# Bridleway map?



## WhiteMagic (4 June 2013)

I was wonder if there is a site for bridle ways that is like google maps? I know that OS maps show them but I don't think I have one for the yards area :S maybe should buy  

Any bright ideas?


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## FlaxenPony05 (4 June 2013)

Go on Streetmap, type in the yards postcode and zoom into the OS map setting...or you could just go on the OS map website, they have virtual OS maps on there


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## WhiteMagic (4 June 2013)

Aww brilliant! Thank you


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## Miszeemare (4 June 2013)

Rowmaps.com is a very good site - all the bridle ways are colour coded and easier to read.


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## Sugar_and_Spice (4 June 2013)

Emagin. It is up and running now I think. The BHS organized it.


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## JenJ (4 June 2013)

bing maps has an OS option. I spend hours poring over maps on there


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## criso (4 June 2013)

I use the definitive map on our local council site, the different types of path are different colours which is much easier that the OS and trying to work out if it's meant to be a long green dash or a short green dash.

Also  more up to date and accurate.


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## HardySoul1 (4 June 2013)

OS Getamap is good. Free to use, but for a small annual sub you get fuller access and can print colour A4 maps. Cheaper and nicer to use for riding than lots folding maps. If you do want a full map Dash4it is great value with free next day delivery.


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## BarryCornelius (6 August 2013)

Earlier, Miszeemare mentioned http://www.rowmaps.com.  I'm the author of that web site. 

The web site enables you to display public rights of way that are close to a specific place displaying the rights of way on underlying maps from the Ordnance Survey, OpenStreetMap, Google and Bing. It is able to do this for the 63 local authorities that have released under licence the data about their rights of way.

Bridleways are shown in purple. 

As well as displaying maps, the web site also enables you to build a route by selecting several rights of way and then outputting the route on paper, in KML or GPX.


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## dogatemysalad (6 August 2013)

Try this site; http://www.bridleways.co.uk/default.asp

It has route maps and photo's taken by riders at key points along the route. Each route is described in detail and any potential hazards highlighted. 
 Anyone can submit a route, so if anyone's interested, take a camera next time you're out hacking and submit a new ride.


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## Achinghips (6 August 2013)

BarryCornelius said:



			Earlier, Miszeemare mentioned http://www.rowmaps.com.  I'm the author of that web site. 

The web site enables you to display public rights of way that are close to a specific place displaying the rights of way on underlying maps from the Ordnance Survey, OpenStreetMap, Google and Bing. It is able to do this for the 63 local authorities that have released under licence the data about their rights of way.

Bridleways are shown in purple. 

As well as displaying maps, the web site also enables you to build a route by selecting several rights of way and then outputting the route on paper, in KML or GPX.
		
Click to expand...


It looks great but I'm in Cambridge and you don't cover that ..... Sniff


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## criso (6 August 2013)

I've been exploring my local area recently and have found quite a lot of discrepancies between the opensourcemaps and even the OS maps and the definitive map.  The definitive map matches what you see on the ground but the OSM at one point would have taken us over a fence  and through a nature reserve clearly marked no horse riding.  If you had got that far it's then a little bridge to keep walkers out of the wetland and brook so not a suitable route on any level.  It's a footpath on the definitive map.

Not sure if it's just where I am or if other people have this problem.


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## clippi (6 August 2013)

No I have this problem. On my OS map there is a bridlepath marked but in real life is permissive only, another bridlepath is marked on the OS map but doesn't exist at all on the definitive map and on the ground it only looks like a footpath you have to cross a river using a footbridge as you can't wade across as the banks are too steep to get down/up


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## dogatemysalad (6 August 2013)

If there is a discrepancy between maps and RL, ring your Rights Of Way officer at your local County Council and get him/her to ensure that bridleways are open and useable.


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## criso (6 August 2013)

dogatemysalad said:



			If there is a discrepancy between maps and RL, ring your Rights Of Way officer at your local County Council and get him/her to ensure that bridleways are open and useable.
		
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It's quite clear with a bit of investigation that the definitive map is accurate in the cases I am thinking of. 
They are footpaths on the definitive map together with detailed up to date descriptions in the statement, they are signposted footpaths, they are footpaths on my paper OS maps, the terrain is not suitable or passable on horseback and wouldn't be without major changes but they are popping up on some of the online maps.   

Many footpaths have been put on the opensourcemaps (and some other online maps) as bridleways and I have now lost faith in them as being reliable.


