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Get your self an OS map of the area your interested in from WHSmiths. I use the Explorer series which are the ones with the orange cover 1:25000, you can use the ones with the purple covers which are the landranger series these are 1:50000.
The explorers being 1:25000 are obviously more detailed.
The next thing you want to look for is what you are allowed to drive on.
You are ONLY allowed to drive on the byway open to all traffic(BOAT) and the other routes with public access(ORPA)*more on this later* There is no vehicular rights to drive on ANY other piece of public land. Even if you have heard of people driving it before or your mates mothers dog says its ok, its not.
This is an image from an explorer map, so BOAT's and ORPA's are GREEN, on a land ranger map BOAT's and ORPA's will be in purple
So now you know what you CAN drive, get that OS map out and look for the roads you want to drive.
When you find them you still have a little more work to do.
You need to find out if the OS map people have it recorded correctly(they do get it wrong sometimes) The ONLY way to find out if it is a legal byway or ORPA is to call the rights of way officer at the relevant council and get them to check their "definitive map".
The definitive map is a map of all recorded Public Right Of Way(PROW) in the respective county. If the Byway that you have found isnt on this lane then it isnt a Byway. Simple. ORPA's are not always listed on the definitive map because 99% of the time they are Unclassified Country Roads(UCR's) So they appear on the "List Of Streets". Again if the ORPA you have found dosent appear on the list of streets you cant drive it. One other thing to note is not all ORPA's carry vehicular rights. The ROW officer will tell you if it does not carry rights.
When you call the right of way officer you will need some info so they can give you an answer. You will need to tell them the grid references. The easiest way to get the grid references is by using a site with online OS maps, such as:
TwoMaps.Com
Find the BOAT or ORPA you want and then hover the mouse over the start and finish points. In the case of twomaps it tells you the grid references in the white bar in the bottom right corner of the screen. There are many ways to write grid refs, this site uses the 2 letters and 10 numbers system. I wont go into explaining how grid refs work there is plenty of info on google about this.
So you tell the ROW officer the grid references of all the ROW you wish to drive and they will tell you which ones are legal or not. They will also tell you if there are any Traffic Restriction Orders(TRO's) in place.
TRO's can be placed on ANY PROW at anytime. Not limited to Byways and ORPA's. Footpaths, bridleways and restricted bridleways are subject to TRO's aswell.
Councils will place these restrictions for many reasons. Either way if there is a TRO in place it is out of bounds until the restriction expires.
So thats about it really. Its a lot of work hey? Just to go for a nice drive in the country. It is very important that we, as users of these rights of way use them correctly and legally.
There is lots of groups and individuals out there who are set against vehicles in the countryside, and we dont want to be giving them any more ammunition.
More info on the subject of "greenlaning" and codes of conduct while using them can be found on the GLASS (Greenlaning Association UK) and the CRAG (Countryside Recreational Access Group) Websites.
Green Lane Association Ltd. - Home
Countryside Recreational Access Group - Home
The explorers being 1:25000 are obviously more detailed.
The next thing you want to look for is what you are allowed to drive on.
You are ONLY allowed to drive on the byway open to all traffic(BOAT) and the other routes with public access(ORPA)*more on this later* There is no vehicular rights to drive on ANY other piece of public land. Even if you have heard of people driving it before or your mates mothers dog says its ok, its not.
This is an image from an explorer map, so BOAT's and ORPA's are GREEN, on a land ranger map BOAT's and ORPA's will be in purple
So now you know what you CAN drive, get that OS map out and look for the roads you want to drive.
When you find them you still have a little more work to do.
You need to find out if the OS map people have it recorded correctly(they do get it wrong sometimes) The ONLY way to find out if it is a legal byway or ORPA is to call the rights of way officer at the relevant council and get them to check their "definitive map".
The definitive map is a map of all recorded Public Right Of Way(PROW) in the respective county. If the Byway that you have found isnt on this lane then it isnt a Byway. Simple. ORPA's are not always listed on the definitive map because 99% of the time they are Unclassified Country Roads(UCR's) So they appear on the "List Of Streets". Again if the ORPA you have found dosent appear on the list of streets you cant drive it. One other thing to note is not all ORPA's carry vehicular rights. The ROW officer will tell you if it does not carry rights.
When you call the right of way officer you will need some info so they can give you an answer. You will need to tell them the grid references. The easiest way to get the grid references is by using a site with online OS maps, such as:
TwoMaps.Com
Find the BOAT or ORPA you want and then hover the mouse over the start and finish points. In the case of twomaps it tells you the grid references in the white bar in the bottom right corner of the screen. There are many ways to write grid refs, this site uses the 2 letters and 10 numbers system. I wont go into explaining how grid refs work there is plenty of info on google about this.
So you tell the ROW officer the grid references of all the ROW you wish to drive and they will tell you which ones are legal or not. They will also tell you if there are any Traffic Restriction Orders(TRO's) in place.
TRO's can be placed on ANY PROW at anytime. Not limited to Byways and ORPA's. Footpaths, bridleways and restricted bridleways are subject to TRO's aswell.
Councils will place these restrictions for many reasons. Either way if there is a TRO in place it is out of bounds until the restriction expires.
So thats about it really. Its a lot of work hey? Just to go for a nice drive in the country. It is very important that we, as users of these rights of way use them correctly and legally.
There is lots of groups and individuals out there who are set against vehicles in the countryside, and we dont want to be giving them any more ammunition.
More info on the subject of "greenlaning" and codes of conduct while using them can be found on the GLASS (Greenlaning Association UK) and the CRAG (Countryside Recreational Access Group) Websites.
Green Lane Association Ltd. - Home
Countryside Recreational Access Group - Home
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