Finding Bridleways in England and Wales

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JanS18

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24 July 2018
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Hello Everyone ?

As an avid rider, I've long been frustrated by the lack of a good bridleway map, so I recently commissioned one, and have decided to make it completely free.

You can access it on this page: https://eventingguide.com/finding-bridleways-england-uk/

I welcome any feedback. Enjoy ??
 

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cold_feet said:
Why not use Ordnance Survey? It’s the official ROW record.
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Hi @cold_feet. Ordnance Survey isn't actually the official ROW record. Instead, definitive maps (held by local authorities and councils) are. What's more, many legally recognised rights of way are omitted from Ordnance Survey maps.

The map I've commissioned draws from literally hundreds of definitive maps, and is therefore more reliable than an OS data source.
 
Good tool!

You might want to check about public access to dismantled railway lines, there’s definitely one near me that is accessible to horses, and it isn’t on that map.
 
That's handy, it's really interesting to look around the different areas. Agreed, if we could ride on even some footpaths it would join up so many routes.
 
SEL said:
Good tool OP. Frustrating when I look at my area how many bridlepaths could be linked up if we could use footpaths.
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Definitely! It's worth looking into whether these sections should be designated as a bridleway. Broadly speaking, the process for doing this is to check historic maps (in my local area, the site http://www.kypwest.org.uk has several) for anything that suggests the route was once officially open to more than pedestrians, and reach out to your council's Right of Way Officer to see whether there's merit to your claim. The process can be time consuming, but shouldn't cost you anything, and is easier than you'd expect - particularly in cases where bridleways suddenly stop, or turn to footpaths.
 
iknowmyvalue said:
Good tool!

You might want to check about public access to dismantled railway lines, there’s definitely one near me that is accessible to horses, and it isn’t on that map.
Click to expand...

It would be great to add that information to the map. However, it's likely that the council doesn't have anything to do with access over the route, and therefore information would have to be sourced from third parties. It's on the phase two to-do list!
 
JanS18 said:
Definitely! It's worth looking into whether these sections should be designated as a bridleway. Broadly speaking, the process for doing this is to check historic maps (in my local area, the site http://www.kypwest.org.uk has several) for anything that suggests the route was once officially open to more than pedestrians, and reach out to your council's Right of Way Officer to see whether there's merit to your claim. The process can be time consuming, but shouldn't cost you anything, and is easier than you'd expect - particularly in cases where bridleways suddenly stop, or turn to footpaths.
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Thanks. There's one that looks pretty obvious and I know a lady in her late 60s referred to riding over it 20 odd years ago but the gates are pedestrian only now. I'll see if I can find any reference to it ever being more than a footpath
 
HappyHollyDays said:
Your original post stated your frustration at the lack of a good bridleway map which is exactly what I linked to. I’m sure somebody will find it useful.
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Unfortunately, if you rely on that map you'll miss out on a lot of great rides! Thanks for sharing the link, anyway :)
 
Thanks for this, OP, my friend and I have been trying to find new rides near us and were saying we needed something exactly like this! I've sent her the link and we'll be studying it for new routes.
 
What a great thing to do. I looked a while back and found it pretty difficult to see stuff, I tried OS maps, looked at the definitive map for my area, and something like rangeviewer or finder, can’t remember exactly. But I’m in the south east and it’s pretty built up so the bridleways are very limited.
 
I think it's really helpful to have it laid out like this.

I've never got on with OS maps as they show all the different types of ROW in the same colour with different patterns to differentiate which makes it difficult to see routes at a glance. The local definitive map is OK and good for seeing detail but the way it refreshes as you zoom in and out is quite annoying.

I noticed it also links to the definitive map in my area if I want to investigate further

Other types of access like permissive routes would be nice but would be more difficult to maintain as they can be removed or changed to footpath at any time.
 
criso said:
I think it's really helpful to have it laid out like this.

I've never got on with OS maps as they show all the different types of ROW in the same colour with different patterns to differentiate which makes it difficult to see routes at a glance. The local definitive map is OK and good for seeing detail but the way it refreshes as you zoom in and out is quite annoying.

I noticed it also links to the definitive map in my area if I want to investigate further

Other types of access like permissive routes would be nice but would be more difficult to maintain as they can be removed or changed to footpath at any time.
Click to expand...

It would be great to add permissive routes! It's something I've got in mind for the second iteration.

Thanks for your support.
 
What an amazing resource, thank you!

Out of curiosity, how will the second iteration be done? It sounds like an even greater undertaking.
 
criso said:
I think it's really helpful to have it laid out like this.

I've never got on with OS maps as they show all the different types of ROW in the same colour with different patterns to differentiate which makes it difficult to see routes at a glance. The local definitive map is OK and good for seeing detail but the way it refreshes as you zoom in and out is quite annoying.

I noticed it also links to the definitive map in my area if I want to investigate further

Other types of access like permissive routes would be nice but would be more difficult to maintain as they can be removed or changed to footpath at any time.
Click to expand...

I find the same regarding OS maps, they can be a bit confusing and as the OP says they don't always show all ROW.

I've always been a bit unsure of which byways we're allowed to ride on, so i think this will be super useful.

Eta: my area (Kirklees) isn't on there. ☹️
 
This is fantastic! Thank you so much, moving to a new area so it lovely to go in with some knowledge of where I can go. Quick Q, is there a way to change to imagery to satellite picture?
 
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