24 August 2005

Coastal walks and hiking in the hills – the perfect way to sea the south-west

Ordnance Survey is helping locals and tourists in England’s south-west make the most of new walking opportunities over the August bank holiday weekend and into the autumn.

The mapping agency is publishing 11 new OS Explorer Maps on 28 August, showing areas where ramblers are permitted to walk off the beaten track for the first time.

The national roll-out of access rights involves countryside across West Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. The extent of each area is shown clearly on revised OS Explorer Maps with a light yellow tint.

At a scale of 1:25 000 (4 cm on the map = 1 km on the ground), the maps make it easier to plan a safe and pleasurable walk – essential as many of the more remote access areas are on high moorland such as Exmoor, Bodmin and Dartmoor, and hills such as the Quantocks and Blackdowns.                                                               

In addition to the access areas, the revised maps are ideal for following the South West Coast Path. At 630 miles, it is the longest national trail in Britain, linking Minehead in Somerset with Poole Harbour in Dorset.

Interest in coastal areas of Britain is particularly strong this year, with SeaBritain maritime celebrations, the BBC series Coast, and events commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar.

Ordnance Survey’s special edition map The Trafalgar Way has captured part of south-west naval history. It shows the route from Falmouth to London taken by the lieutenant tasked with delivering news of the battle and Nelson’s death to the Admiralty.

Eleven OS Explorer maps for the south-west are out this month (price £7.49), covering: Exmoor (OL9), South Devon (OL20), Dartmoor (OL28), Bodmin Moor (109), Torquay & Dawlish (110), Bude, Boscastle & Tintagel (111), Exeter & The Exe Valley (114), Clovelly & Hartland (126), Taunton & Blackdown Hills (128), Bideford, Ilfracombe & Barnstaple (139), Quantock Hills & Bridgwater (140).

A further 12 will be published on 3 October 2005, covering: Land's End (102), The Lizard (103), Redruth & St Agnes (104), Falmouth & Mevagissey (105), Newquay & Padstow (106), St Austell & Liskeard (107), Lower Tamar Valley & Plymouth (108), Launceston & Holsworthy (112), Okehampton (113), Exmouth & Sidmouth (115), Lyme Regis & Bridport (116), South Molton & Chulmleigh (127).

The Trafalgar Way is available from booksellers and via the Ordnance Survey website (price £6.25).

 

Notes for editors

1. For further information on the launch of ‘open access’ rights in the south-west of England contact: Pam Beddard, Regional Publicist, 0117 987 0442 or 07767 621207, or Matthew Heard,  Countryside Agency press office on 01242 533 476. Read the Countryside Agency news release at www.countryside.gov.uk/WhoWeAreAndWhatWeDo/pressCentre/southwest_access.asp

2. Countryside code leaflets and a website – www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk – have been produced as part of the access land initiative so that walkers have guidance and up-to-date information on temporary restrictions. Map-reading leaflets and further details on OS Explorer Maps are available on the Ordnance Survey website – www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. 

3. For further information on The Trafalgar Way Map see http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/media/news/2005/march/trafalgarwaymap.html

 

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