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## BarryCornelius (6 August 2013)

Achinghips said:



			It looks great but I'm in Cambridge and you don't cover that ..... Sniff 

Click to expand...

When I e-mailed Cambridgeshire a year ago, they were unwilling to release the data they had about public rights of way. So that's the reason why they are not included at http://www.rowmaps.com.  

The Council provides its own interactive map but unlike my web site they don't use a different colour for bridleways.


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## BarryCornelius (6 August 2013)

criso said:



			Many footpaths have been put on the opensourcemaps (and some other online maps) as bridleways and I have now lost faith in them as being reliable.
		
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I see that your horse is in Hertfordshire.  My web site www.rowmaps.com covers Hertfordshire and shows bridleways in purple. However, I think the data the Council provided me is from September 2010. The Council provides an online map at www.hertsdirect.org/maps/Website/WebMaps/viewer.htm?layers=prowline and this shows bridleways in green. I'd be interested to know how these match up with reality.


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## clippi (6 August 2013)

clippi said:



			No I have this problem. On my OS map there is a bridlepath marked but in real life is permissive only, another bridlepath is marked on the OS map but doesn't exist at all on the definitive map and on the ground it only looks like a footpath you have to cross a river using a footbridge as you can't wade across as the banks are too steep to get down/up
		
Click to expand...

Sorry I should of said local view rather than definitive map



BarryCornelius said:



			When I e-mailed Cambridgeshire a year ago, they were unwilling to release the data they had about public rights of way. So that's the reason why they are not included at http://www.rowmaps.com.  

The Council provides its own interactive map but unlike my web site they don't use a different colour for bridleways.
		
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Just looked at your website and the 2 bridlepaths I was talking about. One you have marked as a byway (that in RL is marked as permissive bridlepath), the other you haven't marked on at all, although the OS underlay has it marked as a bridlepath. Does your information come from the council?


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## BarryCornelius (6 August 2013)

clippi said:



			Just looked at your website and the 2 bridlepaths I was talking about. One you have marked as a byway (that in RL is marked as permissive bridlepath), the other you haven't marked on at all, although the OS underlay has it marked as a bridlepath. Does your information come from the council?
		
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All my data comes from councils.  Please can you send the details about these paths.  I suggest you e-mail me at BarryCorneliusUK@gmail.com rather than send it to the forum.


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## OrangePepper (6 August 2013)

To anyone going out to explore on horseback I would strongly recommend purchasing the relevent O.S. map(s) (landranger or Explorer series).  For a small extra charge you can get them custom made with your yard at the centre of the map if you so wish. You can get them by ordering them online from the Ordnance Survey web site.  Once I receive them I tend to highlight all the bridleways and byways with yellow highlighting pen so that they are easy to see on the map.

If on the ground I have any doubts about the status of a particular path I contact the Definitive Map Officer of the County Council and ask them to confirm the status of it.

If a public right of way is obstructed or overgrown then I contact the Access Officer of the County Council.

Please be aware  that many definitive maps are not up to date in fact some have not been updated for 5 years.

There is a lot of historic research work going on at the moment by a number of dedicated BHS bridleway officers or bridleway groups to claim or apply for modification orders for routes before the new rule applies which prevent any further claims being made after 2024.  It is important that riders ensure that the routes they use are on the definitive map as otherwise these will be lost.


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## criso (6 August 2013)

BarryCornelius said:



			I see that your horse is in Hertfordshire.  My web site www.rowmaps.com covers Hertfordshire and shows bridleways in purple. However, I think the data the Council provided me is from September 2010. The Council provides an online map at www.hertsdirect.org/maps/Website/WebMaps/viewer.htm?layers=prowline and this shows bridleways in green. I'd be interested to know how these match up with reality.
		
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A quick look at yours suggests it's very accurate and very easy to read.  However if you look at the underlying map it's easy to see what I mean.

You have all the ROWs clearly colour coded and marked in however the underlying map itself has additional dotted and dashed lines which do not have any colour overlay.  Some of these are generic 'tracks' in the key, some as far as I know are footpaths - maybe permissive ones so not a right of way.

However I have seen these marked as bridleways on online maps so I just go back to the definitive maps and now yours


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## criso (6 August 2013)

OrangePepper said:



			Please be aware  that many definitive maps are not up to date in fact some have not been updated for 5 years.
		
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Ours is 2010 but i check for any modification orders too.


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