Finding Green Lanes

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Don't go on your own, Andy, or if you do, be careful mate.
 
Have joined that wayfarer site but so far it doesn't seem to me much good. I've stuck my grid ref in and it just brings up loads of straight lines which are maybe half a mile or quarter of a mile long each, but don't correspond to any roads or lanes at all and just cut through fields, housing estates and all sorts. Am I doing something wrong? Should I just be concentrating on BOATs or what? What do all the codes mean anyway?

Confused!
 
Have joined that wayfarer site but so far it doesn't seem to me much good. I've stuck my grid ref in and it just brings up loads of straight lines which are maybe half a mile or quarter of a mile long each, but don't correspond to any roads or lanes at all and just cut through fields, housing estates and all sorts. Am I doing something wrong? Should I just be concentrating on BOATs or what? What do all the codes mean anyway?

Confused!

First what you're getting is start and end point of a section of lane usually to the first junction or interuption (road passing across it etc.) obviously if the lanes S shaped it's going to cut straight across the bends in the lane.

Secondly The wayfarer lists all public rights of way including bridlepaths and footpaths. But by looking at the map it should be fairly clear what's what (Check the map legend if you're not sure what's what.) and if you click on the 1st waypoint on the route a little box will pop up saying
DMS = Definititive map status IS the lane listed on the Definitive Map YES/NO (not all roads are)
OS = Ordnance Survey The status according to the Ordnance Survey Map Usually the best indicator if it says Bridleway or Rupp or path then you can't drive it. If it says ORPA (Ordinary Road with Public Access) or BOAT (Byway Open to All Traffic) or White Road Then it's almost certain to be legal to drive it.
LOS = List of streets Is it on the Highway departments list of street. Yes/No if yes then it's a public highway (not all roads are listed)

Where there are several sections making up a long route check each section because sometimes they can become restricted byways thus making the route a dead end that you'll have to do a Uturn on and drive back the same way.

Once you have planned your route and are happy with it then is the time to check the route with councils ROW officer to make sure nothing has been changed or TRO'd..

Good luck
 
Thanks a lot for the advice red, I'm only looking in anticipation of getting my nice new defender 90 one day so will most likely be green laning with more experienced off roaders than myself.

Is the councils right of way officer the only dude who knows the current status of all byways? I've found a couple of local BOATS (according to Wayfarer) that vary from muddy ditches to gravelled tracks, most of which I had no idea existed even on my doorstep! However I wouldn't like to take a jolly up and down one then later find out it was actually restricted access for whatever reason, is there anywhere on the web you can check the current status?

For now I will stick to investigating OS and LOS lanes if these are fairly certain to be legal.
 
Thanks a lot for the advice red, I'm only looking in anticipation of getting my nice new defender 90 one day so will most likely be green laning with more experienced off roaders than myself.

Is the councils right of way officer the only dude who knows the current status of all byways? I've found a couple of local BOATS (according to Wayfarer) that vary from muddy ditches to gravelled tracks, most of which I had no idea existed even on my doorstep! However I wouldn't like to take a jolly up and down one then later find out it was actually restricted access for whatever reason, is there anywhere on the web you can check the current status?

For now I will stick to investigating OS and LOS lanes if these are fairly certain to be legal.

He will know for definate but other locals will probably know and Crag are quite active in North Wales. If you PM me the Grid Ref inc the 2 letters I:E SU87634432. Then I will have a look at it for you as I have hundreds of lanes round that area from when I used to live there.
 
PM sent mate, the lane in particular I'm looking at I think is passable, I remember walking the dog down it on more than one occasion although the bushes get a bit tight in places and I think it passes through a farm or cottage yard which is something I'm unsure about, I'd rather avoid any potential conflict at the moment even if I am in the right.
 
Planning on walking them 1st... cheers mate.

No worries, are you going this weekend? I'm popping into Newstead, then have to go to Eakring later on Sunday so if you fancy an hour or two laning we could meet up somewhere?
 
OS = Ordnance Survey The status according to the Ordnance Survey Map Usually the best indicator if it says Bridleway or Rupp or path then you can't drive it. If it says ORPA (Ordinary Road with Public Access) or BOAT (Byway Open to All Traffic) or White Road Then it's almost certain to be legal to drive it.

Not true "white" roads on a OS map only mean they are less than a certain width, dotted ones mean no fence. Not all white roads have motorised access.

As for North Wales when I did have access to wayfinder both versions and trailwise I found them quite helpfull but lots of mistakes.

Also on the subject of Welsh lanes esp those in the north, the local landy club has done a recent survey of "greenlanes" members were asked to record and drive lanes local to them, and infro about them shared between them.
 
Not true "white" roads on a OS map only mean they are less than a certain width, dotted ones mean no fence. Not all white roads have motorised access.

As for North Wales when I did have access to wayfinder both versions and trailwise I found them quite helpfull but lots of mistakes.

Also on the subject of Welsh lanes esp those in the north, the local landy club has done a recent survey of "greenlanes" members were asked to record and drive lanes local to them, and infro about them shared between them.

Yep, when I get my 90 (going to look at a 1993 200tdi next week, guy wants £1200 for it) I will be spending my time travelling some of my local lanes as per the Wayfinder database with the aim of getting acquainted with my new motor and finding out all the information I can, hopefully will be of some benefit to other users.
 
He will know for definate but other locals will probably know and Crag are quite active in North Wales. If you PM me the Grid Ref inc the 2 letters I:E SU87634432. Then I will have a look at it for you as I have hundreds of lanes round that area from when I used to live there.

Last time I checked with Gwynedd CC in Caernarfon, too long ago to be of any use now, I found the status of lanes proved to be totally different to that shown on OS maps. Ironically often in the right direction, many that the OS showed as Bridleways, the council beleived had rights for wheeled vehicles. Unfortunately the ones I looked at may have been legal, but, in my opinion, they were not drivable.

I did find them helpfull. I had phioned and made an apointemt, and spent all morning there. They showed me where the maps etc were and, and advised me what to look for, then let me get on with it. Don't expect them to do all the work for you, so you will still need some knowledge of the ins & outs of RoWs
 
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