Slow map: Mapping Britain's intercity footpaths
bbc.com
bbc.com
1) There is a disclaimer on OS maps that says so
2) The definitive map is held by local councils
3) A right of way can exist without registration, and is created through use. The medieval alley ways in my local town only recently became registered after hundreds of years of use. They were always rights of way and you could not have prevented their use.
4) There is a right to roam in Scotland and a limited right to some land in England and Wales under CROW Act.
"While in England and Wales, highway authorities have a duty to maintain legally recognised maps of rights of way, in Scotland different legislation applies and there is no legally recognised record of rights of way."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_way#Scotland
I do a lot of walking in Scotland and I've never paid any attention to whether a path is described as a "Right of Way" or not - mostly it seems of historical interest for places like the wonderful "Jock's Road":
As they say, there are many paths in the UK but it can take a lot of research to find long routes that don't leave you on a busy road with no pavement. I hope this project is a success and can't wait to use it.
It's a bit scary using this foot path crossing, especially in poor weather or at night. Cars can travel at 70 mph (112 km/h) on this road.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6832617,-1.9031193,3a,75y,...
It's got more of a wooden frame up and down the embankment, a Public Footpath sign and look right / look left warning paint.
It looks like a poor compromise to retain an existing right of way when building or upgrading the dual carriageway.
Translating British for my fellow Americans. Carry on.
The [FAQ page] answers this:
> Slow Ways walking routes – drafted, tested, reviewed and verified by volunteers – suggest the best ways to get between neighbouring towns, cities and villages. Our mapping and routing will show a limited number of paths, making it easier to see and plan journeys.
— curation.
[FAQ page]: https://slowways.uk/frequently-asked-questions/
What I find more surprising is announcing such a project if there is no result yet, now they get buzz and create disappointment and I don’t see what they gain for it.
The map visible is from the first draft. I don't know why they haven't released the first draft, but it could be that they don't want to release potentially unsafe routes. The pretty website is designed to entice volunteers, which is why "Up for helping us?" is front and centre. It led me to sign up.
https://www.strava.com/heatmap
They've aggregated tons of bike and running routes so you can see where other people have ran/biked before. Good to use in the woods when the trails aren't very obvious, just use the 'find me' button on the map and then you can see where you are and which trail goes where.
Also, I think Ordnance Survey's record of the use of these footpaths has significant weight in keeping them legally protected.
So Ordnance Survey is the best tool here.
OS doesn't have a topological (=connected, routable) database of public rights of way. The green lines you see drawn on a Landranger map are just that: lines on a map. I don't need to explain how having a routable database would make a project like Slow Ways so much simpler.
OS, of course, doesn't have accessibility information like stiles, gates, or surface quality, which OSM often has.
I love OS maps, but they are increasingly being marginalised to B2B applications (particularly utilities) and keen walkers. Most UK cyclists have migrated to OSM and, judging from people I see out and about here in the Cotswolds, casual walkers are increasingly going that way too.
Another weird thing that happens on OS maps is that some paths are shown on 1:50,000 maps but not on 1:25000!
This is mine https://explorer.geowessex.com/?layers=48&basemap=26
Definitive maps https://www.ramblers.org.uk/advice/paths-in-england-and-wale...
You're showing me the result - I'm telling you how that gets achieved in practice.
You can read more about it here from a relevant group https://www.ramblers.org.uk/-/media/Resources/Volunteer%20re...
England in particular has a long and complex history of land being gifted by royalty and clergy to sycophants leading to the rest of us being screwed over for literally a thousand years!
Green and pleasant land indeed!
That said, England does have a fantastically extensive network of public footpaths.
It's really something you don't appreciate until you go somewhere without such a network.
OpenMap Local and OpenZoomstack are both available as open data, and give an awful lot of what most people are looking for when it comes to map data.
I’m wondering if similar projects would work outside of the UK. As far as I know, the UK is pretty unique in the fact that basically all land is freely accessible by anyone, except when explicitly forbidden?
For example here in the Netherlands, basically anything that isn’t a public street is off limits, except when the owner of the land explicitly grants access.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam
You can, in general, walk/cycle to most places in Scotland although there are fairly sensible conditions:
https://www.scotways.com/faq/law-on-statutory-access-rights
https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/
I'm in the process of walking the Munros and I'm careful to check with landowners about access during the deer stalking season - I've never had a landowner be anything other than completely helpful.
NB Walkhighlands is a superb site covering walks throughout Scotland, not just the Highlands:
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/
Heritage Paths is also good:
That's not strictly true for England. Although it's not illegal to trespass (outside of power stations, military bases and ports) unless you cause damage while doing so.