Definitive maps online

Definitive Maps

The Rights of Way shown on Ordnance Survey maps aren't necessarily exhaustive, and they may not always be accurate as changes to the Right of Way network made between map editions don't make it on the map. In England and Wales, the local authorities (unitary authorities or counties) are required to maintain a Definitive Map on paper, which is both definitive and up to date and must be publicly accessible. In National Parks, this may be delegated to the relevant National Park Authority. The rules in the other four jurisdictions covered by Geograph Britain and Ireland are different, and the above doesn't apply there.

In addition to the Definitive Map on paper, many local councils offer an online version of their Rights of Way map. These online versions aren't definitive in the legal sense but are meant to reflect what is shown on the Definitive Maps. In many cases, these also show temporary diversions.

Below is a list of links to online versions of Definitive Maps of local councils in England and Wales. In some cases it is necessary to accept terms, but no registration or payment is necessary in any case. A number of local councils have made their data available to the public, and the website rowmaps provides a tool to view these data in several different mapping media.

The list is based on posts on the Geograph forum. If you would like to add information, please either post to the relevant forum thread or contact me by email through Geograph. Similarly, if you find that a map link no longer works or the menus have been changed, please drop us a line.

England

• Bedford (select RoW from 'View Map Layers', then click 'Display on Map')
• Borsetshire
• Bracknell Forest (pdf files by parish in side menu)
• Buckinghamshire
• Calderdale (Click 'Map layer selector' in the menu above the map, then select RoW from 'Transport and Streets')
• Cambridgeshire
• Central Bedfordshire
• Cheshire
• Cornwall
• Derby (pdf files by former parish)
• Derbyshire (RoW are in 'Environment' layer)
• Devon
• Dorset (Click on 3rd icon down on the right, then on 'Countryside')
• Durham
• East Sussex
• Gloucestershire
• Hampshire (RoW data also downloadable in kml and ESRI formats)
• Hertfordshire
• Isle of Wight (pdf files for 86 tiles covering the whole island)
• Kent
• Kingston upon Hull(6 pdf files by path number)
• Lancashire
• Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Milton Keynes ("Redways" are routes for cyclists & pedestrians - not horse-riders)
• Norfolk
• Northamptonshire (RoW are in 'Add Feature/Place' and then 'Transport and Streets')
• North Lincolnshire (pdf files by parish)
• North Yorkshire
• Northumberland
• Nottingham City (RoWs are in 'Highways' layer)
• Nottinghamshire
• Oxfordshre (142 pdf files for each 5K by 5K square)search for a place in Oxfordshire's Definitive Map
• Poole (pdf file, 1.1MB)
• Portsmouth (pdf files for 9 tiles covering the city)
• Rotherham
• Rutland
• Salford (RoW are in 'Map Layers' - 'Misc')
• Shropshire
• Somerset
• Southampton
• Staffordshire (RoW are in 'View Map Layers'/'Leisure and Culture'; click on 'Public Rights of Way' and then click 'Display on map')
• Surrey (RoWs are in 'Discover Surrey' layer)
• Wakefield
• West Berkshire
• West Sussex (click Map features and tick Paths and Permissive Paths)
• Wiltshire
• Windsor & Maidenhead (RoW are under 'Transport and Streets')
• Wokingham
• Worcestershire

Wales

• Ceredigion
• Sir Benfro / Pembrokeshire

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Acknowledgement. Hugh C, Keith Edkins, Bob Embleton, Ben Gamble, ceridwen, Richard Greenwood, Derek Harper, Dave Hitchborne, David Lally, Alan Murray-Rust, Nigel Mykura, Ian Rutson, Kevin Beeden and Evelyn Simak supplied various map links.

This article is now open for collaborative editing. Please add or update any local authority RoW mapping sites that you come across.

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