29 July 2004

Huge task underway to add new access areas to Explorer maps

Aim is to have all 32 maps for first two regions ready on Day One

The huge task of adding details of new countryside access land in England and Wales to Ordnance Survey Explorer maps is underway.

And the aim is to have updated editions of all 32 maps covering the first two regions ready for use on the very first day the new rights come in to force – Sunday 19 September 2004.

Millions of people use Explorer maps every year for walking and other outdoor activities, and more than 250 sheets covering England and Wales are to be revised to show access land in a clear, unified way.

The first of the new access areas, where people will be able to walk on land away from public footpaths if they choose to do so, are in:
                                           
• Parts of the south-east, including Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex and nine London Boroughs south of the Thames; and

• The lower north-west, including the Peak District and all or large parts of Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire along with small areas of Cumbria, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Staffordshire.

The areas to be opened up – subject to some common-sense restrictions – have been defined by the Countryside Agency after a long period of consultation with landowners and countryside users, following guidelines laid down in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Details of the land to be formally designated in the first two regions have now been passed to Ordnance Survey by the Countryside Agency so the information can be transferred to the Explorer maps covering the two areas.  Access land in other areas will follow later, with the information for Wales being supplied to Ordnance Survey by the Countryside Council for Wales.

The 32 maps in the first two regions are part of the 403-title Explorer series covering the whole of Britain, each published at a scale of 1:25,000 (4 cm on the map to 1 km on the ground, or 2½ inches to 1 mile). This is the most popular scale of mapping for outdoor activities, as the maps show every hamlet, village and town along with tracks, paths, field walls and hill contours to help navigation.

“We will be working as fast as we can to revise all the Explorer maps in the two regions and our aim is to have them complete by the day the new rights come in to force,” says Ordnance Survey Products Director Steve Erskine.

“It is a huge challenge which involves the preparation, checking, printing and distribution of what will be hundreds of thousands of maps. Across the 32 sheets there are hundreds of new access areas to map out in detail. At the same time we will also be merging the new information from the Countryside Agency with existing access areas owned by landowners like The National Trust, Forestry Commission and Woodland Trust, which are already shown on our maps. This unified approach will ensure Explorer maps show the total extent of areas that are accessible, helping to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings in the countryside.”

He adds: “In aiming to meet the 19 September launch date, we have to dramatically compress our regular production timetables, as we recognise just how important our maps will be, not only for walkers but also for country landowners and rural tenants.”
                       
The extent of all access land will be shown in a new way on the maps – by a light yellow tint to the affected areas, surrounded by a narrow, pale orange border. 

Symbols will no longer be used to indicate the ownership of access land on revised Explorer maps, but a new orange-coloured ‘i’ symbol will be introduced to pinpoint any permanent access information boards that are notified to Ordnance Survey by the appropriate access authorities before each map is revised. The use of orange for the new symbol is deliberate – it reflects the colour of the borders of access land on the maps and avoids confusion with the long-standing blue ‘i’ symbol that indicates a tourist information centre.

The map legend (key) will also explain there are legal limitations to the new rights of access, and will give web site contact details (www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk) for map users to check the status of a particular area of land before setting out. The service is a joint initiative of the Countryside Agency and Countryside Council for Wales.

As a result of the new yellow colour being used for access land, the way National Park boundaries are shown on Explorer maps is changing from the existing yellow band to a series of magenta-coloured dashes. This will avoid any confusion with the access land. Originally, Ordnance Survey considered removing National Park boundaries from Explorer maps altogether, but by working closely with National Park representatives, this alternative way of showing them has been agreed. 

No change is planned to the way National Park boundaries are shown on smaller scales of Ordnance Survey mapping, such as the OS Landranger Map series; nor will the extent of new access areas be shown on smaller scales of mapping as it is important that the level of detail needs to be seen at 1:25,000 scale to be clearly understandable.

So that users recognise which map sheets have been revised to show new access information, the design of the map cover will change – although the dominant orange colour that has become a feature of the Explorer series will be retained. The new covers will include an access land symbol as well as a small change to the title of the series: as sheets are revised they will be known as OS Explorer Maps rather than simply Explorer maps.

Steve Erskine adds: “Many interested organisations and individuals have worked closely with us to choose the best way to show access land on maps. All have been keen to ensure the ultimate depiction is as clear as possible, and we are grateful for their input.”

As soon as the cartography for the revised maps has been completed for the first two regions, work will begin to convert the relevant mapping into seamless computer data for use on pocket navigation equipment and web sites – including availability in the OS Select site-centred mapping service. The aim is also to have this initial data available on 19 September.

Ordnance Survey paper maps and computer data will be revised for other areas of England and Wales in a rolling programme as the access information for each area is supplied to it by the Countryside Agency and Countryside Council for Wales. Land in Scotland is not covered by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.

Notes for editors

A media-only opportunity to see “behind the scenes” how the new maps are being made is being hosted at Ordnance Survey’s head office in Southampton on 26 August 2004. Journalists interested in attending should contact Scott Sinclair.

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Chief Press Officer - Scott Sinclair

Email: scott.sinclair@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2265

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Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2635

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