This made travel slow, dangerous and inconvenient. Most people found it was quicker and easier to simply walk. 
A684 near Aysgarth: BU05780a
Drove Road: BU06850
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Roman Road: BU02748
In the eighteenth century, Parliament attempted to improve the situation by allowing the formation of turnpike trusts. These trusts would take over and improve roads, recouping their costs by charging a toll for travellers to use them. They employed skilled road engineers who made massive contributions to the development of roads as we know them today. These roads made the coaching industry much safer and more reliable.
Milestone from the Richmond to Lancaster turnpike DCM0012
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