We too have a private (unadopted) road for vehicular access to the rear of the house (and several other houses access either their front or back gates via it) We have in the past used slate chippings and they worked well for about a year but they were carried off in the tyre treads of all the vehicles and had to be replaced. We have tried everything to persuade the council to take over the lane but to no avail. Again, this year, it is a mass of huge potholes and loose gravel and it looks as if the whole surface is breaking up.